Sausage Barley Soup

 We've been having some beautiful fall weather, here in the Midwest.  The days are warm and sunny, with cooler temps in the evening - just perfect for soup.  The recipe I'm going to share today is a yummy soup that can be made in the crockpot - my favorite kind of cooking. (smiles). If you want to speed up the cooking process, this soup can also be cooked in a pan on the stove until the barley and carrot are tender.  Either way, this soup has a lot of texture and flavor.

 Sausage Barley Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 (48 fluid ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup uncooked pearl barley

Directions

1. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, onion, and garlic until the sausage is evenly brown. Season with Italian seasoning. Remove from heat, and drain.
2. In a slow cooker, mix the sausage mixture, chicken broth, carrot, spinach, and barley.
3. Cover, and cook 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low. 

 Enjoy!