This wholesome and nutritious Beef Barley Soup is packed with FLAVOR! Easy to make and great for leftovers, it’s sure to become a part of your regular meal rotation!
Fork tender beef, plump nutty barley, a vibrant array of vegetables, and a deliciously rich broth come together in this satisfying Beef Barley Soup recipe. As delicious as it is right off the stovetop, it makes for fabulous leftovers after the flavors have had more time to develop!
I love a good beef barley soup. Not only is it great cool-weather comfort food, it’s absolutely loaded with healthy ingredients. Barley has a wonderful and unique flavor and coupled with umami-laden beef, it gives this soup has an incredible depth of flavor. This Beef Barley Soup packs in a variety of vegetables but you are more than welcome to add or substitute any other veggies of your choice.
Can You Freeze Beef Barley Soup?
Yes you can! Freeze the whole batch or in individual portions in ziplock bags and you’ll have a ready meal in the time it simply takes to reheat it. You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Let’s get started!
Choose a cut with generous marbling as that will produce the best flavor.  Cut the beef into 3/4 inch chunks, pat dry with a paper towel, and season with salt.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the beef on all sides, working in batches so as not to overcrowd.
Browning the beef is absolutely essential to achieving the best flavor so do not skip this step! Â Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef and set aside.
This is what the Dutch oven is going to look like by the time you’re done searing the beef. Â Don’t even think about cleaning it out. Â That is another secret to achieving ultimate flavor. Â When we add the veggies and liquid we’re going to “deglaze” the bottom of this pan…helloooo flavah!
Add the olive oil to the Dutch oven and saute the onion, carrots and celery for 5 minutes.
Add the mushrooms, spinach, garlic and herbs and cook for another minute.
Return the beef to the pot.
Add the wine, beef stock, bay leaf, salt and tomato paste. Â Stir to combine. Â You can now either: Â Cover and place the Dutch oven on the lower rack of the oven preheated at 450 degrees F and cook for 40 minutes, OR bring to a boil on the stove top, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
While the stew is cooking, add the barley to 2 cups water in a medium pot. Â Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. Â Strain the excess liquid. Â Add the barley to the stew and continue to cook for at least 10 more minutes, preferably up to an hour. Â The longer it cooks, the more tender the beef and the more flavor the stew will have. Â Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve garnished with fresh parsley.
Enjoy!
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Be sure to also try our Chicken Barley Soup!
Beef Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds beef sirloin tip (I used Certified Angus Beef) cut into 3/4 inch cubes
- 1 pound cremini or button mushrooms cleaned and quartered
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 large carrot diced
- 1 stalk celery diced
- 1 cup pinot noir
- 3 1/2 cups beef stock
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup quick cooking barley
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
- Pat the beef cubes dry with a paper towel and season with salt.
- Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the beef cubes on all sides, working in batches so as to not overcrowd. Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef and set aside.
- Heat the remaining tablespoons of olive oil and add the onion, carrot and celery to the Dutch oven. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, spinach, garlic and herbs and cook for another minute. Return the beef to the pot and add the wine, beef broth, tomato paste, bay leaf, salt and stir to combine.
- Two cooking methods: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cover the Dutch oven and cook on the lowest rack for 40 minutes OR bring to a boil on the stove top, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for an hour.
- While the stew is cooking, add the barley to the water in a medium pot, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain.
- Add the barley to the stew and continue to cook for at least 10 more minutes, preferably up to an hour. The longer the stew cooks the more tender the beef and flavorful the stew will be. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the stew garnished with fresh parsley.
Nutrition
Adapted from Vikki Krinsky’s Beef Stew With Barley
Grace says
The BEST beef barley soup EVER!!!!!
Your recipies are ammmmaazing!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Grace, thank you so much!
