Easy Beef and Barley Soup
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This hearty Beef and Barley Soup is a wintery feast packed with deep, savory flavors. Featuring a rich broth, tender bites of seared chuck roast, wholesome vegetables, and chewy barley, it’s the perfect dish to warm you up from the inside out. Pair it with a slice of crusty bread for a satisfying, family-friendly meal that’s sure to become a staple!
Servings: 6 to 8
Ingredients
- 1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) chuck roast, fat trimmed, cut into approximately 4 large pieces
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more if needed
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 4 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 celery ribs, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 8 cups beef broth (I use Reduced Sodium Better Than Bouillon Beef Base)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 - 5 thyme sprigs, tied into a bundle
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 cup uncooked pearl barley
- 2 - 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Pat dry the beef pieces with paper towel and season all over with 2 teaspoons salt. Once the oil is shimmering, add all the beef pieces to the pot and cook until browned, about 3 minutes a side. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot. Stir in the onions, carrots, and celery and season with remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, cooking for 1 more minute or until tomato paste has darkened in color.
- Pour in the beef broth, soy sauce and Worcestershire, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Chop the browned beef into roughly 1-inch pieces and add them to the pot along with any juices that accumulated on the plate. Add the bay leaves and thyme bundle and season with black pepper to taste.
- Bring to a boil, cover the pot, then transfer to preheated oven. Cook for 90 minutes or until the beef is fork-tender. Alternatively, you can gently simmer the beef on the stovetop, covered, for 75-90 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, or so.
- Meanwhile, precook the barley; Bring 4 cups water to a boil, then stir in the barley. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Drain and set aside. (See notes if you prefer to cook the barley from start to finish in the pot.)
- Remove the pot from the oven and fish out and discard the thyme bundle and bay leaves. Add the pre-cooked barley and leave the pot on the stovetop. Bring to a gentle boil then lower heat to a simmer and cook, covered with lid ajar, until beef and barley are completely tender, about 20 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning and add more salt and black pepper, if needed. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve immediately with crusty bread on the side.
Notes
- Barley: I like to pre-cook the barley for 20 minutes separately, then add it to the soup to finish cooking. This prevents the grains from soaking up too much of the flavorful broth and the texture of the barley will also be nicer. It is of course easier to just cook the barley in the pot along with the beef and vegetables, so feel free to do this, if you wish. Simply add it to the pot after the beef has been cooking in the oven for 75 minutes then place back in the oven and cook, covered, for 45 minutes more or until both the beef and barley are tender.
- Adjust Thickness – If the soup gets too thick, add extra broth to reach your desired consistency. Sometimes the soup might appear too thin but keep in mind the barley will continue to thicken the soup as it soaks up more broth.
- Use Low-Sodium Broth – Control the salt levels by using a low-sodium or homemade beef broth.