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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How much pearl barley is needed? I don’t see an amount in the recipe
⅔ cup barley
About a cup 1 full cup I use
Delicious! We really enjoyed the soup. My boyfriend doesn’t love tomatoes, though…do you think the soup would turn out okay if I left out the can of diced tomatoes?
Do you use quick barley or pearl barley?
For this recipe, we use pearl barley, Tammy.
Wow! This soup was delicious!! We had a very snowy, windy day here in Northern Michigan, and my husband was out plowing snow all day long. He came home to the amazing aroma of this soup and promptly gobbled up 2 big soup mugs full !!! I followed the recipe, except I substituted sautéed mushrooms for the green pepper, which really complimented the beef and onion flavor. My husband said , “ You will be making this again !!!!!” Thank you for a wonderful recipe !!!!
Love your page
Can’t wait for recipes
Looks good!
Love love love this recipe. Very easy. Absolutely yummy. I added more red wine than it said. Probably about 1/2-3/4 cup. Also if you are not planning on eating entire pot on the same day as prepared keep some extra beef broth handy to add more liquid the follow day as the barely really soaks up the liquid.
The meat becomes so tender (we used stewing beef cubes and cut even smaller than the way we purchased.
But a baguette and enjoy!!!
Amazing!!! Made it with left over roast beef and instead of grave mix and red wine I also used the left over gravy which was made with red wine and beef stock.
This recipe is wonderful!! I add fresh cut green beans & omit the gravy pack to keep sodium low .. great flavor !
With temps here in Florida dropping below 80 degrees, my mind went to yummy soup. This Beef Barley soup was easy to make using leftover chuck roast and ingredients I had on hand. I will certainly be making this again. Hubby went back for seconds. Winner!
This is delicious just as it is however, I also added some frozen peas to mine right at the end. Everyone should try this.
This recipe sounds delicious, but one item isn’t clear. The ingredients list includes “one package of beef gravy mix”, but gravy mixes come in a variety of servings. I generally use Pioneer mixes, and they result in 2 cups of gravy, but many other national brands produce a single cup of gravy: which, if either, do you recommend for this recipe?
Great question Renee. We used a 0.87 ounce packet, which would make 1 cup.
All your soups looks so good, just full of nutritional type foods that are good for you can’t wait to try them all.
Looks delicious, I’m definitely gonna make it.
I made this today and it was delicious! My husband asked that I put it on our favourite recipe list to make again. Thank you!
Can you recommend a replacement for the gravy mix?
I have only made this as written but the beef gravy adds seasoning and a tiny bit of thickness to this recipe. You could try a bouillon cube or a bit extra of your favorite seasonings.
Dried beefy onion package soup mix would work.
With seasonings a little Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce or kitchen bouquet, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, pinch of sugar & salt;
Also, corn starch or flour 1 Tbs with liquid blend to dissolve, then add and stir to thicken.
I a so put 1/2 teaspoon dry tarragon for that savory secret ingredient! Enjoy
Looking forward to cooking some great meals.
Yum!
Recipes are awesome
Barley soup looks delicious