Can we rescue beef-barley porridge?

[bolt.]

My leftover beef-barley soup has swollen into a kind on semi-solid mushy mass that I don't think anyone will find appealing. It was delicious yesterday, and nutritious, and I hate to waste the ingredients:

 

If I think outside the box... Does anyone have an idea what I could turn this into? It's loose beefy crumbles, over swollen barely, with (very tasty) over thickened broth.

[merry gardens]

Add beef broth. Soup often continues to thicken overnight in the refrigerator, so I usually just thin it down with some more broth. Your soup will be fine and maybe even better than it was yesterday. :)

[Laura Corin]

I would add more liquid and some veg. I made some rather dense, shredded pot roast with pasta into beef noodle soup with lots of steamed green beans added with extra stock/broth.

[Arcadia]

I'll add ingredients to cook as a chili dish.

[Tanaqui]

Well, you've got a dry soup there, a sort of sopa seca. (Very sort of!) If you thin it with some more broth, it'll be a soup soup again. Or you can add a roux, shove some mashed potatoes over it, and toss it in the oven - voila, shepherd's pie. (I like to mix an egg into my potatoes, gives them a bit more structure.)

[Guest]

I just nuke it and serve it thick like that, usually with ceackeds to dip. It's just essentially more of a casserole. You can also add more water or broth to thin it back out.

[AK_Mom4]

Make it into patties and fry it - add a little fat if it won't stick together.

 

I grew up on fried porridge, LOL.  My grandmother never wasted anything.....

[Bluegoat]

This always happens to my barely stew, I just add more broth.

 

But you could also turn it into a sort of casserole.

[KungFuPanda]

Add broth, or just eat it thick. It probably tastes great. My family would be big babies about it, so I've learned to cook barley, rice, or pasta separately and only mix the in the bowl when serving.

[Lady Marmalade]

Could you use it as a filling for stuffed peppers or stuffed cabbage leaves?

[Storygirl]

I've had that happen, too. I added more broth, and it was fine, but it also diluted the soup's flavor.

 

Now I remove half of the soup from the pot before I add the barley. I usually freeze the rest, and when we eat the leftovers, I add barley to that second portion.

[JFSinIL]

It will loosen up some when reheated, also stir in enough beef broth as you heat it until it is the consistency you want.  Yum!  It will taste even better the second day.

[JFSinIL]

Oh, in future, cook starchy grains (barley, rice, pasta) separate from the soup or stew, and let individuals add them to their portion as desired.  That way you do not get the starch sucking up all  the broth like little rabid sponges all night in the 'fridge. :-)   

Edited April 12, 2016 by JFSinIL

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'd throw it in a pan with butter and treat it like a sort of risotto.  I'm sure it's still yummy.

 

And butter makes everything better....or was that bacon... :laugh: