Fall means cooler weather, and a fabulous Beef Barley Soup is perfect for lunch or light dinner. It’s a hearty soup full of beef bits and whole-grain barley that can make an entire meal with a side salad and some crusty bread. A bit creamy and thick, it’s an authentic stick-to-your-ribs soup—and nutrient-rich.
I had some homemade beef stock. Canned works perfectly well. I use steak for the meat. I often find price-reduced steaks on the last day of sale or sometimes just a marked-down piece of beef that I can cut up and divide into several chunks for soup. London broil or a pot roast will work. They are usually leaner and not full of grizzle and fat like “stew” or “soup” meat, generally just trimmings repackaged for stew and soup. It has better meat and less fat and is not much more costly than buying the trimmings intended for soup purposes.
I had hulled barley to use up. Hulled barley is less processed than “pearled” barley, which is polished to remove the bran and germ layers. Hulled barley takes longer to cook and has a slightly chewy texture compared to pearled barley. Use either one. Both are a good source of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. If nothing else, use quick barley. Don’t have barley or don’t like barley? Use some brown rice.
I bumped up the flavor with some Better Than Bouillon, one of my favorite ingredients lately. I also added a bay leaf, some thyme, and smoked paprika. As with many things, the base starts with celery and onion in a soup pot. Mushrooms are also an excellent addition for flavor, texture, vitamins and minerals, and low calorie to boot. Mushrooms are also good for immune health. And since I happen to be immunocompromised, I can use any help I can get! I used a mix of cremini and white mushrooms today, but I would have used a wild blend if I had them on hand. Use any mushrooms you like, but do put in a few, even if you chop them up, so they are unrecognizable.
Lastly, I added a can of fire-roasted tomatoes for flavor. As I made the soup, I decided I didn’t want chunks of tomato. I whirred it up in my mini food processor, so it was mostly sauce, then stirred it in.
Though not included in the ingredient list, the soup can be thickened with dried mashed potato flakes or a cornstarch slurry. I prefer thickened soups, especially when they are the whole meal. What was that old tagline? Oh yes, “the soup that eats like a meal.” Precisely.
Beef Barley Soup
A hearty soup perfect for fall
Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil or any fat or oil
- 1 stalk celery sliced
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 8 oz beef cut in bite-size pieces
- 8 oz mushrooms sliced
- 3 cups beef stock
- 3 cups water
- 1 tsp beef Better than Bouillon
- 1 tsp roasted garlic Better than Bouillon
- 1 can 14 oz of fir roasted diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup barley pearled, hulled or brown rice
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
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Heat oil in a soup pot until hot. Over medium heat, add the celery and onion, stirring until soft, about 5 minutes.
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Add the garlic and cook briefly, 30 seconds – 1 minute.
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Add the beef and mushrooms, and lower the heat if needed to prevent burning any vegetables.
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Stir occasionally until the meat has brown edges.
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Add the stock, water, Better than Bouillon, tomatoes, barley, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat. Simmer until the barley is cooked through, 435- 1 hour for hulled barley, less for pearled barley.
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Adjust seasonings to taste. To thicken add some potato flakes, if desired.
Recipe Notes
Oregano can also be used. Add spices like cumin or smoked paprika to season even more.
Add chopped jalapenos to make it spicy.