Beef Barley Soup

This Beef Barley Soup is rich, satisfying, comfort food in a bowl. A hearty and delicious soup, loaded with tender chunks of beef, barley, fresh herbs and veggies!

I have to tell you, there is nothing like a good hearty soup. When I make a soup, I am aiming for one that warms you from the inside out, and makes you feel good all over.

This beef barley soup is unbelievably delicious, comforting and so meaty! Loaded with barley, veggies, and melt in your mouth beef chunks, this hearty soup is easy to make and will become a new winter favorite!

Why Make This Beef Barley Soup

• Simple Ingredient List
• Filling & Hearty
• Foolproof Process
• Can Be Made In Advance

I love soups like this, ones that can be eaten as a meal! Simple ingredients, foolproof process, delicious soup – what more could you ask for?

Ingredient Notes

• Beef – You’ll need stewing beef, such as chuck, bone-in short rib, or fatty brisket. See “FAQs & Expert Tips” for more info on substitutions!
• Flour – I used all-purpose flour! We are going to use the flour to dredge the beef, this will help it brown up in the pan to develop rich flavor in the soup and also thicken the soup a bit!
• Olive Oil – Substitute to sunflower, safflower or avocado oil.
• Veggies – Let’s face it, what’s soup without onions, celery and carrots? It’s the mirepoix of soups, the trio of aromatics. No soup leaves home without it!
• Garlic – Fresh garlic is always best! Minced.
• Oregano – Fresh or dried, either works. You can add other herbs like Italian seasoning.
• Tomato Paste – Make sure to grab tomato paste, it’s much thicker and has a more concentrated flavor to enhance our soup.
• Beef Broth – I always opt for low sodium to control the sodium in the dish! You would be surprised by how much added salt are in broths!
• Barley – I used pearl barley for this soup, but hulled barley works too! There are many types of barley, but pearl is the most commonly used! See “FAQs & Expert Tips” for more info on barley.

How to Make Beef Barley Soup

1. Prep the Beef – Season the stewing beef generously with salt and pepper. Place the beef in a ziploc bag and add the flour over the beef. Close the ziploc bag and shake until each piece of beef is fully covered in flour. You can also do this in a bowl.
2. Sear the Beef: Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef to the pot and cook just until the meat starts to brown about 3 minutes per side. You will have to do this in 2 or 3 batches, since you do not want to crowd the meat. Remove the meat from the pot after you’re done and set aside.
3. Cook the Mirepoix: In the same pot, you will have a lot of brown bits on the bottom. Add more olive oil if needed, then add the chopped onion, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Season and Cook the Beef: Add the garlic, oregano and tomato paste to the pot and stir. Cook for 30 seconds until aromatic. Add a bit of the beef broth to the pot to deglaze all the brown bits at the bottom. Add the meat back to the pot, then the beef broth and water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a medium, cover the pot and cook for about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to cook this for so long so that the beef becomes tender, it will melt in your mouth.
5. Add Barley and Cook: Add the barley to the pot, cover it and cook for another 30 minutes or until the barley is cooked through. Make sure you stir occasionally so the barley won’t stick. If you find that the soup is too thick add more water as necessary until you get the desired consistency, though this is quite a thick soup.
6. Finish and Serve: Remove the soup from heat and garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

FAQs & Expert Tips

FAQs

Tips

1. You’ll want to use low sodium beef broth, just to reduce the sodium in the soup a bit!
2. I usually put my beef and flour in a large ziploc bag, close it, and shake the heck out of it until each piece of meat is covered in flour. You can also use a bowl to stir everything together.
3. It’s important to brown your meat in a bit of oil, because this will create those brown bits in the bottom of your pan which will really give the soup that rich flavor! Trust me, those brown bits is where it’s at!
4. If you can’t find barley, use rice or couscous instead.
5. Feel free to incorporate any veggies, herbs or spices you see fit!

