Beef barley soup is packed with tender beef stew meat, celery, carrots, onion, and garlic plus pearl barley in a well-seasoned broth. A perfectly hearty, nutritious soup!
Why this recipe works
Beef barley soup is an easy one-pot meal using fresh vegetables and stewing meat swimming in a rich beef broth. It’s reminiscent of a classic beef stew with a swap between potatoes and barley.
It’s hearty, bone-sticking, and full of flavor! Great for a cozy night in during the fall and winter months when you’re craving a warm, comforting meal that doesn’t require too much labor in the kitchen.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
BEEF – We used beef stew meat for this recipe. You can typically find this pre-cut into cubes at the grocery store, but a pound-and-a-half slab of chuck roast will also work – simply cut it into cubes yourself.
VEGETABLES – Carrots, onion, celery, and garlic are the base of many delicious soup recipes, for good reason. These veggies not only add flavor but a good mix of texture as well. Feel free to toss in peas, cut green beans, mushrooms, or peas. There’s always room for customization!
How to Make Beef Barley Soup
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- In a Ziploc bag or large bowl, add meat, flour, and 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Mix well to cover evenly.
- In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter at a time. Working in batches, adding more butter each batch, lightly brown the meat on 2 sides without over-crowding (note: depending on the type of pot using, if they hold heat well, you may want to lower the heat for this step). Transfer each batch to a plate and set aside. I like to do this much meat in 4 batches.
- Add in chopped veggies and garlic, and cook on medium for 3 minutes. Then add the remaining salt, herbs, spices, and tomato paste and mix to incorporate.
- Place the browned meat into the pot. Add broth, water, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to medium-low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.
- Pour barley into pot, cover and cook for 30 minutes covered, then another 15 minutes uncovered (or until the barley is fully cooked), stirring occasionally. If needed, add more water or broth for desired consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Sure, but as the name states, it will cook quicker than regular pearl barley so do keep note on the time needed when adding them to the pot.
Store any cooled leftovers in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat over medium-low heat on the stovetop until warmed through. Keep in mind that the barley will continue to soak up the surrounding ingredients as it sits, causing it to swell.
Yes, this soup freezes well. To do so, transfer the fully cooled beef barley soup to a large ziptop bag or air-tight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
Beef barley soup is already loaded with plenty of vegetables and beef which makes it filling all on its own, but how can you say no to a side of crusty bread for dunking? A fresh dinner salad is a welcome addition as well. Enjoy warm.
More Soup Recipes
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Beef Barley Soup
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 1.5 pounds beef stew meat cut into 1 inch pieces
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon sea salt divided
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 3 carrots chopped
- 3 celery ribs chopped
- 2 medium yellow onions finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups low sodium beef broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup pearl barley
Things You’ll Need
- Large mixing bowl or ziptop bag
Before You Begin
- We used beef stew meat for this recipe. You can typically find this pre-cut into cubes at the grocery store, but a pound-and-a-half slab of chuck roast will also work – simply cut it into cubes yourself.
- You can substitute with quick cooking barley, but as the name states, it will cook quicker than regular so keep note on the time needed when adding them to the pot.
Instructions
- In a Ziploc bag or large bowl, add meat, flour, and 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Mix well to cover evenly.
- In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter at a time. Working in batches, adding more butter each time, lightly brown the meat on 2 sides without over-crowding (note: depending on the type of pot using, if they hold heat well, you may want to lower the heat for this step). Transfer each batch to a plate and set aside. I like to do this much meat in 4 batches.
- Add in chopped veggies and garlic, and cook on medium for 3 minutes. Then add the remaining salt, herbs, spices, and tomato paste and mix to incorporate.
- Place the browned meat into the pot. Add broth, water, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to medium-low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.
- Pour barley into pot, cover and cook for 30 minutes covered, then another 15 minutes uncovered (or until the barley is fully cooked), stirring occasionally. If needed, add more water or broth for desired consistency.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Store any cooled leftovers in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat over medium-low heat on the stovetop until warmed through. Keep in mind that the barley will continue to soak up the surrounding ingredients as it sits, causing it to swell.
- Freezing – transfer the fully cooled beef barley soup to a large ziptop bag or air-tight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Kristen Rittmer
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freehillx says
Another variant is to take this recipe and dump it into an ovenproof bowl, topped with a thick biscuit crust Allow for moisture absorption from the stew (be sure it’s brothey in part – this will make the bottom of the crust almost dumpling like!) and bake it in the oven. Follow std recipe for biscuits, brush with milk or half ‘n half. 375 – 45 minutes.
Biscuit crust should generously overlap the bowl end – for a break apart crust part. Poke it a lot to allow steam release.
I use a half of a Thai skewer (cut on the bias to make tips) as an oven size toothpick to gage the doneness of the biscuit. A couple of crumbs is ok, yet most assuredly biscuit – the dumpling will always be there, not too much is best. Tent with foil to protect biscuit crust.
Serve a wedge with a dollop of catsup to the side. A sprinkle of some Tibetan garam masala into catsup?
freehillx says
Amanda flours the beef bits, then browns. this would end clumping of beef bits together.
Much easier to maintain different tastes of ingredients (less homogeneous – muddy) is to boil the barley first, then do the prep work.
Second recipe improvement in as many recipes (!)
First was dirty rice