This soup is lovingly simmered on the stove or in the crock pot to produce the richest Beef Barley Soup recipe I’ve ever tasted. Shredded carrots and potatoes give it a fabulous, thick texture. Originally published October 2, 2014.
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I still remember the first time I walked into Eric’s parent’s house. I mean, of course I remember it, Eric and I were practically engaged before I met his family, so you know, no pressure. Hi, I’m going to be here FOREVER, hope you don’t hate me. (We were married 5 months later.)
The reason I remember walking through the door so vividly is because of the delicious smell. Soup. The soup to end all soups.
You’ll love this recipe for Beef Barley Soup
My mother-in-law Kris is one of the best cooks I know. I’m addicted to recipes (part of the reason I started this blog–it’s a catalog my friends, plain and simple) but she is a true cook, adding ingredients by gut instinct rather than what some imposing recipe says. (I do that sometimes…and sometimes I have to throw dinner in the trash.)
Her Beef Barley Soup is literally the definition of comfort food for me. It reminds me of being in her cozy kitchen in Montana, with snow fluttering outside that somehow makes you feel warmer, and this aromatic soup simmering on the stove, with the cats nosing around to see what the smell is.
Beef Barley Soup Recipe ingredients
This recipe for beef barley soup is loaded with hearty, good-for-you ingredients! See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
- Beef stew meat (nicely marbled beef chunks)
- Salt and pepper
- Oil
- Water
- Beef base
- Celery
- Onions
- Garlic
- Potato
- Carrots
- Pearl barley
How to make Beef Barley Soup
You should have heard me try to finagle this recipe out of Kris. She sent me an email with the basic beef barley soup recipe but I still had to text her 7 times and call her twice. It worked, because the soup tastes exactly like hers. Which is to say, it tastes just like home.
The shredded carrots and potatoes are part of the reason this soup is so fabulous. It gives it great texture, on top of the barley. This was my first time buying barley. I had to ask where it was after checking by the oats and then the flour. (It was by the dry rice and beans. Here’s the kind of barley you’re looking for.) (Update! I tried this with quick pearl barley in December 2016. It worked awesome and was done in half the time.)
I call this a lazy-day soup. Make it on a rainy day at home when your most exciting task is laundry. It will make you feel all warm and nostalgic, I promise. Or, if you want to eat this on a weekday, throw it in the crock pot and add the barley when you get home.
I love Better than Bouillon. It adds the BEST flavor to soup.
I’m telling you guys. Shredded potatoes/carrots is where it’s at. Use a food processor if you have one, but if not a normal cheese grater will do.
Well guys, if all goes according to plan, this is the last time I will hit publish with this blog design. I’m so excited to show you! I feel like I just got a new wardrobe. Soon I will make you all sit in the living room while I model my new outfits.
Beef Barley Soup Crock Pot tips
- Brown the beef. Giving the beef chunks a nice sear before putting together your soup creates the best texture and flavor. Don’t skip this step!
- Brown in batches. I recommend splitting the beef up into 3 batches when browning. If there’s too much in the pan at once, you’ll end up steaming it rather than searing it.
- Is your soup too thick? Depending on how long you simmer, sometimes the soup can get much too thick. If you like a soupier soup, just add more water and beef base to thin it back out.
- Slow cooker or stovetop! This recipe is great in the slow cooker or on the stove, so I’ve included instructions for both. Pick whatever fits your time frame the best!
How to serve this recipe for Beef Barley Soup
I love making this crusty One Hour French Bread to go with this Beef Barley soup. It would also be amazing with The Best Garlic Bread of Your Life, Homemade Crescent Rolls, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, or Garlic Knots!
If you are serving a lot of people and need another side, make this Apple Gorgonzola Salad, or this Raspberry Avocado Salad with Poppyseed Dressing.
Beef and Barley Soup storage
One of my favorite things about soup is just how easy it is to make a giant batch to store and eat the whole week!
To store your soup, let it cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days. It can also be stored for up to 3 months in the freezer.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen, then warm on low on the stove until everything is heated through.
