Beef Barley Soup is a delectable combination of tender chunks of beef, carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes, corn, and barley in a deliciously seasoned beef broth. It can be made quickly with stew meat or simmered slowly with a chuck roast.
My husband and son are crazy about this Beef and Barley soup! They can not get enough of it! They also love my beef vegetable soup and beef noodle soup.
I love soup. The cool days of Autumn are beginning to move in, and there is just something wonderful and comforting about a nice big stockpot full of soup. My family and I eat soup year-round. This soup will quickly become one of your family’s favorites.
I have used beef chuck roast (my preferred method) and stew meat. Both are delicious, although the results are a little different. The chuck roast simmers very tender but must be trimmed after cooking. The stew meat does not cook up as tender, but it requires no trimming.
What is barley?
Barley is a wonderfully versatile cereal grain with a rich nut-like flavor and an appealing, chewy, pasta-like consistency. If you did not know better, you would swear it was pasta. In most grocery stores, it is in the soup aisle and is packed in a box about the same size as a small pasta box. It simmers and swells just like pasta does in soup.
There are two kinds: medium barley and quick barley. Medium barley cooks in about forty-five minutes, and quick barley cooks in about twelve minutes. I use the medium version with the chuck roast when things are more leisurely and slow, and I use the quick version with the stew meat when pressed for time.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
- Vegetable oil: or canola oil
- Chuck roast: or beef stew meat, but it will not be as tender
- Vegetables: carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and corn
- Seasonings: dried parsley, oregano, bay leaves, and thyme, and salt and pepper to taste
- Beef broth: preferably low-sodium
- Diced tomatoes: I like to use fire-roasted for added flavor
- Pearled barley: medium or quick if using stew meat
How to make Beef Barley Soup
This is just the summary version of the recipe. See the recipe card below for ingredients and complete instructions.
Add a little oil to a large stockpot or Dutch oven and brown the chuck roast or stew meat. Remove from the heat and add a little more oil. Add the carrots, onions, and celery and cook for about five minutes. Stir in the garlic, parsley, oregano, and thyme, and cook for just a minute or so, stirring constantly. Finally, add the beef broth, diced tomatoes, bay leaf, and beef back to the pot.
If using chuck roast, simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the roast is fork-tender. If using stew meat, simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add the corn and the barley. Cook until the barley is tender. Use the medium barley with the chuck roast; it will take about 45 minutes to swell and be soft. Use the quick barley with the stew meat, which will take about 15 minutes to cook.
Remove the roast from the pot and trim the tender beef away from any gristle or fat. Cut or shred the beef into bite-size chunks and return it to the pot.
What cut of beef is best?
My personal favorite is the chuck roast. This cut is from the shoulder muscles. At first, this cut will seem quite tough, but with simmering, it will break down into succulent, tender, wonderfully flavored pieces of beef. The chuck roast derives a lot of its rich taste from the fat and the connective tissue. You can cut the chuck into bite-size pieces or, better yet, sear it, drop the whole chuck in the stockpot, and let it simmer for a couple of hours.
When it is fork tender, remove it from the soup and trim it. Cut the delicious meat away from the fat and unwanted gristle. Return those delicious bites of simmered beef to the soup. Other cuts that you could use are Round roasts, rump roasts, and pot roasts. I have learned that various regions have different names for cuts of beef.
Beef stew meat is by far the fastest but not always the tastiest. If you choose the stew meat, start with pieces that are visually similar, consistent in size, and have a fair amount of white striping (fat and connective tissue) throughout, as this will give it more flavor.
Preparation Tips
- If you have the time, use the chuck roast. It has more flavor and will be more tender.
- Sear the beef in a bit of oil.
- If you are preparing for company, peel the carrots. They will look much nicer peeled; food should be aesthetically appealing.
- Use low-sodium beef broth so the salt does not become the dominant seasoning.
- If you like a lot of flavor, add plenty of fresh cracked pepper and a couple of pinches of Cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper.
- Do not overcook the barley, as it will get too mushy if allowed to simmer and simmer.
Storage and Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat or in the microwave at reduced power.
To freeze, cool completely, and pour into a freezer-safe container or zipper freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop over low heat or microwave at reduced power.
More Soup Recipes
Beef Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 lbs chuck roast
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery sliced thin
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 6 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- ⅔ cup medium pearled barley
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can corn drained
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Add beef and sear. Remove beef to a plate.
- Add carrots, celery, and onion, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, oregano, and thyme and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes, bay leaf, and beef back to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the roast is fork-tender. Add barley and corn; cover with a lid for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue simmering for 15 minutes.
- Remove the roast from the pot and trim the beef away from any gristle or fat. Cut or shred the beef into bite-size chunks and return it to the pot. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Video
Notes
- If you have the time, use the chuck roast. It has more flavor and will be more tender.
