Nothing says comfort food like a bowl of Beef Barley Soup. This old-fashioned beef barley soup is loaded with tender chunks of beef, wholesome barley, and a mirepoix of vegetables, making it perfect for those chilly days when your body craves a warm and comforting hearty meal.
My beef barley soup recipe is delicious and satisfying and a great way to get more whole grains and hearty vegetables into your diet. This delicious soup is a full meal on its own, but you can also serve it with a salad, garlic bread, or a big slice of warm crusty bread.
This hearty soup has a beef stew consistency, but you can always add more beef broth if you want it to have a thinner consistency.
Ingredients to make hearty Beef Barley Soup
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Beef Barley Soup. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Can I add other vegetables to this soup?
You sure can. Add your favorite fresh or frozen vegetables along with additional beef broth to stretch the soup. Green beans, peas, and corn are some of my favorite veggies to add– button or cremini mushrooms are another good addition.
How to make Beef Barley Soup
- Add two tablespoons of olive to a large pot over medium-high heat, then add the beef chunks to the pot in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the beef for 3-4 minutes on each side, then remove the beef and juices from the pan and set them aside until needed.
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the same pot the beef was cooked in over medium-high heat. Then add the carrots, celery, and onion to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste to the cooked vegetables.
- Mix the tomato paste into the vegetables and let it cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the red wine to the pot to deglaze the pan. Remove the pot from the heat and use a large spoon to scrape all the browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
*I used chuck roast to make my beef barley soup, but you could also use beef short ribs and let the collagen-rich beef on the bone add additional flavor to the soup
- Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and thyme to the pot, along with the cooked beef chunks.
- Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the temperature to low heat. Let the soup simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. *Skim any excess fat off the top of the soup.
- Add the barley to the soup and continue to simmer the soup for another 45-60 minutes. *As the soup simmers, the broth will reduce, and you’ll need to add water to the soup towards the end of the simmer. I added another 1 ½ cups of water to the soup to get the consistency right.
- Add the chopped parsley to the soup and stir together. Taste and reseason the beef barley soup as needed with salt and black pepper.
Wouldn’t you love to serve this flavorful soup to your family? I know after one spoonful of my Beef Barley Soup, they’ll be asking when you’re going to make it again. This is one of those soup recipes you’ll be making time and time again,.
To make this soup in a slow cooker, follow the recipe as written. Cook the soup on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
To use an Instant Pot:
Use the sauté function to brown the beef and cook the vegetables, then cook the soup on high pressure for 25 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release.
Once cooled to room temperature, store the soup in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQ’s
I prefer using collagen-rich cuts of beef like chuck roast for this soup. The longer cooking process makes it tender and allows the flavor to build in the soup.
You can also use any leftover cooked beef — from top round steak to short rib — that you have on hand. You just won’t need to cook the soup for as long.
The short answer is no. The pearl barley will thicken the soup as it cooks, making it a more hearty soup. If you prefer a more brothy soup, you can cook the barley prior to adding it to the soup.
If you want to add it to the soup already cooked, simply boil it for 20-30 minutes.
In some cases, particularly if you use a slow cooking method, the barley can become overcooked. Add the pearl barley uncooked, and it will thicken the soup during the cooking process, making it more hearty.
Yes, you can. Beef barley soup freezes well. Let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to airtight containers or freezer bags, leaving some space for expansion. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw the soup in the refrigerator overnight and then warm it gently on the stovetop.
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Beef Barley Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chuck roast ½-¾ inch cubes trimmed of excess fat
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cups carrots medium dice
- 1 cup celery medium dice
- 2 cups onion medium dice
- 4 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 8 cups beef broth
- ½ cup red wine -optional
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme finely minced or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 2 tablespoon Italian parsley finely minced
Instructions
- Add two tablespoons of olive to a large pot over medium-high heat, then add the beef chunks to the pot in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the beef for 3-4 minutes on each side, then remove the beef and juices from the pan and set them aside until needed.
