Beef Barley Soup – Jo Cooks

Nothing beats an enormous, comforting bowl of Beef Barley Soup. It’s wealthy, thick, and loaded with tender beef, hearty barley, and veggies that soften proper into the broth. The type of soup that warms you up from the within out and makes you are feeling such as you simply walked into a comfortable kitchen on a chilly day.

I’ve to let you know, there may be nothing like hearty soup. And this Beef Barley Soup is my husband’s all-time favourite, the one one he ever orders at a restaurant. However in response to him? Mine is one million instances higher. And actually, I’ve to agree.

This soup is thick, wealthy, and loaded with tender beef, hearty barley, and a deep, savory broth that simply will get higher because it simmers. It’s a type of stick-to-your-ribs, eat-with-a-big-spoon type of meals that makes you are feeling such as you’ve been wrapped in a heat blanket. Should you’re on the lookout for a critically comforting, flavor-packed soup, this one’s acquired husband-approved, restaurant-beating standing.

Earlier than You Begin – Professional Ideas for Success

This soup is easy to make, however these little tips will make it restaurant-worthy.

Selecting the Proper Beef

• Stewing beef is your finest wager—it’s robust however turns into fall-apart tender after simmering.
• Need an improve? Strive chuck roast or brief ribs for even richer taste.
• Trim extra fats, however depart a little bit—it provides richness to the broth.
• Tip: For probably the most tender beef, give it loads of time to simmer earlier than including the barley.

Barley Fundamentals – What You Must Know

• Pearl barley is finest for soups. It softens because it cooks however retains a pleasant chew.
• Barley soaks up liquid, so in case your soup will get too thick, simply stir in additional broth or water.
• Don’t rinse barley earlier than cooking—it releases starch that helps naturally thicken the soup.

The Searing Secret – Don’t Skip This Step!

• Coating the meat in flour earlier than browning locks in juices and helps thicken the broth.
• Sear in batches so the meat browns correctly as an alternative of steaming.
• These browned bits on the backside of the pot? GOLD. Deglazing them with broth provides deep, savory taste.
• Tip: In case your pot begins wanting dry, add a little bit extra oil between batches.

Taste Boosters

• Tomato paste provides depth and richness to the broth—don’t skip it!
• Recent herbs (like parsley or oregano) brighten up the ultimate dish.
• Need much more taste? Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce or crimson wine whereas deglazing.
• Tip: This soup tastes even higher the subsequent day after all of the flavors meld collectively.

Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. (And I imply generously—that is our probability to construct taste from the beginning.) Coat it in flour. This does two issues:

• Helps give the meat a pleasant golden crust when seared.
• Thickens the soup later, giving it an opulent texture. Sear in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pan, or the meat will steam as an alternative of brown. Golden edges = deep, wealthy taste.

Tip: In case your pot begins wanting dry, add a bit extra oil between batches. These crispy brown bits caught to the underside? That’s the place the magic occurs.

Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery in the identical pot. These veggies are what cooks name mirepoix—which is fancy for “the bottom of all good soups.” Cook dinner them till softened and barely golden. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook dinner for 30 seconds. Why?

• Garlic: Wants only a fast hit of warmth to launch its aroma.
• Tomato paste: Cooking it a little bit deepens the flavour and takes away any uncooked tomato style. Deglaze with a splash of broth. Scrape up these golden bits from the underside of the pot—that’s pure taste gold.

Tip: Need even extra depth? Add a splash of crimson wine or Worcestershire sauce right here. Belief me.

Add the seared beef again to the pot, together with the remainder of the broth and water. Season with salt and pepper, carry it to a boil, then cut back to a mild simmer. Cowl and cook dinner for 45 minutes, stirring often. That is the place the magic occurs—the meat goes from robust to melt-in-your-mouth tender.

Tip: Need ultra-rich broth? Let it simmer for an additional Half-hour earlier than including the barley.

Stir within the barley, cowl, and cook dinner for one more Half-hour. Verify on it often and stir—barley has a behavior of sticking to the underside (and we don’t need that).

Regulate the consistency as wanted. Too thick? Add extra broth or water. Too skinny? Let it simmer uncovered for a couple of additional minutes.