Crockpot Beef Barley Soup FAQs
No, not when you’re making it in the slow cooker. If you cook it first, it will absolutely turn into mush over a long, all-day crockpot simmer.. The barley goes into the soup uncooked, then simmers in the broth until it’s perfect. All you need to do first is rinse it.
Beef and barley soup will naturally thicken as it sits and simmers. However, if you’re looking to thicken it a little more quickly, you can whip up a simple slurry. To do so, whisk together 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water. Add small amounts of that into the soup until it’s thickened to your liking.
In this Beef Barley Soup I use pre-packaged stew meat, which is usually made of chuck steak. It’s cheap and it’s super tender after simmering in this soup all day. You could also use beef sold as chuck roast or round roast, or even beef short ribs,, but anything well-marbled will work great.
It is possible to overcook barley if you soak it before putting it in the slow cooker. Start with uncooked barley, rinse it, and let it cook directly in the soup, and you’ll be just fine.
When you’re using pearl barley, you don’t need to soak it – just give it a quick rinse. Hulled barley needs soaking for several hours; we aren’t using that (no way dude, I am trying to make this dinner easy).
There’s hulled barley, there’s pearl barley, and there’s quick barley. Hulled barley is like the whole wheat bread of barley–it’s been processed very minimally, and it’s a whole grain. Don’t try to use it in this soup! Either pearl barley or quick barley are great in this recipe. Quick barley is more processed but also cuts down on the amount of cook time, so buy what works for you.
This barley soup is healthy, at least by my definition of healthy. It’s got protein rich beef and veggies like onions, carrots, and potatoes. Barley is a nutritious food too. Plus eating something so warm and comforting is always good for your soul!
Pearl barley has more fiber and calcium than rice, and it’s somewhat less caloric. Full disclosure, I’m not using it in this soup for health, I’m using it for nostalgia and texture.
Barley can be anti-inflammatory because it contains antioxidants. Antioxidants help your cells stay healthy and repair themselves.
Other soups you will love:
Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup with Italian Sausage and Pesto << classic minestrone with some super delicious extras.
Cheeseburger Soup << Warm. Filling. Actually tastes like a cheeseburger!
Cream Cheese Chicken Chili << another great dinner to throw in the slow cooker!
Easy Cheddar Cauliflower Soup << dreamy, creamy, and cheesy, this soup uses an entire head of cauliflower.
Slow Cooker Enchilada Soup from Weary Chef
Easy Chicken and Dumpling Soup from Melanie Makes
Tortellini Cheddar Cheese Soup from Simply Gloria
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Beef and Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stew meat, nicely marbled beef chunks
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 10 cups water
- 3 tablespoons beef base, mounded tablespoons good quality*
- 2 cups celery, 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
Instructions
- Generously salt and pepper the beef. In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- When it is very hot, add about 1/3 of the meat. Brown for about 1-2 minutes, then turn to brown the other side. Remove to a plate when it is browned on all sides.
- Repeat with remaining meat in 2 more batches. (If you add it all at once it will steam the meat instead of browning it–not what you want.)
- When all the meat is browned, add all the meat back to the pot with 10 cups of water. Add 3 healthy tablespoons beef stock concentrate.
- Add the chopped celery, onions, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 2 hours with the lid on.
- When the meat is tender and you can break it apart easily with a wooden spoon, add the shredded potato and carrots. Bring to a boil, then continue to simmer on low for another 30-45 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.
- Add 1 cup of barley. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low. Cook for another half hour, or until barley is tender and the soup tastes…like home.
Slow cooker instructions:
- In a large pan, brown the meat according to the instructions. Remove the browned meat to a large crockpot.
- Add 2 cups of the water to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir up all the browned bits. Add this and the remaining 8 cups of water to the crock pot.
- 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 so, until it is tender.
I made this today on the stovetop and it was fabulous. My housemate is gluten-free, so instead of barley I used buckwheat groats. They turned out great. I think maybe I didn’t need a full cup of them, though. They sucked up a lot of the moisture and I had to add water. Still, it added a dark, slightly nutty flavor to everything else. I’d probably use 1/2 cup next time. Also, I added a little white wine to the water to deglaze the pan. This recipe is a keeper!
