Hearty Beef and Barley Vegetable Soup (Printer-friendly)

Robust, comforting soup combining tender beef, wholesome barley, and garden vegetables for satisfying family meals.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

→ Grains

02 - 3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed

→ Vegetables

03 - 2 tbsp olive oil
04 - 1 large onion, diced
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
07 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
08 - 1 large potato, peeled and diced
09 - 1 cup green beans, chopped
10 - 1 cup frozen or fresh peas
11 - 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice

→ Liquids

12 - 8 cups beef broth
13 - 1 cup water

→ Seasonings

14 - 2 bay leaves
15 - 1 tsp dried thyme
16 - 1 tsp dried parsley
17 - 1/2 tsp black pepper
18 - 1 tsp salt, or to taste

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and brown on all sides for approximately 5 minutes. Remove beef and set aside.
02 - In the same pot, add diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.
03 - Stir in sliced carrots, celery, diced potato, and chopped green beans. Cook for an additional 3 minutes.
04 - Return browned beef to the pot. Add rinsed barley, canned diced tomatoes with juice, beef broth, water, bay leaves, dried thyme, dried parsley, black pepper, and salt. Stir well to combine.
05 - Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid, and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
06 - Stir in fresh or frozen peas and continue simmering uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until barley and vegetables are tender.
07 - Remove bay leaves from pot. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Ladle into serving bowls and serve hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The pearl barley creates this incredible chewy texture that makes each spoonful feel substantial and comforting, like a warm hug on a cold day.
  • You can prepare it ahead and the flavors actually improve overnight, making your second-day lunch something youll genuinely look forward to.
02 -
  • I once rushed the browning step and ended up with pale, less flavorful meat that practically disappeared into the broth instead of standing out as delicious morsels.
  • Adding the barley toward the end of cooking rather than the beginning prevents it from absorbing too much liquid and becoming mushy.
03 -
  • Cut all vegetables roughly the same size so they cook at the same rate, preventing some from turning mushy while others remain too firm.
  • The soup freezes beautifully for up to three months, but I recommend slightly undercooking the vegetables if you know youll be freezing portions.