Beef and Barley Soup

Beef and barley soup, a classic winter dish. Perfect for cold weather. This recipe is fairly simple and easy to prepare, but it’s very comforting, delicious, and nutritious! A bit of tomato juice perfectly rounds out the rich beef flavor and the barley adds a wonderful hearty chew!

People don’t pay much attention to barley, at least in the United States, but it’s actually really nutritious. Barley is high in beta-glucan. That’s that stuff they talk about on Cheerios commercials. It’s supposed to help lower your cholesterol. It’s also high in B vitamins and minerals. You can read more about barley on whfoods. Aside from being nutritious, the texture is great. It stands up well to cooking and maintains a nice chew, even in leftover soup!

I add green beans to this version, which isn’t traditional (I just like green beans). You’re free to substitute peas or corn, or leave the extra veg out entirely and just add a bit more carrot and celery. I like a really thick, chunky soup. If you prefer your soup more, well, soupy you can increase the beef stock by two cups and the tomato juice by a half cup. If you increase the amount of liquid its a good idea to add an extra pinch of salt to the pot as well.

This makes lots of soup, so it’s great for meal prepping or sharing with a relative. Or, if you just have a big family!

I love serving soup with some kind of bread or roll. It just feels right! I have two roll recipes on the blog that would pair perfectly with this beef and barley soup. Both are nice and soft with a great flavor, while not compromising on whole grain nutrition! My soft honey whole wheat rolls are lightly sweet with an undertone of buttermilk and my perfect pull-apart potato rolls are super fluffy and buttery.

Print Recipe

Beef and Barley Soup

Author: Mary Ellis Cooking Method: Stove-Top

Difficulty: Easy Prep Time 30 mins Cook Time 200 mins Total Time 3 hrs 50 mins

Servings: 8

Ingredients

Servings

• 2 ¹⁄₂ lb chuck roast (or stew beef)
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp coriander
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 large carrots (or 3 medium)
• 2 medium onions
• 5 stalks celery
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp sage
• 1 tbsp butter
• 8 cup beef stock or broth
• 2 cup tomato juice
• 1 beef bullion cube
• 2 cup fresh or frozen green beans
• 1 ¹⁄₄ cup quick barley

Instructions

1. Cube your meat, if you didn't buy pre-cut. I recommend pieces about 1 to 1 1/2 inches (2 1/2 to 4 centimeters).
   
2. In a small cup or bowl, combine the salt, coriander, and garlic powder. Liberally season your beef with it, you should use it all.
   
3. Turn a large heavy bottom large pot on high heat and add the oil. Add your meat and brown it, stirring occasionally.
4. While the meat browns chop the onion, celery, and carrot and set aside.
   
5. Remove the meat from the pan and set it aside.
   
6. Add the vegetables to the pan and stir. Turn heat down to medium and add the thyme, sage, and butter. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
7. Add the beef stock, tomato juice, and bouillon cube to the pot and stir, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get those good brown bits.
   
8. Add the beef back to the pot and turn the heat on high until it comes to a boil. Then, turn the heat down to low so it'll simmer.
9. Cook for 2 1/2 hours on low, stirring once in while.
10. Add your green beans and cook for 10 minutes. If using frozen green beans you should turn the heat up for a bit so it comes back up to a simmer, then turn it back down.
11. Add your barley and cook for another 20 minutes.
    
12. Enjoy!