This Hearty Beef Barley Soup is a restaurant-worthy, absolutely delicious, easy-to-make and filling meal. Made with only 8 ingredients, less than 30 minutes of active cooking time, and minimal cleanup, it will feed the whole family!
I cook this Hearty Beef Barley Soup every single week during the winter months. It is my family’s absolute favorite soup. It is rich, flavorful, and healthy, and I bet you’ll be making it often once you give it a try. Seriously, it is just incredibly delicious!
I like making it a bit thick, with an almost stew-like consistency, but it is totally okay to add some extra broth to thin it out. You can use beef or chicken broth in this recipe with great results.
Now let’s take a minute and talk about barley.
BARLEY
Barley is actually one of the oldest consumed grains in the world. Although it is not as popular as quinoa these days, the health benefits are just as impressive. Barley, being an excellent source of fiber, keeps your body toxin-free. It helps to strengthen your immune system, lower your blood sugar, improve digestion, prevent heart disease, provide antioxidants, and the list goes on. If you’d like to learn more about the health benefits, check out this article: Barley Nutrition Facts, Benefits & How to Cook It!
There are many varieties of barley, depending on the processing method. In this Hearty Beef Barley Soup, you may use Hulled Barley (a bit healthier) or Pearl Barley (more common).
BEEF
The best cut for this recipe is boneless chuck roast. It has a great flavor and softens very nicely.
Let’s get to the full ingredient list:
- 1 1/2 lb. of boneless chuck roast, cut into small cubes
- 3 tbsp. of olive oil
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup of pearl barley (or hulled barley)
- 2 tbsp. of tomato paste
- 8 cups of beef or chicken broth
- 1 tsp. of dried thyme
- salt and pepper, to taste
1. Heat up a large pot on high heat. Add the olive oil and beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the liquids evaporate and the beef starts to brown.
2. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, carrots, and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste, thyme, salt, and pepper and mix everything well. Add the barley and beef (or chicken) broth. Reduce the heat to medium low, and cook until the beef is very tender, for about 1 1/2 hours.
Note: add extra broth if you’d like to thin out the soup a bit more.
WATCH HOW TO MAKE HEARTY BEEF BARLEY SOUP
- 1 1/2 lb. boneless chuck roast, cut into small cubes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 cup pearl barley (or hulled barley)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 8 cups beef or chicken broth
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
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Heat up a large pot on high heat. Add the olive oil and beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the liquids evaporate and the beef starts to brown.
-
Reduce heat to medium and add onion, carrots, and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes.
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Add the tomato paste, thyme, salt, and pepper and mix everything well. Add the barley and beef (or chicken) broth. Reduce the heat to medium low, and cook until the beef is very tender, for about 1 1/2 hours. Note: add extra broth if you’d like to thin out the soup a bit more.
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