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the same pot the beef was cooked in over medium-high heat. Then add the carrots, celery, and onion to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste to the cooked vegetables and mix well. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the red wine to the pot to deglaze the pan. Remove the pot from the heat and use a large spoon to scrape all the browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and thyme to the pot along with the cooked beef.
- Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the temperature to low heat. Let the soup simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. *Skim any excess fat off the top of the soup.
- Add the barley to the soup and continue to simmer the soup for another 45-60 minutes.*As the soup simmers the broth will reduce and you'll need to add water to the soup towards the end of the simmer. I added another 1 ½ cups of water to the soup to get the consistency right.
- Add the chopped parsley to the soup and stir together. Taste and reseason as needed with salt and black pepper.
- Serve the soup with crusty bread, and enjoy.
Notes
If you want to add it to the soup already cooked, simply boil it for 20-30 minutes.
Ofelia G-E
I made this last night and this by far is the best ever Beef Barley Soup we have ever had, truly restaurant quality if not better. The only difference I made was to add an extra can of beef broth instead of water towards the end and I added the optional red wine. Hubby gave strict orders to toss out all other Beef Barley recipes and keep this only. Thank you again, Chef Dennis!
Mike
Is the sodium high from the broth? I use the unsalted broth since I am on a low sodium diet for heart reasons.
Thanks
Chef Dennis Littley
There was actually a mistake in that calculation, I went back over everything and the sodium is still a little high but about half of what it was listed. If you use low sodium beef broth it will be substantially less. The worcestershire and tomato paste have small amounts of sodium as does the salt, you can also use a salt substitute.
Rachel Kachun
Awesome! 🤩
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank you!!
Rachel Kachun
Chef Dennis, your beef barley soup recipe is amazing! I’m serving it with my homemade artisan sourdough boule’
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my soup recipe! Serving in with the sourdough boule sounds ah-mazing!
Mary Lee
Hello Chef Dennis,
I am thoroughly enjoying your recipes! This Beef Barley Soup is a masterpiece, rave reviews from young and OLD (and that’s saying something!).
I’ve already made it for several gatherings, and credit you each time. Get ready for more subscribers.. 😉
Thank you!
Mary
Chef Dennis Littley
You made my day with your comment! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the soup and for helping me to get new subscribers!
David
Hello Chef,
I just finished making the soup from your recipe. Well, actually, it’s not entirely done but my wife and I couldn’t wait, so immediately after the timer reached zero, we had to have a bowl. Freaking awesome! It recipes like this that convince people that I can cook!
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed the soup, its one of my favorites! I hope you find more recipes on my website to try, I promise they will help convince everyone you really do know how to cook.
Rachel
Very good! I used up leftover pot roast and some of the vegetables in addition to your recipe. I also added mushrooms. I am planning to freeze this and enjoy it over time 🙂
Chef Dennis Littley
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed the sop. It’s a delicious way to use up leftover beef!
Kori
Love love love this soup – chef, I do make lots of your recipes and so far I have never been disappointed – keep them coming
Thank you
Chef Dennis Littley
You’re very welcome and I’m happy to hear you’ve been enjoying my recipes!
Kelly
Soup Perfection. Full stop.
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the soup!
Wendy P
First time making this and it was delish! The only variations I made were to substitute 2 cups of the beef broth for 2 cups of water with 2 tsp of Better Than Bouillon beef base stirred in, and I omitted the thyme because I didn’t have any. Once I cooked everything in the skillet, I put it in the crockpot and after 3 hours added the barley. It was ready in another 1.5 hours. Thanks for such a tasty recipe!,
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the soup and were able to make the adjustments you wanted. Cooking is all about changing recipes to suite your taste preference.
Carolyn
This is absolutely delicious! I used homemade beef bone broth, added a little more tomato paste and a spoonful of Zhong Sauce – Unbelieveably delicious! Thank you!
Chef Dennis Littley
Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed my beef barley soup recipe, it’s one of my favorites!