This Beef Barley Soup recipe hits the spot on a chilly day. It’s an easy one-pot recipe packed with tender beef, fresh veggies, and nutty barley and is simmered in a rich broth. In a little over an hour, you’ll have a simple and filling soup that warms you from the inside out.
Beef and Barley Stew Is the Perfect Cold Weather Meal
This hearty stew is made with seared tender beef, a medley of fresh vegetables, fluffy pearled barley, and simmered in an umami-rich broth. It’s a low-effort soup that gives you super tender beef without having to cook it all day.
Winters down in the South aren’t as brutal as up North, but that doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy a big bowl of hearty soup on a winter’s day. One of the best homemade soups to make for braving the chilly (or not so chilly) winter months is Beef and Barley Stew.
To make it, you’ll brown the beef, but to make sure it’s super tender, it’s cut very small, so you still get the flavor without having to cook it all day. You can use a chuck roast or stew meat if it’s available. You will still need to cut it into even smaller pieces but it saves a little time.
Normally, to get beef tender, you need to cook it for several hours over low heat like when you’re making short rib chili, but by cutting a roast into very small pieces, you will get tender beef and still have lots of flavor.
To make sure it’s not bland, you’ll sauté the vegetables to release their flavor and create a rich base. Next, you’ll add even more flavor with tomato paste, garlic, and beef broth. Once the liquid is in, it’s time to add the barley to plump up.
If you haven’t cooked with barley much, it’s like rice in that it starts out hard and as it absorbs the liquid it becomes soft.
I prefer a beef and barley stew over soup, the only difference is the amount of liquid. Let it cook down until most of the liquid has absorbed for a rich stew. For soup, add liquid as the barley cooks if it gets too thick.
After the barley is cooked, ladle the soup into bowls and serve it with a few dinner rolls or fire crackers if you want a little spice with your crackers.
Why This Will Be Your New Favorite Soup
- Comforting: This soup is the perfect comfort food, loaded with the most tender beef, hearty barley, and a rich, savory broth.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: You can make this beforehand and refrigerate until ready to serve, it gets even better as it sits.
- Hearty: Packed with veggies, protein, and grains, it’s a filling, balanced meal that’s both delicious and one you’ll feel good about serving.
What You Need to Make Beef and Barley Stew
- Beef stew meat: You can use a boneless chuck roast or stew meat.
- Spices: You’ll need some salt, pepper, paprika, and bay leaves. The bay leaves simmer with the soup as it cooks to impart flavor but are removed before eating the soup.
- Olive oil: This is for browning the beef. You can also use vegetable oil or avocado oil if you like.
- Vegetables: I use a mix of diced red onion, sliced carrots, and finely chopped celery. You can use any type of onion, I prefer red or yellow for soup as they provide more flavor than a Vidalia.
- Garlic and tomato paste: Add a depth of flavor.
- Liquids: You’ll need beef broth and water.
- Pearl barley: Use pearled barley in the recipe. It has a slightly nutty flavor but takes on the flavor of the soup and adds a nice texture.
- Worcestershire sauce: Adds umami flavor.
How to Make (Step by Step)
Step One: Prep the Beef and Veggies
Take your beef out and let it warm up a bit. Cut it into small cubes, season generously with salt and pepper, and get ready to brown it. Chop up the veggies.
Step Two: Sear the Beef
Heat some oil in a big pot and add the beef in a single layer. Let it brown on all sides—it’s okay if it’s not fully cooked yet.
Step Three: Cook the Veggies
Toss in your chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Stir them around until the onions soften.
Step Four: Add Garlic, Tomato Paste, and Liquids
Mix in some garlic and tomato paste, giving it a quick cook. Then, pour in your broth, water, and any seasonings. Stir it all together.
Step Five: Simmer with Barley
Add the barley and let everything simmer away until the beef is tender and the barley is cooked. Stir occasionally and add extra liquid if it’s getting too thick.
Step Six: Serve and Enjoy
Remove the bay leaves, ladle the soup into bowls, and top it off with a few slices of fresh onion if you like. Time to dig in!
Make This Recipe in the Slow Cooker
Here are some simple steps for making this recipe in the slow cooker:
- Start by seasoning your beef with salt and pepper. Sear it in a hot pan with olive oil until browned on all sides to develop flavor.
- Transfer the browned beef to your slow cooker, then add the chopped onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and tomato paste. Stir everything together.
- Pour in the beef broth and water, followed by Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
- Toss in the pearl barley, then cover and cook the soup on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours until the barley and vegetables are tender.
- Once cooked, taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
Tips and Variations
- Liquid: This is a hearty stew. You can add more liquid and make it more soup-like if you prefer.
- Herbs: You can add more fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary to amp up the flavor.
- Sear: Don’t skip the sear on the beef! It adds so much flavor.
- Spice: Stir in a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce to add some heat to the broth.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead Notes
Here are a few ways to prep this recipe ahead of time:
- Chop up the veggies and store them for 1-2 days in an airtight container.
- Cube the meat and store it up to one day ahead of time.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can portion the soup into individual containers or bags for freezing, so you don’t have to reheat all of the leftovers.
To reheat, place a small pot on the stovetop and reheat on medium heat until warm or warm in the microwave. If your soup is frozen, let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.
One Pot Beef and Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb chuck roast/beef stew meat cut into ¼” cubes
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large red onion diced
- 2 medium carrots cut into ¼” slices, about 1 cup
- 2 medium stalks celery finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 4 cups beef broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Take beef out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before starting. Chop beef into ¼ inch cubes, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Once hot, add beef in a single layer and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring a couple of times to brown all sides.
- Add chopped onions, carrots and celery and cook over medium heat stirring frequently until the onions are slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook another 2 minutes.
- Add beef broth, water, barley, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Let it simmer, stirring often to keep it from burning, add more liquid if needed. Cook until the barley is tender, about 45-60 minutes. It will get very thick. If you want it more soup like then stew, add more liquid as it cooks. Remove bay leaves. Top with thinly sliced red onions and serve.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- If you want to make this more soup like, add more liquid as the barley is cooking.
- Make sure you cut the meat into very small pieces.
Nutrition
Follow Me On SocialDid you make this recipe? Mention @ButterandBaggage or tag #ButterandBaggage
on Instagram!
Taryn says
Absolutely delicious recipe, thank you so much, dear Barbara! You have made two bellies in this Winter weather Down Under very happy indeed! Wouldn’t change a thing with your recipe; we doubled it (which you make so easy to do, thank you!) which has made a load for left overs after a couple of deliciously warming and filling bowls each tonight when we made it. Having left overs for later is a bonus! We garnished with a bit of fresh red onion, as per your photo, which we enjoyed and also some fresh thyme from our garden…match made in Heaven! Thank you
for all of your efforts in creating, testing, perfecting and graciously sharing your amazing recipes, we appreciate you very much!🤗💐🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Barbara Curry says
Taryn, thank you for the very kind words, I love sharing and am so glad that you found a winner.
Paula says
Very good and easy to make.
Barbara Curry says
It’s nice and cozy.