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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Hi. Does the beef have to be cooked beforehand? Or can I toss stewing beef raw into the soup to cook while the barley cooks? Thanks.
Yes it does need to be. If you only have raw beef, you’ll want to cook it with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper until browned before adding it to the soup.
This is a yummy fall recipe that hits the spot, I added some chopped cabbage as well since it was in my crisper.
This is my new favorite soup! It is DELICIOUS. I’m looking forward to making it again. Thank you for a great soup recipe.
What brand of wine do you use for beef barley soup
Hi Denise, this post on cooking with wine should help you decide on which red wine to chose. I hope that helps.
yummy
I cooked for a small group of homeless people. That lover it.
Do you use quick barley or the original?
Idouglas, for this recipe we use pearl barley. I hope that helps!
just made a pot tonight. pretty simple, comes together quickly. and just what we wanted for dinner on a damp fall night
Can this be made in a crockpot?
Hi Crystal, I have never personally tried this recipe in the crockpot, but other readers have had great success. One reader cooked everything (except barley) for a few hours in the crockpot then added cooked barley at the end. Hope that helps!
Has anyone frozen leftovers successfully? does the barley absorbent all the liquid?
Yes I have, the barley will soak up some of the broth so I sometimes add a bit of water when reheating. Enjoy!
I jumped in the car, zoomed to the store, bought the gravy packet and BAM! What a great soup. I used leftover brisket which got more tender in the soup. Thanks for the recipe.
All that’s in a gravy packet is beef bouillon, flour or cornstarch onion and garlic – all you need to substitute
I made this soup today and it was delishious!! It had the best flavor. It has been a very long time since I made a barley soup and this will be made again. Thank you for you recipe and you “nailed” it!
Great guide for deciding what to make for dinner.
Just making the soup now smells great taste is differently there but I have a question if I use the beef gravy mix won’t that thicken it up to much?
It doesn’t thicken that much as a gravy packet usually thickens 1 cup of gravy. In this case we’re adding 6 cups of broth.
have used this recipe many times. its the one you want.
What might work instead of the gravy packet? thanks.
Chris, I have only tried this as written. The beef gravy packet adds a bit of savory flavor and just a slight viscosity to the soup. You could add a beef bouillon cube or a packet of au jus mix if you have either.
If you want it thicker you can always do a cornstarch or flour slurry at the end ?!
Very good!!!! Loved it!
OMG just made a big pot of this, soooo good! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!
Absolutely delicious. I’ve been making this for years. However, I add fresh mushrooms, and I use regular beef broth.
Great recipe! I doubled it except for the tomatoes as I had none. I added 3 Tbsp. tomato paste in place for double recipe. So rich and tasty! Love all your recipes.
Hearty and delicious!
Can you recommend a link, or provide a recipe, for the gravy mix so that we can put it together without using a packet mix? Putting the effort into a homemade soup deserves that extra little bit of love.
Hi LeeAnn, I don’t have a recipe for a gravy mix that you could use in this recipe but it mostly acts as a thickener for the soup. So if you would prefer you can use a cornstarch slurry instead to thicken the soup. If using the cornstarch slurry I would maybe add a beef bouillon cube for a flavor boost. I would love to hear how that alteration turns out for you!
This recipe sounds delicious! However, I do agree with another reviewer and, after reading the ingredients, I would prefer not to use the beef gravy packet. I googled Substitute for beef gravy packet in soup and here’s what popped up…. Homemade gravy mix
Mix 1 tablespoon of beef bouillon powder, 1/4 cup of cornstarch (or 1/3 cup of flour), 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
Hope this works, I haven’t tried it yet, but it sounds like a reasonable substitution. Also, not sure how much of this mixture you should add, so less is better. You can always add more if needed.
This recipe sounds delicious! However, I do agree with another reviewer and, after reading the ingredients, I would prefer not to use the beef gravy packet. I googled Substitute for beef gravy packet in soup and here’s what popped up…. Homemade gravy mix
Mix 1 tablespoon of beef bouillon powder, 1/4 cup of cornstarch (or 1/3 cup of flour), 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
Hope this works, I haven’t tried it yet, but it sounds like a reasonable substitution. Also, not sure how much of this mixture you should add, so less is better. You can always add more if needed.