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!

Beef Barley Soup in a pot with a ladle

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.

Beef Barley Soup in a white pot

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!

Beef Barley Soup in a bowl

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!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
Beef Barley Soup in a pot with a ladle
4.99 from 1069 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Beef Barley Soup

This homemade beef barley soup is loaded with nutritious veggies, tender beef and plump barley. It’s a complete meal in a bowl!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 8 servings
buy hollys book

Ingredients  

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 carrots sliced
  • 1 rib celery sliced
  • 2 cups cooked beef
  • 6 cups reduced sodium beef broth
  • 14.5 ounces canned petite diced tomatoes with juices, 1 can
  • ½ green bell pepper diced
  • cup pearl barley
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1 packet beef gravy mix
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons red wine optional
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried
  • salt and black 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

Soup may thicken upon cooling, add extra broth (or water) to reach desired consistency.
4.99 from 1069 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 204 | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 487mg | Potassium: 878mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2802IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Soup
Cuisine American

 More Recipes You’ll Love

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Chicken Wild Rice Soup with carrots and mushrooms with pepper and parsley on a table

Weight Loss Vegetable Soup 

Weight Loss Vegetable Soup in a white bowl with orange and yellow dots

Chicken Barley Soup

Chicken Barley Soup with carrot

Beef Barley Soup in a pot and in a bowl with writing
Beef Barley Soup in a pot with a ladle with writing

Categories:

,

Recipes you'll love

About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
See more posts by Holly

Follow Holly on social media:

pinterest facebook twitter instagram

Free eBook!

Subscribe to receive weekly recipes and get a FREE Bonus e-book: Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals!

You can unsubscribe anytime by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of emails you receive.

4.99 from 1069 votes (836 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. This was hands-down the best soup I have ever made. Following this recipe, I made a few modifications:
    – Because I wasn’t using leftover beef, I seared my stew beef instead of cooking it through. I let it finish off in the soup.
    – As a former Louisianian, I recognized the “trinity” (onions, celery, and green peppers) and used equal parts, cutting down on the amount of onion. I cooked these three together until they softened before adding the garlic (the “pope!’) and carrots, then I tossed in the rest of the ingredients.
    – I added a heaping tablespoon of tomato paste
    – I didn’t have dried thyme so I added poultry seasoning5 stars

  2. I have made this soup several times and it always comes out great! I make it as written with no substitutions. thank you for the wonderful recipe!!5 stars

  3. I used ground beef and drained the fat before adding back to the soup. ABSOLUTELY delicious, will definitely be making again!5 stars

  4. Fabulous beef barley soup . One of my favorites and I love using left over prime rib in this soup. It’s a 10 out of 10!❤️5 stars

  5. Wow, this soup is so delicious and hearty! Perfect for a winter evening meal and for lunch the next day. I cut a small pot roast into 1″ chunks, seared them in batches in a bit of oil, then removed them to a plate while I sauteed the onions and garlic in the same pan. Followed the rest of the recipe as written except that I inadvertently added 1 whole tsp of thyme. It didn’t hurt. Will definitely make again and soon!5 stars

  6. This soup was so good, we wanted to lick the bowls. I made it just like recipe except I didn’t have any wine, so left that out. I would definitely recommend this!!5 stars

    1. Al, I haven’t tried this in the Instant Pot, but I believe it should work well. The Instant Pot recommends 20 minutes for barley, so you can set it to high pressure for 20 minutes and let it naturally release for 10 minutes. Please let us know how it goes.

  7. This is a great recipe. My husband wanted beef barley soup and this fit the bill! A few things I did: (1) cooked the Costco beef in the Instant Pot to get it nice and tender; (2) added mushrooms and sauteed them with the onions and garlic; (3) cooked the barley separately and added some to our bowls before adding the soup to the individual bowls. All the other ingredients made for a deliciously flavored soup.5 stars

    1. what is costco beef is it the canned Kirkland roast beef i am unsure what beef to use if I need to make a roast ! thanks

  8. This recipe deserves 10 stars!! Made this soup for dinner, it was AMAZING! This is our new fave soup with beef, it has great flavour and texture, the broth is oh so yummy! My hubby has been asking for beef barley soup for a while now, we’re thrilled with the outcome of this recipe! The only exceptions I had were that I had pot barley (not pearl) which took 15 mins longer to cook and I had some fresh thin sliced sirloin steak that we cut up into bite size pieces and sautéed with the onions and garlic. The beef was so tender, it just melted in our mouths! Love all the veggies in this hearty, flavourful soup, perfect for these chilly Canadian winter nights!5 stars

  9. Followed recipe as written. Excellent flavor. My husband even loved it. Have made it several times over our cold winter.5 stars