Description
This Old-Fashioned Beef Barley Soup is a hearty and comforting dish perfect for chilly days. Featuring tender beef stew meat, wholesome pearl barley, and fresh vegetables simmered together in a rich beef broth, it delivers satisfying flavors and textures that warm you from the inside out.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Oil
- 1 ½ pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Vegetables
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Broth and Seasonings
- 8 cups beef broth
- 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
- 1 cup diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Brown the Beef: Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the beef cubes and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the beef and set aside to keep warm.
- Sauté Vegetables: In the same pot, add diced onion, minced garlic, sliced carrots, and chopped celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and released their aromas, about 5 minutes.
- Add Broth and Ingredients: Return the browned beef to the pot. Pour in the beef broth and stir in the rinsed pearl barley, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper to fully combine.
- Simmer the Soup: Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer gently for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and to check tenderness of beef and barley.
- Add Mushrooms: About 20 minutes before the cooking time ends, add the sliced mushrooms to the soup and continue simmering until tender.
- Final Touches: Remove the bay leaf from the soup. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper if needed. Sprinkle freshly chopped parsley over the soup just before serving for added freshness and color.
Notes
- For deeper flavor, brown the beef in batches to prevent steaming and ensure a nice crust.
- You can use quick-cooking barley to reduce simmering time to about 45 minutes without sacrificing texture significantly.
- This soup freezes exceptionally well. Allow to cool completely before transferring to freezer-safe containers; it keeps well for up to 3 months.
