Beef Barley Soup
Rich and hearty homestyle Beef Barley Soup! Made with tender chunks of beef roast, nutritious whole grain barley, fresh veggies, and a deliciously seasoned broth. A soup that’s sure to warm the soul on chilly days!
Servings: 7 (About 11 cups)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chuck roast trimmed of excess chunks of fat, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1½ cups chopped carrots (about 3)
- 1 cup chopped celery (about 2 ribs)
- 2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1½ Tbsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
- 2 32 oz cartons low-sodium chicken broth or beef broth
- 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp minced fresh rosemary or ½ tsp dried
- 2 tsp minced fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
Instructions
How to Make Beef Barley Soup on the Stovetop
- Dry beef, sear in pot in batches: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Dab beef dry and add ½ or ⅓ of beef, adding just enough not to overcrowd. Season with salt and pepper. Let sear until golden brown on bottom, about 3 minutes then flip and cook 1 minute longer.
- Transfer beef in pot to a plate along with juices and repeat process with remaining beef adding in another 1 Tbsp oil to pot.
- Saute veggies: Add 1 Tbsp oil to now empty pot. Add carrots, celery and onion and saute 3 minutes.
- Cook tomato paste: Add tomato paste and garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
- Add liquids and seasonings: Pour in broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Return beef to pot.
- Add liquids and seasonings: Bring mixture to a simmer then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until beef is fairly tender, about 45 – 60 minutes.
- Add barley and continue to simmer: Add barley, cover and simmer until cooked through and beef is tender, about 45 – 60 minutes longer.
- Finish with parsley: Stir in parsley. Serve warm.
How to Make Beef Barley Soup in the Slow Cooker
- Sear the beef in a pot with olive oil.
- Transfer beef to a crockpot with the remaining ingredients except parsley.
- Cook on low 7 – 8 hours then stir in parsley.
How to Make Beef Barley Soup in the Instant Pot
- Select "saute" setting on pressure cooker. Add oil.
- Brown beef in 2 – 3 batches. Turn to "off" setting. Return all beef to Instant Pot.
- Add remaining ingredients (except parsley) also reduce broth to 7 cups (since it doesn't really steam off like other cooking methods).
- Cover and set valve to "sealing" position. Select "manual mode" and adjust time to 20 minutes.
- Once cooking time is up let pressure come down naturally for at least 10 minutes then carefully quick release any remaining pressure
Notes
Tips for the Best Beef Barley Soup
- Cut the veggies somewhat thick, they’ll simmer a long time and those carrots can tend to get too soft.
- Brown the beef first, this adds a rich layer of flavor.
- Let the soup simmer low and slow, so beef comes out tender.
- Saute the tomato paste to help boost flavor and lightly caramelize it.
- Add barley halfway through simmering for lightly chewy texture.
Possible Variations
- Replace 1/2 cup of the broth with 1/2 cup dry red wine.
- Add other vegetables like mushrooms, green beans, canned tomatoes, potatoes or peas. Green beans and peas can be added closer to the end.
- If adding more veggies you may want a little more broth as well.
- Add other herbs for more flavor like bay leaves or marjoram. Or try seasoning with Italian seasoning.
- Use ground beef instead of chuck roast. If doing so add barley in step 6 then skip the second simmer time.
- Try it with another grain like brown rice or farro instead of barley.
