Hearty Beef and Barley Soup

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped (~1.5 cups)
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 10 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups beef broth
• 2/3 cup pearl barley
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp kosher salt to start
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Sear the Beef and Sauté the Vegetables

First, pat the beef cubes dry with a paper towel and season them well with salt and pepper. A dry surface is key to getting a good sear.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef in a single layer, working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan. Let the cubes get deeply browned on all sides, then take them out and set them aside.

Lower the heat to medium and add the chopped onion, carrots, and mushrooms to the same pot. Cook for ~8-10 minutes, stirring every so often, until the vegetables soften and the mushrooms have let go of their water. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Simmer the Soup Until the Beef is Tender

Put the seared beef back in the pot. Pour in the beef broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom; that’s where a lot of the flavor is.

Stir in the pearl barley, bay leaves, kosher salt, and pepper.

Bring everything to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for at least 1.5 to 2 hours. The soup is ready when the beef is fall-apart tender and the barley is cooked through. Remember to pull out the bay leaves before you serve it.

Hearty Beef and Barley Soup

It’s worth the time to sear the beef in batches; you get a good crust on each piece that way. Pearl barley takes a while to get tender, but the texture is worth the wait.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs beef chuck cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion ~1.5 cups, chopped
• 2 medium carrots chopped
• 10 oz cremini mushrooms sliced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 6 cups beef broth
• 2/3 cup pearl barley
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp kosher salt to start
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

• Pat beef cubes dry and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Sear beef in batches until deeply browned; remove and set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium; cook onion, carrots, and mushrooms 8-10 minutes until softened.
• Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
• Return beef to pot; add broth and scrape up browned bits.
• Add barley, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 1.5-2 hours until beef is tender.
• Remove bay leaves before serving.

Notes

Ensure beef is patted completely dry for best searing results.