Leftovers

Store leftover beef barley soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Reheating

Reheat either in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, or on the stovetop over medium heat.

Freezing

You can also store your leftovers in the freezer up to 6 months. I find it’s easiest to first transfer the soup to the fridge to thaw overnight, then heat it up using your preferred method.

More Delicious Soup Recipes To Try

• Creamy Loaded Potato Soup
• Leftover Ham and Bean Soup
• Split Pea Soup
• Lasagna Soup
• Hot And Sour Soup
• Beef Stroganoff Soup
• Egg Roll Soup
• Easy Lentil Soup
• Chicken Barley Soup
• Pozole Rojo Recipe

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4.50 from 680 votes

Beef Barley Soup

Prep 10 minutes minutes

Cook 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Total 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

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This Beef Barley Soup is rich, satisfying, comfort food in a bowl. A hearty and delicious soup, loaded with tender chunks of beef, barley, fresh herbs and veggies!

US CustomaryMetric

6

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound stewing beef
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
• ▢ ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoon olive oil (or more if needed)
• ▢ 1 large onion (chopped)
• ▢ 1 large carrot (peeled and chopped)
• ▢ 2 stalks celery (cleaned and chopped)
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon oregano (fresh, chopped (or 1 tsp dried oregano))
• ▢ 3 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 4 cups beef broth (low sodium )
• ▢ 3 cups water
• ▢ ¾ cup barley (I used pearl barley, see notes)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon parsley (fresh, chopped)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

• Prep the Beef: Season the stewing beef generously with salt and pepper. Place the beef in a ziploc bag and add the flour over the beef. Close the ziploc bag and shake until each piece of beef is fully covered in flour. You can also do this in a bowl.
• Sear the Beef: Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef to the pot and cook just until the meat starts to brown about 3 minutes per side. You will have to do this in 2 or 3 batches, since you do not want to crowd the meat. Remove the meat from the pot after you're done and set aside.
• Cook the Mirepoix: In the same pot, you will have a lot of brown bits on the bottom. Add more olive oil if needed, then add the chopped onion, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Season and Cook the Beef: Add the garlic, oregano and tomato paste to the pot and stir. Cook for 30 seconds until aromatic. Add a bit of the beef broth to the pot to deglaze all the brown bits at the bottom. Add the meat back to the pot, then the beef broth and water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a medium, cover the pot and cook for about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to cook this for so long so that the beef becomes tender, it will melt in your mouth.
• Add Barley and Cook: Add the barley to the pot, cover it and cook for another 30 minutes or until the barley is cooked through. Make sure you stir occasionally so the barley won't stick. If you find that the soup is too thick add more water as necessary until you get the desired consistency, though this is quite a thick soup.
• Finish and Serve: Remove the soup from heat and garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

Equipment

• 6 Quart Dutch Oven

Video

Notes

1. I used pearl barley. Pearl barley usually takes 25-30 minutes to cook and hulled barley usually takes 40-50 minutes. Barley is cooked when it’s tender yet chewy. If using hulled barley, make sure you add it before covering the pot and cooking the beef.
2. If you can’t find barley, use rice or couscous instead.
3. If you make this ahead of time, add the barley the day you serve it. 
4. This can be made in a crockpot. Cook for either 4 hours on high, or 8 hours on low.
5. Store leftover beef barley soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
6. Reheat either in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, or on the stovetop over medium heat.
7. You can also store your leftovers in the freezer up to 6 months. I find it’s easiest to first transfer the soup to the fridge to thaw overnight, then heat it up using your preferred method.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1servingCalories: 336kcal (17%)Carbohydrates: 32g (11%)Protein: 22g (44%)Fat: 14g (22%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Cholesterol: 52mg (17%)Sodium: 835mg (36%)Potassium: 893mg (26%)Fiber: 6g (25%)Sugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 2264IU (45%)Vitamin C: 6mg (7%)Calcium: 58mg (6%)Iron: 4mg (22%)

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.