Okay I am ashamed to admit that I don’t even know what buckwheat groats are!! It sounds very good! I’m glad you were able to adapt it Kimberly, thanks for commenting.
I made this last night but added peas and mushrooms. It was wonderful! Hubby is not a soup fan because he needs something “hearty”. He loved it! It was hearty enough that he only had one bowl!
What is it with men thinking soup is not hearty? My brother calls all soup “girl food.” What the heck, haha! Guys are weird ;)
So good! Just made it for the second time, this time in the crockpot and it worked great!valerie
This soup is wonderful. I have made it a few times in my crockpot. I tried it last night with the instant pot and I was not happy. The flavor was great because the recipe is good but the consistency and the color was horrible. I prefer this soup in the crockpot. I feel like the flavor is more intense and the color is a rich dark brown. I’m going to make this again soon. Maybe on the stovetop this time. This is one of those soups that needs be cooked slow.
I agree Blanca! The longer it cooks, the better.
Absolutely loved this! Simple & easy. Will definitely make again & again & again. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Hey Karen I made this tonight with a lamb roast I found in the freezer! Just as delicious! And to the commenter who mentioned she couldn’t have barley I think orzo would made a great substitute along with rice.
Love reading all the new comments I haven’t read. I just wish my mother would be able to appreciate how much people love her soup. Last time I mentioned it she and my dad couldn’t even remember the beef barley soup. That made me sad.
Oh no, that is really sad. Maybe you need to bring some over to them :) Good idea using lamb, that sounds delicious! Someone on Instagram posted about this soup, she’s gluten free so she used rice and said it worked great. She said you have to up the broth amount and maybe next time she will cut out the potato because rice makes it pretty starchy.
I made this Barley Soup today. It came out really well. My husband loves it so it will always be the one I use.
I’m so happy to hear that Audrey! It’s great when you find a keeper recipe. Thanks for the review!
This is one ultimate Beef Barley soup one of my wife’s favs and now this one is our favorites!!!
Ultimate is the perfect word for it Lee! Thanks for commenting!
The first time I made this soup, my husband declared it “the best thing you’ve ever made!”
Thanks for the recipe! It’s a soup season favorite!
That’s the best feeling, right?? I’m so glad you all liked it :) Thanks for commenting!
Wondering if this recipe has a strong onion taste. I tried the meat about 3 hours in and it tasted very oniony. Wondering if when i add the meat in about 2 hours if that will change the taste significantly?
Thank you so much for response and the recipe.
Hey Marissa! I’ve never tasted the recipe when it’s halfway cooked so I couldn’t tell you. I do know that after cooking and simmering all day, it tastes fabulous!
This recipe turned out amazing!!! My husbands buddy came over for the weekend and my husband and him were raving over the flavor!
Thank you !!!
I made this today…..cold, rainy day. OMG the house smelled so so good and the BEST soup recipe ever !! Absolutely delicious and you’re right, feels like home. Your mother in law and her recipe are keepers :) Thanks so much for sharing !!
Haha, they sure are keepers Tonya! I’m so glad you liked the recipe, thank you so much for commenting!
This soup was AMAZING! I did the stove top version. I was a little leery of the shredded carrots and potatoes, but I followed the recipe and it couldn’t have been better! I am making a second pot this weekend!
That’s awesome Lauri! I’m so glad you decided to shred, it’s a game changer :) Thanks for commenting, it’s great to hear from you!
All of these are beautiful! I don’t know which I like most! With warm weather finally here (in San Diego, at least), I’m sure to being making many if not all of these over the next weeks and months.
Holy shit this soup was tasty! New fav soup. Thank you!
Bahaha! This made me laugh out loud. Well said! ;)
I made your soup and it was GREAT. I had never used the Beef Base before
so that was great. Iam going to give my neighbor some tomorrow, I froze it
so it is thawing now.
Love your recipes and thank you.
Bonnie
I’m so glad you commented Bonnie! Thank you for telling me you loved the soup! I bet somebody has a new favorite neighbor :)