Poor Man's Beef Barley Soup

Super easy soup to make and it is ready in about an hour and a half.  Like all soups it is even better the next day. 

POOR MAN'S BEEF BARLEY SOUP
(serves 6-8)

Ingredients:
*1 teaspoon vegetable oil or olive oil
*1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
*1 large yellow onion, chopped
*3 medium carrots, chopped or sliced thin
*3 stalks of celery, chopped
*3 garlic cloves, minced
*1 cup mushrooms, chopped (optional)
* 1 quart stewed tomatoes (or chopped tomatoes)
*1 cup water
*1/2 cup pearl barley, rinsed thoroughly
*1 (32 ounce) container of beef stock
*1 bay leaf
*1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
*1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
~In a large stock pot, warm up oil over medium heat.
~Add carrots, celery, onions, garlic, mushrooms and hamburger.
~Cook until meat is browned, stirring and breaking up meat as it cooks.
~Drain any grease from pan.
~Return meat mixture to stock pot.
~Add stewed tomatoes, water, barley beef stock, bay leaf, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper.
~Bring soup to a boil.
~Reduce heat to medium-low, cover stock pot and simmer for about 1 hour or until veggies and barley are tender.
~Remove bay leaf and serve.

Instant Pot Directions:
~Set the instant pot to sauté mode.
~Once hot, hamburger, onions, carrots, celery and garlic.
~Cook until hamburger is brown and crumbled.
~Drain any excess grease.
~Stir in thyme, marjoram, salt & pepper.
~Set the instant pot to pressure cook mode or soup mode.
~Add mushrooms (optional), stewed tomatoes, water, beef stock, rinsed barley, and bay leaf.
~Pressure cook or soup mode for 20 minutes.
~Do natural release for 15 minutes and then do a quick release if necessary.