- Sear the beef in a bit of oil.
- If you are preparing for company, peel the carrots. They will look much nicer peeled; food should be aesthetically appealing.
- Use low-sodium beef broth so the salt does not become the dominant seasoning.
- If you like a lot of flavor, add plenty of fresh cracked pepper and a couple of pinches of Cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper.
- Do not overcook the barley, as it will get too mushy if allowed to simmer and simmer.
Nutrition
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Monica
This was probably one of the best soups I have ever made!! Thanks for a great recipe!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Monica! So glad that you love the beef barley soup!
Paul l
I love this soup. I use the recipe as a starting point and modify to my taste. I use frozen mixed vegetables and add some baby Limas. I don’t use the thyme or oregano just my preference taste wise. I used stew meat and cooked it in pressure pot with a box of beef broth and some beefy onion soup mix. The meat easily shredded Added a can of V8 as well. It’s a fantastic soup as are all your recipes
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Paul! I am so glad that you like the beef barley soup! Thanks for all the tips, too!
Amanda Phelps
It was good but I think next time I will use full sodium broth as it lacked the umph I love from barley soup. timing is all perfect too! I think I will add 2 additional cups of broth because I wanted it to have more soup! Flavors were great
Beth Pierce
Thanks Amanda! Glad that you enjoyed it!!
Cheryl Decker
I agree – it needs “umph”! Beef stock (NOT low sodium) and a few mushrooms add flavor.
Tiffany
Hi!! I just found this recipe, is able to be frozen? I’m in the process of stocking the freezer with soups. Thank you
Beth Pierce
Yes it freeze well. I understand. Winter is coming.
KATHY
Delicious! My husband LOVED this! Served with corn bread muffins. Will definitely be making this soup again!
Jamie
My husbands grandma used to make this for him as a child and he’s been wanting it for years since she passed. Thank you for this amazing recipe and teaching me something new to cook and enjoy!
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome Jamie! So glad that you liked it! It is one of our favorite recipes!
Rose
I used beef stew meat and it took at least 50-60 minutes to become fork tender. It was definitely worth the wait. I will be making this again!!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Rose! So glad that you liked it. I love it when soup simmers and makes the whole house smell delicious.
Dori
Hey there. Amazing recipe. I have used it often! I i usually do the roast but my kids were bugging me for this so I only Had stew pieces. Is I’d reduce for 20 minutes or by 20 minutes. For the meat ? Thanks!
Angie
Great flavor! The only thing is, it took way longer than 1.5 hours to get the beef fork tender. More like a few hours, and mine was pretty small. I noticed someone said the same thing in the comments too.
Karen MacDonald
So good!!!! This is my second time making this tasty soup. I have omitted the corn and added about a pound of sliced criminology mushrooms and also added more barley, about a cup. Unfortunately I do not have any crusty bread. Thought about making a loaf of Dutch oven bread, but ran out of time. Tomorrow I will make the bread for the left overs!!!
Beth Pierce
That sounds like a great plan! So happy that you liked the soup. I just love a good soup!
Oleatha H Goeke
Serving size is a bowl full. How many cups would that be?
Beth Pierce
A bowl is about 1 1/2 cups of soup give our take a little bit.
Robert
I made this last night to have a nice soup to enjoy while watching the snow fall in Virginia. It was absolutely delicious! Except for adding a little more barley (I love barley!) I followed the directions exactly as provided.
Great recipe and great soup! Thanks for sharing!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure Robert! So glad that you liked it! We have snow on the ground too and another storm headed this way. So cold her too! Definitely soup weather.
Barbi
I’m so excited to make this soup tonight. Beef Barley is one of my favorites, but I’ve never had home made (just canned and restaurant). My Aunt made this recipe and shared it to Facebook teaching about how good it was so I had to try myself. Unfortunately, me husband began searing the roast we had while I ran to pick up the barley. The only barley I could find (after v3 different local stores…) Was the Quaker quick barley. I see in your tips you recommend stew meat w/ quick and roasts w/ medium. Would it still be manageable to use quick with a roast? Any adjustments to cook? This is our first barley attempt lol so trying to take out the guess work and failure potential lol
Beth Pierce
Sorry I just saw this. I hope it turned out well. The quick barley is going to cook faster so you would add it a little later. It will only need to simmer about 15 minutes.
Susan Cox
Pure comfort food! This was such a hit with the family!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Susan! So glad that you enjoyed it!
Angie
I brought a 2 pound chuck roast, not sure how you cooked yours in 1 1/2 hours?!?! It tool about 4 hours to get to that shred-able state. I had to remove the vegetables as I did not want them to be overcooked. The end result thought was outstanding! Hearty, flavorful and simply delicious.
Melissa
Delicious – my family truly loves this recipe. Everyone looks forward me making this!