Hearty Tomato & Barley Soup
24oz jar of pasta sauce
1lb. carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup medium pearled barley (NOT quick cooking type)
1 small onion (about 1 cup), peeled and diced
12 oz fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (Or bag of “ready to cook” fresh green beans in the produce section)
1 cup frozen peas
15 oz can of great northern beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups of vegetable broth
Prep Day: Label your freezer bag with the name of the meal, cooking instructions, and “use by date”. (For standard fridge/freezer combos, this will be three months from the prep day.)
Add all of the ingredients to the bag (except broth).
Remove as much air as possible from the bag, seal it, and lay it flat in your freezer.
Serve Day: The night before cooking, move the frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw. OR You can also quickly thaw the bag in water in the morning so you can break apart the frozen block and fit it into your crockpot.
The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your crockpot and add broth.
Cook on “low” setting for 8 hours or until veggies are tender.
Serve with fresh bread or baked crescent rolls.
Northerly Nosh 