Beef and Barley Soup is a hearty and satisfying soup– bursting with beef and tomato flavor. I made this in my slow cooker, but you can easily adapt it to a pressure cooker or on the stove. No matter how you make it, it’s guaranteed to warm up your taste buds!
It looks like Mother Nature has finally stopped playing “spin the bottle” on what season it is. It’s finally raining! Of course, we Californians don’t have a true Four Seasons. Yes, we’re spoiled. We also pay hefty taxes, so I guess we’re even.
This soup is warm and comforting, especially on a rainy day.
To make Beef and Barley soup, you begin with…. well, naturally, you would buy beef. I learned a tip from America’s Test Kitchen that has forever changed what kind of beef I use for soups and stews. If you’ve never heard of chuck eye roast, please ask your butcher about it. Unlike beef labeled “stew cut”, I find that chuck eye roast is a lot more tender.
To begin with the soup, it does start with a skillet. Use a couple tablespoons of vegetable (or avocado oil), cooked chopped onion, some tomato paste, and thyme (dried or fresh) until the onions are softened and slightly browned.
TASTING NOTES: This soup has a very rich red color to it, because of the crushed tomatoes and red wine. The beef is super tender. I felt a little disappointed in that I didn’t go with my gut instinct to increase the amount of barley from 1/4 cup to at least 1/2 cup. I really appreciate a higher barley to beef ratio, and I could barely detect in the soup. As for the flavor, I liked it. I’m a lover of all things flavored tomato, but I felt that the crushed tomato overpowered the flavor of the beef. However, my son disagreed with me. He loved this soup. That is not to say that this isn’t a good recipe. It is. I would say that you need to adjust the recipe to have less tomato, if that’s your preference. I would definitely double up on the pearl barley, if not more. Other than that, this is a lovely soup and I would make it again.
UPDATE: Instant Pot (pressure cooking) has become all the rage in recent years. I have adapted this recipe and can make this in about an hour!
Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
- 2 onions chopped finie
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 3/4 tsp. dried
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes Or diced tomatoes (crushed tomatoes can be more concentrated in flavor)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped medium
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup pearl barley
- 2 pounds Chuck-eye Roast or beef blade roast
- salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, tomato paste, and thyme and cook until onions are softened and lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to slow cooker.
- Stir tomatoes, beef broth, chicken broth, carrots, soy sauce, and barley into slow cooker. Season beef with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook* until beef is tender, 9-11 hours on low or 5-7 hours on high.
- Transfer beef to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-sized pieces. Let soup settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. NOTE: Because I prefer Chuck-Eye Roast, and I can find it at my local butcher, I didn't shred the beef. If you can find Chuck-Eye Roast (don't confuse with Chuck Roast) it is so tender that bite size pieces worked great.
- Stir in shredded beef** and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Of all the places I've gone to look for men, I have NEVER attempted a golf course! Shame on me.
Mmm I made barley soup today and forgot how much I loved it. This looks great!
Mmmmm that looks really good.
It's too bad the barley flavor didn't show up more
The texture and beef looks really great
Debby, this soup looks amazing! I ♥ barley. 😀
I must make this! We love soup/stews of any kind and this one looks perfect. I have some barley calling my name as we speak.
Such a hearty and delicious looking soup. I am with you–bring on the barley! 😉 Thanks for sharing with Souper Sundays.
Yay, I can't wait to try the cookbook.
That's a great story about how you met your husband.
You were smart to stay indoors on the day of the tournament. With a delicious soup like that, I'd be indoors too, eating a big bowl. Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours.
Barley and beef were ment for each other! What a great slow cooker recipe, a life saver for hectic days.
Debby, I made this soup today and followed your recommendation for doubling the barley. I also used a 28-oz can of diced tomatoes instead of the crushed tomatoes. I decided to add some mushrooms as well. Wow, it was absolutely wonderful! So flavorful, and I can't wait to have it tomorrow, as I'm sure the flavors will blend even more. Thanks for posting this!
Thank you so much for not only making this soup, but giving us your tasting notes, too. I recently borrowed a copy of Slow Cooker Revolution from the library, and because beef and barley is one of my favorite soups, I knew I was going to make it. Since I cook from my iPad, it was obvious I'd need to find it online so I could import it to my app. So Google, naturally, and Bingo! I found everything I need to know about this recipe.
Because the book doesn't have a photo of this recipe, I had no way to know that the tomato would be so prominent, nor that there wasn't enough barley to suit me. No way, that is, until I saw your photos and read your tasting notes. So thank you! I will be using much less tomato (beef soup should have beefy broth) and adding more barley (because barley) when I make it. Around here, that's usually late November. But I'll be ready, thanks to you!
SandyToes
Tampa, FL