Beef and Barley Soup

There is something truly comforting about cozying up to a steaming bowl of soup as the chilly weather sets in. This beef and barley soup is packed with hearty chunks of beef, robust barley, and tender veggies that just hit the spot.

When the cool crisp air of fall hits, I begin turning to soups for that cozy, warm-me-up feeling they provide. One of my favourites has always been beef and barley soup. My mom used to make this out of a can and I thought it was great. But when I made my first beef and barley soup recipe from scratch, I was blown away by the difference. There really is no comparison. Now, I won’t be too hard on canned soups because they serve a great purpose of providing quick meals in a pinch. But, if you have never cooked your own barley before, you will probably be floored like I was to discover what a great texture it has (when it hasn’t sat in a can). It’s chewy and robust as opposed to soft and mushy. This barley soup has big hearty chunks of beef to provide that great beefy flavour and meal satisfaction. And as with many soups, you really can interchange the vegetables to what you have on hand or what you enjoy most. In my beef barley soup recipe I have provided the most commonly used veggies.

Equipment Needed

Disclosure: as an Amazon affiliate, I receive a small amount of compensation from qualifying purchases at no expense to you. This helps support my work and allows me to bring more yummy recipes your way.

• Dutch Oven – works well for browning the meat and cooking the soup, only one pot needed. But you could also get by with a big saucepan for the soup and a fry pan to sear the meat if you don’t have a Dutch oven.
• A good sharp knife for cutting the beef and veggies
• A cutting board
• Wooden spoon for stirring
• Ladle for serving

Ingredients

• 2 lbs beef chuck roast
• Salt and pepper to season
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion (292g)
• 1 ¾ cup diced carrots ¼” chunks (244g)
• 1 ¾ cup diced celery ½” chunks (194g)
• 5 garlic cloves minced finely (19g)
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon each dried oregano, thyme, freshly cracked black pepper, cumin
• ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup pearl barley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley to garnish

How to Make Beef and Barley Soup

1. Cut roast into 1” thick steaks and season both sides with salt and pepper
2. Heat Dutch oven or other heavy large pot over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the seasoned steaks. Let steaks sear for 5 minutes then flip and let sear on the other side for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Add diced onion, carrot, and celery together into Dutch oven. Cook for 5 minutes with occasional stirring to scrape up the brown bits left behind by the seared meat. While veggies are cooking place seared steaks on a cutting board and cut into 1” chunks and set aside. After veggies have cooked for 5 minutes add the minced garlic and cook for another minute with occasional stirring. Remove veggies to a large bowl and set aside. Once cooled you could cover and set in fridge until step 5.

4. Add a cup of chicken broth to the Dutch oven and deglaze the surface of the pot by scraping up any brown bits stuck to the bottom, then add the rest of the chicken broth. Add in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, thyme, cracked black pepper, cumin, dried rosemary, and bay leaf. Stir to combine and add the seared beef chunks and any juices left behind. Bring to a simmer removing any foam which may appear on the surface. Place a lid on the pot and simmer for 1.5 hours with occasional stirring.

5. Add 1 cup pearl barley and the cooked veggies that were set aside and any juices left behind in the bowl. Continue to simmer until barley and veggies are soft, about 40 minutes.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
7. Serve and enjoy

Notes

1. My favourite cut of beef to use in this recipe is beef chuck roast. But you could also use beef short ribs, or boneless blade roast. All these cuts require a slow cook which transforms the collagen into a flavourful gelatin providing moistness to the meat and makes it super tender.
2. This recipe calls for pearl barley. Most supermarkets carry either pearl barley or quick barley. I think the texture of the pearl barley is best in this soup and it requires about a 40 minute cooking time. If you only have the quick barley, you will want to add it at the last 10 minutes of cooking as it cooks much quicker.
3. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, or can be frozen for up to three months in the freezer. I portion out the soup once cooled into freezable containers or Ziploc bags. Make sure you leave enough airspace for the expansion of the broth during freezing, you don’t want to burst a bag open or break your container. The soup can be frozen for up to three months. To reheat, allow the soup to thaw and reheat in a saucepan on the stove top, or place in a bowl in the microwave.

FAQs

1. Do I need to sear the beef, or can I just cube it and add it to the soup? Searing the beef is a major way to build flavour into the soup broth. The brown bits left behind after searing are called fond, and when you deglaze the bottom of the pan this flavourful fond forms the base of the soup, so I wouldn’t skip this step.
2. What do you serve with vegetable beef barley soup? This is a whole meal in a pot, but the meal can be beefed up (sorry the pun) with a baguette or dinner biscuits and a side salad. My arugula quinoa salad would be great.

If You Liked This Beef Barley Soup Recipe…

If you liked this recipe, please consider leaving a comment below – I love to hear how people get on with my recipes and I truly make an effort to respond to everyone who takes the time to comment. Other meals you might enjoy include: