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
Pozole Rojo Like Abuela’s << this has always been one of my favorites, and this recipe is spot on to what I get in restaurants!
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 Better Than Bouillon 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.
My goodness this was delicious! It was snowing today and was the prefect day to stay inside and simmer a soup. This is the first soup recipe that i have tried from pinterest where i didn’t do any thing to change it. The neat was literally falling apart and the barley added a new dimension to a classic recipe. My husband was absolutely giddy while eating dinner tonight, as he enjoyed it so much. Thanks for sharing an amazing recipe!
I’m so glad Sara! My mother-in-law (who gave me this recipe–she got it from her mom) was telling me this week that she just made this for a family who needed a meal. It’s just such good comfort food. Thanks so much for commenting! Reading stuff like this makes blogging worth it. :)
Looking for a good beef and barley soup WITHOUT TOMATOES. So glad I found your site. This soup is truely fantastic. The potatoes dissappeared, but I think their only role was to provide thickening from their starch. I was hoping they would visibly stick around. The barley was the spotlight starch. I bought the jarred “Better than Boullion”. Glad I did. Since this was a major comonent of the flavor profile, I’m glad I spent the $4.50 for the jar. Remember, you should economize when you can, so that when you need to spend a little extra on a recipe item, you will know that you saved your money in other places to allow you the cashflow to maintain the integrity of the dish. My house smells great from this soup, and I will absolutely be making this again in the future. Very hearty, makes you feel warm inside. I’m going on your maiing list. One concern, after writing all this (without my own website URL to enter into the comment webform box), I hope my comment is published to further assure potential cooks that this beef barley soup is a keeper.
I’m making this for the very first time, never had barley before…….. I admit I’m tasting ever step of the way, and so far awesome. It’s perfect for today, here in Arkansas we’re not used to temps being 11 degrees, we recently had an icy road again not used too, even though main roads are clear mine is still iced over, and I wanted soup, found your recipe on Pinterest and it looks amazing, this looked so good, I walked down to the corner store to get barley. I wanted to say thank you for posting this is going to become my go to soup on winter storm days.
I’m impressed that your corner store had barley! Well stocked :) I’m so happy the soup worked out for you Ashley! Thanks for coming back to comment!
When simmering for 2 hours…does it need to be covered?
Hi Shaun! Great question. I usually leave it on, or half on so that it’s vented a little. If you leave it off you run the risk of your soup becoming a thicker stew. I’ve changed the recipe. Hope you love the soup!
The Enchilada soup link goes to a chicken and dumplings soup.
Thanks Mary Ellen! All fixed.
I’ve never left a comment on a recipe before…but this one is worthy! It is so hearty and rich in flavor. My husband and 3-year-old daughter love it as much as I do. The shredded veggies add a lot of texture and also make it more appealing to my daughter (who doesn’t realize she’s eating them). Thrilled to have found a new soup staple for winter! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad it was a hit for your family Dana! The shredded veggies totally makes it, I agree. Thanks for commenting, I really appreciate hearing your feedback! I put a lot into this little blog and comments like this are part of what makes it worth it for me. :)
I just made this yesterday, and it was fabulous! Thank you! But I found that the barley needed more like an hour to really cook and absorb all of the water. So in the future, I’ll add it earlier in the process.
I used home-made beef bone broth, which I had made over the weekend as an experiment, and it was a good combination. Making the broth is a lot of work, though, and I don’t know if I would do it again.
Oh, good to know Janet! Curious, were you making this on the stovetop or in the crock pot? That’s awesome that you made your own beef broth. I don’t know if I would have the patience!
Stovetop, in a 7-qt pot. I’m glad I did it that way, because my poor old crockpot wouldn’t have been big enough.
This is the basic stock recipe that I used: http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/twarda/recipes/Basic_Brown_Soup_Stock.html . The only change I made was to include garlic. Looking at it again, I realize that my stock was greatly reduced! I ended up with 2 quarts, and I should have gotten 4.
Yeah, you need a BIG crock pot for this recipe. Thanks for the link to the stock! Maybe I’ll try it someday!
Have you frozen this soup before? How is it?Thanks!
Hi Mary Ann! This soup freezes great, as do most soups. I’ve done it lots of times. Enjoy!
I have this on the stove right now and after reading the recipe I am not sure if I should cover the pot for the 2 hour simmer. It does not say to, but it’s a soup so I don’t want all of the moisture to simmer out.
Thanks!
I usually leave the lid off and turn it to medium low. You could leave the lid on if you want though. It’s really up to you! If your soup turns out too thick, you can always add more broth toward the end.
Could you, please, share what brand of food processor you use? I have tried a couple and my veggies do not come out like your potatoes did. I either get some big chunks and some small or I end up with juice. And we make soups a lot and stews and I could really use a good food processor and save some time. Thank you.
Hey Julia! I use a Cuisinart ProClassic. I’ve had it for years and I LOVE it! Never fails.
Can I use pot barley for this recipe?
I’ve never tried pot barley, Rose, but I’m sure it would work. You will have to look up some cook times for pot barley, it might take longer.
I’ve been searching for a “keeper” Beef and Barley soup for ages and I think at last I’ve found it with yours! Most are not as thick and hearty, but adding potatoes and shredding those and the carrots seem to be key. So rich and comforting! I did add a tablespoon of Worcestershire…that was a good tip! How did you shred your carrots and potatoes? I used a food processor and didn’t have the thick carrot shreds that appear in your photo. Thanks so much!
Hey Dana, I’m glad you finally found a keeper! Yes, I use a food processor to shred the potatoes and carrots. My shredder looks the same size as your average cheese grater I would say (the largest holes). I’ve manually shredded successfully before, though it was a pain, not to mention messy!
My hubby and I just finished the last of this amazing soup. I made it a couple of months ago and froze what we didn’t eat the first time around. He was so thrilled when we ate it the first time. I must say it was the most delicious soup I’ve ever made. Since it’s gone now, I thought I’d wait to make it again, but he said no. So I’ll make it again and freeze it all for our next go around. It was truly fabulous. Thanks for the post.
Awesome Sue! Isn’t it so great when you find a recipe your whole family can get behind? Love it! Thanks for the review, I really appreciate it! Have a great week!
I have always loved beef barley soup and must say this is the BEST recipe ever! I have made it several times, packed it in quarts, and shared it with several sick friends and neighbors during this flu season. It’s packed with good nutrients. Organic meat & veggies plus low sodium Better than Boullion make it even healthier. What a comfort food on a cold blustery day here in the Midwest whether one is ill or not. Thank you for sharing!
What a sweet comment Patricia! I’m like you, I haven’t been able to stop making this soups this winter, for friends, neighbors, company, my freezer…I’m so glad you like it, and thanks for your feedback!
I (very recently!) received a slow cooker and decided to try this recipe. I am an accomplished cook and baker, and I have to say, not only was this an easy recipe, it made the BEST beef barley soup my husband and I have ever tasted!! Thanks for sharing…I get your recipes sent to me and I plan on try many more!!
Thanks so much for coming back to comment Laurie! I’m glad you guys liked it!