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 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
- ⅔ 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
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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My soup turned out great! First time I’ve made Beef Barley Soup. Husband and I loved it! Great easy recipe to use up my left over roast beef. Thank you
I made this today and it was so delicious! I added a little bit more garlic and an extra bay leaf. Did not use tomatoes or green pepper. Fantastic!
easy to put together. I have been looking, for a beef barley soup for a long time I have tried other but felt they could have been better.
Fantastic soup on a cold winter day!! Great recipe and tasty!!
The nutrition facts in this are very wrong. Leaving out the wine and using check roast the macros are: 364 calories, 26g protein, 23g fat, and 13g carbs.
Nutrition information is an estimate and can vary. The nutrition information is calculated using cooked beef which is different from adding chuck roast as the fat has already been rendered out. That being said, there was a small error which has been updated, I hope that helps.
is that in a 1 cup serving?
Yes, a serving is approximately 1 cup.
I added potatoes and corn starch for thickness, and Italian seasoning, PERFECT1
Was very good. Made with leftover prime rib roast.
DELICIOUS!!!
I made this last night for my family! It was a huge hit with everyone! Super easy to make,.yummy flavor!! The only thing I’d do differently is double the recipe!!!
Perfect balance of flavor! I doubled the recipe so we can have leftovers!
Made this with four rib bones from a prime rib that I roasted for Christmas. Let it bubble away for three hours til the meat fell off the bones and the broth was a deep brown. First time I have ever made beef barley soup but it won’t be the last. Got three quarts of soup which is great since it freezes well and really is something you grab for on a cold winter evening. Great recipe for a hearty soup.
Great soup. Loved but not enough ingredients!
What about potatoes and mushrooms???
And sage!
And a bit of margarim!!
:)
Many thanks.
You can certainly add extra goodies to this soup, it’s versatile for sure!
This recipe is the BEST BEEF BARLEY SOUP EVER! My daughter loved it so much she had it for breakfast the next day on a very cold dreary morning. Who would have thought the beef gravy packet was the secret magical ingredient? I did add the wine and I thought it enhanced the flavor. I used sirloin steaks as the cooked meat and it was tender and wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe as it has become our family’s go-to in the cold winter months.
This is my 3rd time making this soup.. it’s my go to recipe for using up left over roast beef (today it’s prime rib ). It’s easy, full of flavour, nutritious, filling, and low in calories. I must admit I do add more red wine than is recommended Great recipe! Thanks
I had 3 cups and a rib bone leftover from a standing rib roast I had made so decided to make this recipe. I followed ingredients making a one and a half batch. I had all ingredients except the can tomatoes so I substituted a half can of tomato paste. I also omitted the bell pepper. It came out amazing! I plan to freeze it for a wintery meal in the future!!!!!!
That sounds delicious. I am glad you enjoyed it, TJ!