DIANE PERRIS says
I am about to make this, it looks delicious. My question has to do with amount of liquid. Every time I make a recipe like this it seems to call for way too much liquid in ratio to meat, veggies, etc. and I end up with a beef/veggie “soup” rather than a thick stew. Your recipe calls for a total of 4 1/2 total cups of liquid which looks like an awful lot. Does it mostly cook down in an hour? Can I reduce the liquid amounts? Thank you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Diane, yes, it thickens up a lot because of the barley and is definitely a “stew” in its consistency. If you prefer it extra thick you can try reducing the water a little and add more in the end if you decide it’s too thick.
Tracy says
How long would it take in the slow cooker and would you add the peral barley right from the cooking time? thnak you
Archie says
Can you cook this in a crockpot with pearl barley?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Archie, yes you can, but for optimal flavor I recommend following the steps through #3 of browning the meat and sauteing the vegetables before adding everything to the slow cooker.
Alexandra Myers says
This recipe looks fantastic! It would be great to be able to make it on a weeknight – Do you have any recommendations for converting it for a slow cooker?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Alexandra! You’ll definitely still want to brown the beef, that’s such an important flavor contributor. Once the beef is browned you can add it along with everything else to the slow cooker and then cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. You can either add the barley at that point or, to make things simpler, you can add the barley in with everything else at the beginning and cook it right along with the stew.
Paul n Jaci says
Good morning from the midwest!!!! This is on our menu tonight. Thank you for the recipe. Paul and Jaci , Imperial , MO.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Paul and Jaci! Happy cooking and I hope you both enjoy dinner!
Chris says
Hi. I’ve made this using the barley and it was amazing. Do you think quinoa would work just as well?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Chris! You can definitely use quinoa, it just has a pretty neutral flavor, that’s all. The great thing about barley is the wonderful flavor it contributes. Keep in mind also that quinoa has a much shorter cooking time.
Dan Brinton says
Made this last night, and it was enjoyed thoroughly by all. I am adding this recipe to my cook book, with one minor change. Next time I will reduce the temperature and cook a bit longer, as the meat was a bit tough. The fresh herbs and wine made this a very tasty and fragrant dish!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Dan, I’m so glad it was a hit, thank you!
Arlene Seymour says
families gathered around the table with a hearty homemade meal is what has been missing in our society. chance to share and understand what’s going on in their life. thank you for your contribution. my daughter invited everyone to our house because other parents did not cook. they were so happy not to be at McDonald
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s so true for far too many families, isn’t it, Arlene? Thanks for sharing.
Kelly says
Hi there,
Can you freeze leftovers?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kelly, yes you can. The texture of frozen will never be as optimal but it will still be good.
Malee says
Amazing recipe except it’s too meaty for us so I cut down on the meat and add lots more carrots and celery. Flavor is excellent.
Nora says
Can u add ordinary barley and do i half ingredients for three people please gonna make tomorrow so need to know asap
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Nora, yes you can use regular barley but you’ll need to adjust the cooking time because it takes about an hour longer to cook than pearl barley. For three people I’d probably just make the full recipe rather than half it and risk not having enough.
Angela says
Turkey’d out and low on iron, this recipe was the perfect remedy! And house full of boys loved loved! So much flavor. Thanks for a new family favorite!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Angela, thanks so much! :)
Gian Carlo says
Thank you!! I made it tonight for dinner and it was incredible. I only excluded the mushrooms (the kids aren’t fond of them). The meat was full of flavor and very tender. Delicious!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Gian, I’m so happy it was a hit, thank you! My kids are the same, they won’t eat mushrooms :)
Randy says
An excellent recipe! Relatively easy, fast, and a great outcome. I had almost lost hope of getting a really flavorful beef stew. This is a winner. Thanks for posting this.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Randy, I’m so glad it was a hit, thank you!
Amy says
Absolutely delicious! I’ve made this once already and making it again tomorrow for our Sunday dinner. I have made beef and barley stews for years but this one is by far the very best. Don’t lose this recipe. Print it out and put it somewhere safe where you can get your hands on it frequently. Also I love the pictures that show the progression as you put this flavorful little gem together. Thanks for making my family VERY happy at dinnertime!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much for the generous compliment, Amy, I’m so glad it’s been a hit in your family – thank you!