Beef Barley Soup

Beef Barley Soup is a delectable combination of tender chunks of beef, carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes, corn, and barley in a deliciously seasoned beef broth. It can be made quickly with stew meat or simmered slowly with a chuck roast.

My husband and son are crazy about this Beef and Barley soup! They can not get enough of it! They also love my beef vegetable soup and beef noodle soup.

I love soup. The cool days of Autumn are beginning to move in, and there is just something wonderful and comforting about a nice big stockpot full of soup. My family and I eat soup year-round. This soup will quickly become one of your family’s favorites.  

I have used beef chuck roast (my preferred method) and stew meat. Both are delicious, although the results are a little different. The chuck roast simmers very tender but must be trimmed after cooking. The stew meat does not cook up as tender, but it requires no trimming.

What is barley?

Barley is a wonderfully versatile cereal grain with a rich nut-like flavor and an appealing, chewy, pasta-like consistency. If you did not know better, you would swear it was pasta. In most grocery stores, it is in the soup aisle and is packed in a box about the same size as a small pasta box. It simmers and swells just like pasta does in soup. 

There are two kinds: medium barley and quick barley. Medium barley cooks in about forty-five minutes, and quick barley cooks in about twelve minutes. I use the medium version with the chuck roast when things are more leisurely and slow, and I use the quick version with the stew meat when pressed for time.

Ingredients Needed

• Vegetable oil: or canola oil
• Chuck roast: or beef stew meat, but it will not be as tender
• Vegetables: carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and corn
• Seasonings: dried parsley, oregano, bay leaves, and thyme, and salt and pepper to taste
• Beef broth: preferably low-sodium
• Diced tomatoes: I like to use fire-roasted for added flavor
• Pearled barley: medium or quick if using stew meat

How to make Beef Barley Soup

This is just the summary version of the recipe. See the recipe card below for ingredients and complete instructions.

Add a little oil to a large stockpot or Dutch oven and brown the chuck roast or stew meat. Remove from the heat and add a little more oil. Add the carrots, onions, and celery and cook for about five minutes. Stir in the garlic, parsley, oregano, and thyme, and cook for just a minute or so, stirring constantly. Finally, add the beef broth, diced tomatoes, bay leaf, and beef back to the pot.

If using chuck roast, simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the roast is fork-tender. If using stew meat, simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the corn and the barley. Cook until the barley is tender. Use the medium barley with the chuck roast; it will take about 45 minutes to swell and be soft. Use the quick barley with the stew meat, which will take about 15 minutes to cook.

Remove the roast from the pot and trim the tender beef away from any gristle or fat. Cut or shred the beef into bite-size chunks and return it to the pot.

What cut of beef is best?

My personal favorite is the chuck roast. This cut is from the shoulder muscles. At first, this cut will seem quite tough, but with simmering, it will break down into succulent, tender, wonderfully flavored pieces of beef. The chuck roast derives a lot of its rich taste from the fat and the connective tissue. You can cut the chuck into bite-size pieces or, better yet, sear it, drop the whole chuck in the stockpot, and let it simmer for a couple of hours.

When it is fork tender, remove it from the soup and trim it. Cut the delicious meat away from the fat and unwanted gristle. Return those delicious bites of simmered beef to the soup. Other cuts that you could use are Round roasts, rump roasts, and pot roasts. I have learned that various regions have different names for cuts of beef.

Beef stew meat is by far the fastest but not always the tastiest. If you choose the stew meat, start with pieces that are visually similar, consistent in size, and have a fair amount of white striping (fat and connective tissue) throughout, as this will give it more flavor.

Preparation Tips

• If you have the time, use the chuck roast. It has more flavor and will be more tender.
• Sear the beef in a bit of oil.
• If you are preparing for company, peel the carrots. They will look much nicer peeled; food should be aesthetically appealing.
• Use low-sodium beef broth so the salt does not become the dominant seasoning.
• If you like a lot of flavor, add plenty of fresh cracked pepper and a couple of pinches of Cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper.
• Do not overcook the barley, as it will get too mushy if allowed to simmer and simmer.

Storage and Reheat

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.

To freeze, cool completely, and pour into a freezer-safe container or zipper freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.

More Soup Recipes

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Italian Wedding Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Loaded Potato Soup

Vegetable Beef Soup

Beef Barley Soup

This Beef Barley soup is made with tender, slow-cooked chuck roast, lots of nutritious vegetables, and slightly sweet, nutty barley.

4.99 from 62 votes

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 324kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 lbs chuck roast
• 2 carrots peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks celery sliced thin
• 1 medium onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 6 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2/3 cup medium pearled barley
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can corn drained
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add beef and sear. Remove beef to a plate.
• Add carrots, celery, and onion, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, oregano, and thyme and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes, bay leaf, and beef back to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the roast is fork-tender. Add barley and corn; cover with a lid for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue simmering for 15 minutes.
• Remove the roast from the pot and trim the beef away from any gristle or fat.  Cut or shred the beef into bite-size chunks and return it to the pot. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Notes

• If you have the time, use the chuck roast.  It has more flavor and will be more tender.
• Sear the beef in a bit of oil.
• If you are preparing for company, peel the carrots. They will look much nicer peeled; food should be aesthetically appealing.
• Use low-sodium beef broth so the salt does not become the dominant seasoning.
• If you like a lot of flavor, add plenty of fresh cracked pepper and a couple of pinches of Cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper.
• Do not overcook the barley, as it will get too mushy if allowed to simmer and simmer.

Nutrition

Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 510mg | Potassium: 989mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2642IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 4mg

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