Pulled Pork and Barley Soup

Perfect for a Fall Day - Pulled Pork and Barley Soup

We had some delicious pulled pork left over and MaMa wanted to use it up before it went bad.  This Pulled Pork and Barley Soup is the perfect way to use the pulled pork on a cool Fall day!  Originally the recipe was for a chicken barley soup that we found in Everyday Food, but MaMa adapted it to work with the pulled pork!

Ingredients for Pulled Pork and Barley Soup:

1 Tbs olive oil
4 carrots, diced small
4 celery stalks, diced small
1 medium onion, diced small
2 c pulled pork, leftovers work great
salt and pepper, to taste
6 c broth (we used chicken broth, as that's what we had)
2 tsp thyme
1 c barley, soaked overnight
2 c chopped spinach (frozen or fresh)

Directions:  In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the carrots, celery and onion, cook about 8 minutes, or until just tender.  Add the pork and season with salt and pepper.  Add the broth and thyme and bring to a boil.  Stir in the barley, cover, reduce heat and simmer until the barley is tender and cooked through, about 30 minutes.  Add the spinach and cook until wilted, which only takes about a minute.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.