Beef Barley Soup

My easy Beef Barley Soup is the perfect dish to warm you up. It’s tasty, hearty, and such a cold weather treat. This one takes a little time and love, but it’s so worth it.

A while back, I got nostalgic for one of my favorite soups from childhood, beef and barley. Alpana had never had it but was eager to try. I asked her if she wanted to try Campbell’s or Progresso, both of which I grew up on. She said neither. So, that means no effortless dinner for me…

But, I guess that’s what it is being a food blogger. Gotta works for those meals. So, I did a couple of trial runs, and have to say I think I nailed this classic soup.

Last weekend, the weather wasn’t so great, so we decided to have a movie day. The extended version of “Return of the King.”

It’s a whopping 4.5 hours, which made it a perfect day to simmer a big batch of soup! Let that kitchen burner keep going while you enjoy the movie and you will end up with one delicious meal by the time you finish your movie. Sounds good right?

Ingredients Needed

• Beef – I always use chuck roast for my soups. In this case, I dice it into bite-sized pieces.
• Olive oil – For searing the beef.
• Aromatic veggies – Onion, celery and carrots. The classic soup base.
• Garlic – Of course.
• Beef broth – Better than Bouillon is my go-to.
• Tomato paste – It’s semi-optional. The first time I made beef with barley I did not use it, but in later trials found the tomato element adds a nice depth.
• Worcestershire sauce – This also really adds to the flavors.
• Fresh herbs – Rosemary and thyme. As always, if you don’t have fresh use 1/3 as much dried in their place.
• Bay leaves – Another soup staple.
• Potato – I am using a Russet today, but any type will do here.
• Mushrooms – Not a staple in many recipes, but mushrooms go so good with beef that I couldn’t leave them out.
• Barley – Well now, it wouldn’t be beef with barley without this. Look specifically for pearled barley, which has been stripped of the inedible outer shell.
• Salt and pepper – But you knew that.

Beef with Barley Soup Recipe

1. First, I season the beef chunks generously with salt and pepper. This starts the flavor base.
2. Then, I heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven medium-high heat. I add the seasoned beef and cook until seared on all sides, cooking in 2-3 batches in order to get a good sear and avoid steaming, then remove the beef to a plate.
3. Next, I add onion, celery and carrots to the pot. This is a classic Italian Soffritto, and is essential the flavoring the soup. Once they start to soften up, I add in garlic and cook for another minute.
4. Then, I add tomato paste, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. I bring it all to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 90 minutes. You can get away with less, but trust me, longer simmer time equals tastier soup.
5. After simmering the broth, I stir in barley along with mushrooms and cubed potato. I keep the soup at a low simmer, again covered, and cook for 45-50 minutes, until the barley and potatoes are tender.
6. That’s it, your beef and barley soup is ready!

So today I shared my version of a childhood favorite. Even Alpana agreed that it was mighty good. Serve it up with some nice crusty bread and you’ve got a great meal.

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Beef Barley Soup, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

Try these other great soups!
Portuguese Bean Soup
Chicken Pastina Soup
Finnish Salmon Soup
Asopao de Pollo
Ham and Bean Soup
Birria Ramen
Yakamein
Borscht

Beef Barley Soup

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

My easy Beef Barley Soup is the perfect dish to warm you up. It's tasty, hearty, and such a cold weather treat.

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds chuck roast, cut into bite-sized chunks
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 large carrots, slices
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 8 cups beef broth
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme
• 1/2 Tbsp fresh rosemary
• 1 large russet potato, cut into 1/2 in chunks
• 6oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup pearled barley

Instructions

1. Season beef chunks generously with salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add seasoned beef and cook until seared on all sides. Cook in 2-3 batches in order to get a good sear and avoid steaming. Remove to a plate.
3. Add onion, celery and carrots to the pot. Sauté until they start to soften up. Add in garlic and cook for another minute.
4. Add tomato paste, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer for 90 minutes.
5. Stir in barley along with mushrooms and cubed potato. Keep the soup at a low simmer, again covered, and cook for 45-50 minutes, until the barley and potatoes are tender.
6. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Nutrition Information

Yield 8 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 404Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 12gCholesterol 94mgSodium 1099mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 3gSugar 3gProtein 33g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.