Beef Barley Soup

Rich and hearty homestyle Beef Barley Soup! Made with tender chunks of beef roast, nutritious whole grain barley, fresh veggies and a deliciously seasoned broth. A soup that’s sure to warm the soul on chilly days!

Beef Barley Soup

Servings: 7

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chuck roast, trimmed of excess chunks of fat, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots (about 3)
• 1 cup chopped celery (about 2 ribs)
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
• 2 (32 oz) cartons low-sodium chicken broth or beef broth
• 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp minced fresh rosemary, or 1/2 tsp dried
• 2 tsp minced fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Dab beef dry and add 1/2 or 1/3 of beef, adding just enough not to overcrowd. Season with salt and pepper. Let sear until golden brown on bottom, about 3 minutes then flip and cook 1 minute longer.

2. Transfer beef in pot to a plate along with juices and repeat process with remaining beef adding in another 1 Tbsp oil to pot.

3. Add 1 Tbsp oil to now empty pot. Add carrots, celery and onion and saute 3 minutes.

4. Add tomato paste and garlic and saute 1 minute longer.

5. Pour in broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Return beef to pot.

6. Bring mixture to a simmer then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until beef is fairly tender, about 45 - 60 minutes.

7. Add barley and simmer until cooked through and beef is tender, about 45 - 60 minutes longer.

8. Stir in parsley. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes

How to Make Beef Barley Soup in the Slow Cooker

1. Sear the beef in a pot with olive oil.
2. Transfer beef to a crockpot with the remaining ingredients except parsley.
3. Cook on low 7 - 8 hours then stir in parsley.

How to Make Beef Barley Soup in the Instant Pot

1. Select "saute" setting on pressure cooker. Add oil.
2. Brown beef in 2 - 3 batches. Turn to "off" setting. Return all beef to Instant Pot.
3. Add remaining ingredients (except parsley) also reduce broth to 7 cups (since it doesn't really steam off like other cooking methods). 
4. Cover and set valve to "sealing" position. Select "manual mode" and adjust time to 20 minutes.
5. Once cooking time is up let pressure come down naturally for at least 10 minutes then carefully quick release any remaining pressure.