Can we be honest for a moment? Corned beef isn’t our first choice… or our second or third. It isn’t gross or anything like that, just different. If you’re like us and you don’t want to sit down to a big hunk of the stuff but still want to make something festive (and easy!) for St. Patty’s Day, this is your recipe. It truly is delicious, and coming in at under 400 calories per serving, it’s pretty darn healthy too. You might as well invite your friends or family over too for an Irish-themed party because it’s easy as pie to double (or more) and make ahead of time. This recipe called for us to do something that we’ve never done before: “pulse the onion, celery and carrots [don’t even bother peeling] in a food processor until they are pea-sized pieces.” We were pretty skeptical at first, like “won’t that just result in a mushy, ugly mess?” But, as we’ve mentioned before, we always follow the recipe to the “T” the first time we make anything. We are so glad we did, because although this method didn’t result in perfectly diced vegetables, they came out great and saved us lots of chopping time. We are so using this method more in the future. Potatoes, barley, and (of course) cabbage add more texture, flavor and nutrients. I think we’ve found a new St. Patrick’s Day dinner tradition.
Tips (unsponsored): Please use Kitchen Basics Beef Stock – it’s so much better than broth. We find ours at Walmart. We also found our quick-cooking barley at Walmart:
Have your kids help you dump ingredients into the soup pot. Make sure to let them smell the interesting aroma of the allspice. As you prepare and enjoy this meal with your family, teach them a few interesting facts about St. Patrick’s Day:
- March 17th is celebrated as St. Patrick’s Day because Patrick is thought by many to have played a major role in the conversion of Ireland to Catholicism. He was born in England and sold as a slave at age 16, where he served as a shepherd in Ireland for about six years.
- It is said that the clover is a symbol of the day because Patrick used a clover with three leaves in his explanations of the Holy Trinity. The shamrock clover is Ireland’s official flower.
- There were once found fourteen leaves on a single shamrock!
Modified slightly from: Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 3 stalks celery, quartered
- 3 medium carrots, quartered
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 pound plum tomatoes, halved
- 4 cups beef STOCK
- 4 cups chopped green cabbage (about ¼ medium head)
- ½ pound Yukon gold potatoes, chopped
- ¾ cup quick-cooking barley
- ¼ pound corned beef, cut into thin strips (use leftovers or deli meat)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Pulse the onion, celery and carrots in a food processor until they are pea-size pieces. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion, celery and carrots and the allspice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer the tomatoes to the pot and add the beef stock, cabbage, potatoes, barley and 3 cups water; cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes and barley are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the corned beef and season with salt and pepper.
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