loved by the family. As the barley absorbs most of the beef stock, it sort of transforms into a type of stew. The best part is that it gets better with age, so prepare a lot and eat it all week long! You might want to cook it one day, put it in the refrigerator for the night, and then cook it again the following day because it usually tastes better the second day.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 3 hrs 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 3 hrs 25 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 ½ onion, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 7 ½ cups beef stock
- 8 ounces pearl barley
- 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
Instructions
- Cook beef stew meat in a large skillet over medium heat until completely browned, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to a large soup pot.
- Heat vegetable oil in the same skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion, celery, and carrot in the hot oil until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the vegetable mixture to the beef in the pot.
- Pour beef stock into the pot.
- Stir pearl barley into the stock.
- Place soup over medium-low heat, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is completely tender, about 2 hours.
- Stir mushrooms through the soup; cook 1 hour more.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 554 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 44 g |
| Cholesterol | 84 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 10 g |
| Protein | 38 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Sodium | 220 mg |
| Sugars | 10 g |
| Fat | 25 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Great recipe. I used a beef shank, added a bunch of spinach, added Chinese black vinegar at the end for some acid. Added rosemary, two bay leaves and thyme – and some red wine. I used a whole grains medley assortment of grains. I’ll make this again.
This is the time of year when I make this splendid soup recipe. At first, I made it as written which is divine but being a garlic lover…I add. I look forward to this recipe in the Fall to Winter! Thank you Wendellian again! I triple this recipe so I don’t have to cook all the time! xo
I made similar but had thin ribeye steak on hand. I added peppercorns, white pepper, cayenne pepper, and herbes de Provence. I had some fresh tarragon that I grew , and threw in a tablespoon of that and a few bay leaves. I might use some Braggs aminos or Worschestershire. I also mixed a few tblspoons of Patriot Power Greens into the hot beef broth before adding, and used both Portabella and white mushrooms. See what happens….
Perfect as written! I doubled it, and froze a batch to eat when I don’t feel like cooking.
Best thick soup for a chilly day…my family loved it! Will definitely make this again.
I used the ends of a roast I had sliced up for sandwiches and didn’t have any carrots, but it turned out great!!
This was so good! I used extra beef broth and added a bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce as others advised. Used 4 oz of barley. Very tasty and hearty
Followed the recipe as given plus added some celery & about 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce. Nice thick soup, very tasty.
Super good. Makes a lot of soup. Will make again. I didn’t change anything.
Fabulous! I did tweak recipe. Deglazed veggies with a splash of wine. Added 2 bay leaves and a teaspoon of worcestshire. Combination of stock in a box Beef & Vegetable stock. Used chuck roast whole and simmered for 3 hours. Removed meat, shredded and added back to pot. Absolutely delicious.
Deeelish! I seasoned the stew to taste, but essentially followed the recipe as written. I will be keeping this in my favorites for sure!
I didn’t follow the directions exactly but still ended up with the best beef barley soup I’ve ever tasted! Browned the beef, sautéed whatever onion, carrot, and celery I had, a lot of garlic, and threw everything into an Instant Pot with fresh thyme, parsley, and bay leaf bouquet garni. Cooked for 30 minutes, removed the bouquet, added a ton of mushrooms (I used 8oz sliced cremini and 5oz sliced fresh shiitake) and cooked for 20 minutes more. Added some chopped fresh parsley to finish. Amazing.
We liked this ok but fond we wanted more flavor and heat. I added about two tablespoons of hot sauce and also about three tablespoons or more of Braggs liquid aminos to add more flavor. I didn’t measure exactly and did it to taste preference ut we found that we really liked the additional flavor.
Yes, I will make it again and it was really good.
All is great except that it needs salt and pepper
I made this and it was the best soup I’ve ever had!!! Will definitely make it again!! Only thing I had to modify was to double the amount of beef broth. I live in a dry climate so thats normally what I have to do. The liquids evaporate so quickly.
I added a tablespoon of Tuscan Sunset, Paprika Smoked Spanish Style, Ground Cumin, 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper.. The finished product is thick, hearty and very tasty.
added red wine and woestschire.
This is a winter staple in my home and everyone loves it!! Of course, I added a few things.. Fresh chopped garlic is great because everything tastes better with garlic.. Worcester Sauce and Tamari ( or low sodium soy sauce) Just a splash of both.. Cooking sherry and Bermuda sherry pepper sauce to add a small kick!! Bay leaves, thyme and parsley.. It’s cooking now and I’m in the other room salivating!! I often change things up as I cook.. Sometimes I add a little cream but this time I had a small packet of truffle powder.. If you have some and love mushrooms, this is the way to go!!
This recipe was really good. The only thing I didn’t understand was why sautee the veggies separately dirtying up another pan. I seasoned the stew meat with salt and pepper ( 1 lbs only ) and browned in my dutch oven with a bit of canola oil. Once the meat was browned I then added the carrots, onions, celery and 2 large cloves of garlic. Once the onions were translucent I then added beef broth instead of stock and let everything cook until the last hour when I put in the mushrooms, barely and some corn that I cut off the cob that was leftover in my fridge. I did add some extra water during the whole cooking process because the soup itself was getting a little too thick. Everyone ( even my picky eater ) enjoyed this recipe. Will make again
Delicious soup, perfect for a winter day. I’ve served it to guests with the pot on the table, on a trivet, along with salad and garlic bread. I use pre cut stew meat but use poultry shears to cut off all fat and gristle. Since I don’t use salt, I make my own beef broth by boiling the meat, which tenderizes it, too. For flavor, I use baby bella mushrooms, not white ones, and vidalia onions for sweetness. I make plenty and freeze it in individual plastic containers for quick meals. Yum!!