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!
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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I love this soup throughout the winter and plan for it! I purposely grill several steaks in the fall, cut it up and place in individual freezer bags to use all winter.
Our family favourite meal for sure!
I’ve made this recipe many times…always for guests, always wonderful reviews. Today I’m making it for my son-in-law (purports to be a great chef) and granddaughter. They’re big-city folk with high expectations. I know it will be a great lunch! Love serving this soup with sandwiches or a hearty lunch or crusty bread.
Delicious!
I’m sure this will be great! My issue though…I only have canned beef gravy! Will it be ok? And how much? Thanks!
Sure it will, use it in place of some of the 6 cups of broth. (If using a 10oz can, use 10oz (which is 1.25 cups) and 4 ¾ cup broth for a total of 6 cups). Let us know how it goes!
I could give this one a 100 stars!! Followed your suggestion for my can gravy issue. No cooked beef so braised some beef cubes in 1/2 beer and 1/2 broth for an hour and then followed your recipe. I love cooking and did beef barley soup before but this one….BEST SOUP EVER!!! Big thanks!
Can I make this is a slow cooker
I haven’t tried this in the slow cooker but I’m sure it would work.
I would likely cook on low about 8 hours to make sure the barley is cooked through. I would suggest using raw stewing beef in the slow cooker so it doesn’t overcook as well. Please let us know how it goes!
As with most soup making, adjusting for what’s in the kitchen is sometimes required. I used fresh salsa in lieu of canned tomatoes. What a great soup, almost stew like.
Thanks for posting! I left out the bell pepper and tomatoes and doubled the thyme, so it was like my own recipe. But the gravy packet was a revelation! I don’t generally like adding ready made to my cooking but I’ll be doing this from now on! I’ll look for low sodium gravy next time. Even using low sodium broth, I found the soup a tad salty. Thanks for this tip!
I make this soup often. Sometimes I add fresh mushrooms because I like the flavor but the recipe is perfect as written.
A Great Starter Soup
I followed the instructions, but didn’t have any onion so I added shredded cabbage. Also added a can of kidney beans.
Didn’t realize until I opened the meat packet that it was ground pork – didn’t let that stop me. Forged ahead.
Added 1/2 tsp MSG, and didn’t add the beef gravy packet because, well, pork.
It still tastes FABULOUS! DELICIOUS!
Will make again.
Yaaaasssss! Made exactly and was fantastic.
My favorite beef and barley soup recipe…easy to make with simple ingredients and the nuance of red wine elevates the flavor…made exactly as written and it is perfect wish I had made double batch…next time for sure….
can you freeze this soup?
Yes you can, the barley will soak up some of the broth so I sometimes add a bit of water when reheating. Enjoy!
my go to beef barley soup, so delish ☺♥ everyone’s favourite
Beef barley soup is fantastic. Rather than use a packet of gravy mix I pulled about 2 cups of homemade beef gravy out of the freezer and used that along with 4 cups of packaged beef broth. I had to add a little water the second time we ate it as of course it had thickened in the fridge overnight. The flavour is excellent, will make this one again!
So Good!!! I made this as a meal my daughter came home to after having her third baby boy. She said it was just what she needed and the other little ones and hubby liked it too! Thank you !It is now my go to soup to give or take. So yummy.
Hello Lori. So glad that they enjoyed the soup. Congratulations on the new grandson!
Delish! I added a package of Lipton’s Onion Soup. Perfection.
Made this and it was awesome . I braised some chuck in Guinness and garlic and onions to make some stock to “beef” up some store bought stock ! Was delicious , thanks for the inspiration.
Lovely recipe, perfect winter comfort bowl of hugs!
Loved it!