Beef Barley Soup is incredibly easy and so delicious!
Loaded with nutritious veggies, tender beef and plump barley, it’s a complete meal in a bowl!
This homemade beef barley soup can be made ahead of time and freezes well making it the perfect family dinner!
All of my favorite soups are fully loaded with goodies including veggies and grains, this Beef Barley Soup definitely fits the bill!
It is a rich and hearty barley soup that leaves you completely satisfied and warms every inch of your body!
It screams comfort food, like mom used to make and is perfect served up with a side of buttermilk biscuits and a side salad!
How to Make Beef Barley Soup
While the list of ingredients may seem long, this Beef and Barley soup is really easy to make.
I start out by cooking garlic and onions just until softened.
All of the remaining ingredients are simply added to the pot and simmered until tender.
I use homemade stock whenever possible for the best flavor.
What is the Best Beef for soup?
This recipe calls for cooked beef. You can use any kind of leftover beef for this beef barley soup including pot roast, leftover steak or roast beef.
If you don’t have cooked beef, you can cook your own. I use either flank steak (sliced against the grain) or cubed chuck.
If you’d prefer, you can most certainly substitute cooked hamburger in this barley soup recipe. If making a ground beef barley soup, you’ll want to brown the beef with the onions and drain any fat.
One of the main components in this recipe is barley. Barley is a grain that is very similar in size and texture of brown rice. There are several different types of barley but the most common is pearl barley which is used in this recipe.
I use it frequently in place of rice and pasta in many soup recipes, perfect in my Chicken Barley Soup!
With its slightly nutty flavor and interesting texture, it will sure to be a hit in your next homemade soup!
Try adding it to my Easy Hamburger Soup or in place of the noodles in my Turkey Noodle Soup! Your family will love the change!
Cooking the same things all of the time can leave any home chef in a bit of a meal-making rut. The addition of vegetables makes this a great and healthy choice and keeps is relatively low in calories.
Incorporating new ideas, flavors and textures helps to keep things interesting in the kitchen!
This Old Fashioned Beef Barley Soup is traditional soup that has not lost it’s lustre! We serve this alongside our favorite biscuits or 30 Minute Dinner Rolls with a fresh garden salad for a perfect meal!
Make a large pot and freeze smaller portions to enjoy later – it freezes amazing and you will love how convenient it is to microwave or reheat on the stove!
Beef Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 carrots sliced
- 1 rib celery sliced
- 2 cups cooked beef
- 6 cups reduced sodium beef broth
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes 14-15 oz, undrained
- ½ green pepper diced
- ⅔ cup barley
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 package beef gravy mix
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons red wine optional
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook onions and garlic in oil over medium heat until softened.
- Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered about 40-50 minutes or until barley is cooked.
- Remove bay leaf and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Soup
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Easy and tasty! I used ground beef. Next time I’d add more barley, though. Dont ignore that it calls for LOW SODIUM broth like I did, it came out rather salty without me adding any extra salt. I guess the gravy mix adds a lot of saltiness which needs balancing.
GRRREEEAAAT BEEF & BARLEY SOUP RECIPE. ***** FIVE STARS THANK YOU.
can you use pearled Farro instead of pearled barley?
Sure you can! Depending on the type of farro, you may need to adjust the cooking time (check the package) but it will work just fine in this recipe.
I have some leftover gravy, can I use that to add to the mix instead of just the powdered gravy mix?
You definitely can, you just might want to reduce the beef broth to keep the right consistency.
How much Barley in the beef barley soup?
This recipe calls for 2/3 cup of barley. Let us know how it turns out for you, Jackie!
This was awesome!
Thank you so much for the recipe.
It was perfect On a snowy, cold day.
I love soups and stews and make a lot, but I’ve never made beef barley. This was an easy, no fuss recipe that was a big hit with the family…perfect for a weeknight comfort meal. The soup has a lot of richness for such a short cooking period. I only modified the recipe to use things I had on hand…sliced cremini mushrooms, more carrots and celery, and leftover grilled ribeye steaks from the freezer. Made double the recipe and froze the leftovers in 1 cup bricks for future use. This is a winner and I’ll definitely be making it again. Thanks!
soup is good food
Hi Holly. I really wanna make this soup today. It’s -24 windchill here in Indiana. The only thing I have on hand is a packet of Au Jus mix really don’t wanna go to the store. Do you think that would work in place of the beef gravy mix?
Hi Pamela, I have never tried but I think it should work. Keep in mind the consistency might be a bit thinner than if you were to use gravy, so you could consider adding a slurry to thicken it up. I can’t wait to hear how it turns out for you!
Easy and delicious!!
Just shared the recipe with my sisters because I know they will love it too.
Definite keeper!
can I use pot barley instead of pearl?
Yes you can but you may need to add about 15 to 20 minutes cooking time and a little bit of water if the soup thickens too much.
Made this the other day and it was awesome. Will make again for sure