Tip: Barley soaks up liquid because it sits, so in case your soup appears too thick when reheating, simply add a splash of broth to carry it again to life.

Take away from warmth and stir in contemporary parsley. It provides a burst of freshness to steadiness the deep flavors. Style and regulate seasoning. Extra salt? A crack of black pepper? Perhaps even a squeeze of lemon for brightness? Make it good.

Tip: This soup tastes even higher the subsequent day—the flavors deepen in a single day. Make additional. You received’t remorse it.

Extra Scrumptious Soup Recipes

Earlier than You Start! Should you make this, please depart a evaluate and ranking letting us understand how you preferred this recipe! This helps our enterprise thrive & proceed offering free recipes.

Beef Barley Soup

Prep 10 minutes minutes

Cook dinner 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Complete 1 hour hour 55 minutes minutes

This Beef Barley Soup is the last word consolation meals—wealthy, hearty, and full of tender beef, chewy barley, and a deeply flavorful broth. Gradual-simmered to perfection, this one-pot marvel is cozy, satisfying, and even higher the subsequent day!

Earlier than You Start! Should you make this, please depart a evaluate and ranking letting us understand how you preferred this recipe! This helps our enterprise thrive & proceed offering free recipes.

Directions 

• Season the stewing beef generously with salt and pepper. Place the meat in a ziploc bag and add the flour over the meat. Shut the ziploc bag and shake till every bit of beef is absolutely coated in flour. You may as well do that in a bowl.

• Warmth the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high warmth. Add the meat to the pot and cook dinner simply till the meat begins to brown about 3 minutes per aspect. You’ll have to do that in 2 or 3 batches, since you don’t want to crowd the meat. Take away the meat from the pot after you are accomplished and put aside.

• In the identical pot, you’ll have a variety of brown bits on the underside. Add extra olive oil if wanted, then add the chopped onion, carrots and celery. Cook dinner the greens till gentle, about 5 minutes, stirring often.

• Add the garlic, oregano and tomato paste to the pot and stir. Cook dinner for 30 seconds till fragrant. Add a little bit of the meat broth to the pot to deglaze all of the brown bits on the backside. Add the meat again to the pot, then the meat broth and water and season with salt and pepper. Carry to a boil, then flip down the warmth to a medium, cowl the pot and cook dinner for about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring often. You wish to cook dinner this for therefore lengthy in order that the meat turns into tender, it’s going to soften in your mouth.

• Add the barley to the pot, cowl it and cook dinner for one more Half-hour or till the barley is cooked by. Be sure to stir often so the barley will not stick. Should you discover that the soup is simply too thick add extra water as crucial till you get the specified consistency, although that is fairly a thick soup.

• Take away the soup from warmth and garnish with contemporary parsley earlier than serving.

Notes

1. I used pearl barley. Pearl barley often takes 25-Half-hour to cook dinner and hulled barley often takes 40-50 minutes. Barley is cooked when it’s tender but chewy. If utilizing hulled barley, ensure you add it earlier than protecting the pot and cooking the meat.
2. Should you can’t discover barley, use rice or couscous as an alternative.
3. Should you make this forward of time, add the barley the day you serve it. 
4. Retailer leftover beef barley soup in an hermetic container for 3-4 days.
5. Wish to Freeze It? – Barley can get mushy within the freezer. For finest outcomes, freeze the soup with out the barley and add freshly cooked barley when reheating.
6. Taste Boosters – A splash of Worcestershire sauce, crimson wine, or a Parmesan rind whereas simmering provides unbelievable depth.

Diet Info

Serving: 1servingEnergy: 336kcal (17%)Carbohydrates: 32g (11%)Protein: 22g (44%)Fats: 14g (22%)Saturated Fats: 5g (31%)Polyunsaturated Fats: 2gMonounsaturated Fats: 8gTrans Fats: 1gLdl cholesterol: 52mg (17%)Sodium: 835mg (36%)Potassium: 902mg (26%)Fiber: 6g (25%)Sugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 2274IU (45%)Vitamin C: 6mg (7%)Calcium: 62mg (6%)Iron: 4mg (22%)

Discover: Diet is auto-calculated on your comfort. The place related, we suggest utilizing your individual diet calculations.