Servings:

Beef barley soup is a warm and nourishing meal that's just right for cozy fall nights. Hearty chunks of beef melt in your mouth, and nutty, chewy bits of barley dot the deeply flavored broth. Though this dish might look like it simmered all day, the recipe only requires about an hour on the stovetop. It's a simple meal made with just a few ingredients—most of which you probably already have in your kitchen.

It starts by searing the beef in a hot pan, then sautéing onions, carrots, and garlic. Scraping any stuck-on bits from the pan is an important part of building flavor. Then the beef goes back to the pot and simmers with beef stock, barley, and herbs until both the meat and the grains are tender. Serve the soup topped with fresh parsley with plenty of crusty bread for a filling and flavorful meal.

The Best Beef Stew Meat

For this recipe, it's best to use boneless stew meat. We recommend using beef chuck or boneless short ribs—both of which are hearty cuts that will soften while cooking without getting mushy, so they still retain their shape. Look for a cut of meat that has some marbling to it, which means there is a good amount of thin fat lines running through it. When preparing your meat for stew, be sure to cut each piece into a similar shape and size. That way you can ensure that all pieces of meat will cook at a similar rate, and you won't have one piece that's overcooked with another piece that's underdone.

What Is Barley?

Barley is essential to this recipe, but what is it? A whole grain that’s technically part of the grass family, there are many varieties of barley available and it has been a major food source throughout the world for centuries. In fact, along with wheat, it’s one of the earliest cultivated crops.

Hulled barley is technically a whole grain, but it can also be purchased in the "pearled" form, which means the hull and bran are removed. Hulled and pearled barley can both be cooked in a similar style to rice and served in breakfast cereals, soups, stews, baby food, or porridge. In addition to being used whole, barley can also be milled into flour and used in baked goods. It has a chewy, toothsome texture and mild nutty flavor. Barley does a great job soaking up the flavors of whatever it’s cooked with, which makes it a perfect addition to soups.

For best results, use homemade stock rather than store-bought for this recipe. Using homemade stock lets you stay completely in control of the ingredients. Some store-bought stock is saltier than others and some blander than others.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ pound stew beef, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 medium-size yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into ¼-inch coins
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced
6 cups Rich Beef Stock or low-sodium canned beef broth
¼ cup barley, rinsed
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh thyme
Parsley, for garnish

Directions

Heat oil in soup pot and brown meat:

In a 6-quart soup pot, heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat and brown evenly, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a paper towel-lined plate.
Cook onion:

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining oil and the onion and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes, scraping the pot to loosen any brown bits.
Add carrots and garlic:

Add the carrots and garlic and sweat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of stock and scrape the bottom of the pot.
Add remaining stock, meat, and barley:

Add the remaining stock, the meat, barley, and thyme and bring to a boil.
Simmer:

Reduce the heat and simmer, skimming the pot occasionally, until the barley is cooked and the meat is tender, about 50 minutes.
Serve:

Ladle into deep bowls and serve, garnished with parsley.

Storing

The key to storing soup safely is to make sure the soup has cooled to room temperature first. The best way to do this quickly is to portion it into smaller batches—a large vat of soup will take longer to cool down than multiple smaller containers will. Once the soup has cooled, transfer it to refrigerator-safe containers with tight-fitting lids.

Not all soups can stay in the refrigerator for the same amount of time, and the length of time a soup can be stored for safely will depend on what type of soup it is. For example, clear chicken soup can stay in the refrigerator for longer than a batch of seafood stew. This beef barley soup can be stored in the refrigerator for three to five days.

Freezing

Before freezing any type of soup or other hot liquid, let it cool to room temperature. Then transfer it to a freezer-safe container with a tight-fitting lid. Label it with the date, then place it on a flat surface in the freezer.

According to the USDA, as long as your freezer is at the correct temperature, soup can stay in the freezer for months. If frozen correctly, soup can stay safely in the freezer almost indefinitely, but the freshness and flavor will suffer after more than a few months. For best results, keep this beef barley soup in your freezer for up to six months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does beef and barley soup come from?

Beef and barley soup is thought to have originated in Scotland. In fact, it’s often referred to as “Scotch Broth,” which usually contains barley, stewed beef or mutton, and root vegetables. Barley is one of the earliest cultivated crops on earth and can be found in many cuisines throughout the world, so this soup is also commonly seen in countries like Ireland and England as well as Scotland.

Does barley thicken stew?

Yes! Barley holds a good amount of starch, which will release into the soup when it’s cooked. That starch will help thicken the broth to leave you with a deliciously thick, creamy soup.

Other Beef Soup and Stew Recipes to Try:

Updated by

Laura Denby

Beef Barley Soup

The Best Beef Stew Meat

What Is Barley?

Ingredients

Directions

Heat oil in soup pot and brown meat:

Cook onion:

Add carrots and garlic:

Add remaining stock, meat, and barley:

Simmer:

Serve:

Storing

Freezing

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Beef Soup and Stew Recipes to Try: