Description
This hearty and flavorful Beef Barley Soup is packed with tender beef chunks, nutritious vegetables, and chewy barley in a rich, savory broth. It’s a perfect comfort food for chilly evenings, offering a satisfying and filling meal that warms you from the inside out. Whether made on the stovetop or in a slow cooker, it’s easy to prepare and always a crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Soup:
- 2 pounds stew meat (nicely marbled beef chunks)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 10 cups water
- 3 mounded tablespoons good quality beef base
- 3 stalks celery (about 2 cups), chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large potato, peeled and shredded (about 2 cups)
- 3–4 large carrots, peeled and shredded (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
For Slow Cooker Instructions:
- In a large pan, brown the meat according to the stovetop instructions.
- Remove the browned meat to a large crockpot. Add 2 cups of the water to the pan and bring to a boil to loosen the browned bits. Add this and the remaining 8 cups of water to the crockpot.
- Add the beef base, celery, onions, and garlic to the slow cooker and stir.
- Cook on low for about 6 hours. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for another hour. Add the barley and simmer for another hour or until tender.
Instructions
- Brown the Beef: Generously salt and pepper the beef. In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add about 1/3 of the meat and brown for 1-2 minutes on each side. Once browned, remove the beef and set it aside. Repeat with the remaining meat in two more batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. This step ensures that the beef is browned properly rather than steaming.
- Simmer the Broth: After browning the meat, return all the beef to the pot and add 10 cups of water. Stir in 3 healthy tablespoons of beef stock concentrate. Add the chopped celery, onions, and garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and simmer for about 2 hours until the meat becomes tender and breaks apart easily with a wooden spoon.
- Add Vegetables: Once the meat is tender, add the shredded potato and carrots to the soup. Bring to a boil again, then reduce the heat and continue to simmer for another 30-45 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.
- Cook the Barley: Stir in 1 cup of rinsed pearl barley. Bring the soup to a boil once more, then reduce the heat to low. Let the soup simmer for about 30 more minutes, or until the barley is tender and the soup has a rich, savory flavor.
- Taste and Serve: Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with fresh herbs such as parsley if desired before serving.
Notes
- If you’re short on time, you can use pre-cooked or leftover meat instead of stew meat.
- The soup can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the flavors will deepen as it sits.
- If using a slow cooker, make sure to follow the instructions for browning the meat and adding ingredients to the crockpot to achieve the best flavor.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 850mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 25mg
- Cholesterol: 65mg