Beef Barley Soup in the slow cooker or on the stovetop, you are going to love this hearty soup! Perfect for anytime of the year- but during the winter this is an especially great, hearty treat.
Without question, my favorite food season is Fall. Soups, stews, all things that cook all day and make my house smell like a food dream. Things served with bread….lots of bread and lotsa butta…
I don’t use my slow cooker enough. I find that most of the dishes come out a bit opaque and over cooked. Thats why I love this recipe. The beef actually needs all that slow cooking time to become tender and delicious! And look how vibrant the colors are, even after a long time in a hot tub!
How to make Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup!
We started with stew meat that I cut into small 1/2 inch pieces. This is soup, not stew so I wanted the pieces small. We deepened the flavor by browning it in a skillet before tossing the meat in the slow cooker.
Do I have to brown the beef before adding to the slow cooker?
- Browning is not required, you could add the meat to the pot uncooked and get a good soup. But we like the depth of flavor it adds. Up to you and how much time you have!
Can I make this soup on the stove top in stead of the slow cooker?
- A resounding yes! I have made it both ways. It still requires a bit of time. About 2 hours. Simply follow the recipe and leave on the stove top to simmer until the beef is tender.
Chop your veggies and toss into the pot with the stew meat. Again we kept the pieces on the small side so it felt like a soup.
At this point you just dump everything else in! Veggies, barley, broth and seasoning…boom!
What kind of beef should I use for this Beef Barley Soup?
- Due to the long cook time, cheap and cheerful will work. We like Chuck, Chuck Shoulder, Chuck Roast, Chuck-Eye Roast, Top Chuck. Chuck is your guy for this stew :). It has a bit of fat marbling for tons of flavor.
Mushrooms help deepen the flavor of the beef stock but if you are not a fan, simply leave them out.
Now just turn on your slow cooker and let it do all the work for you while you go binge watch Mad Men (my latest bing worthy show). Soon, very soon your house will smell like a dream!
We love this Slow Cooker...it even has a browning option!
Need a soup fix in a hurry? Check out our 20 Minute White Chicken Chili or this savory and delicious Chorizo and White Bean Soup!
And while the slow cooker is slow cooking…you could whip up a batch of our one rise, easiest rolls ever! Grab the butta! You mix the dough and shape. This crazy method makes the most delicious and easy rolls! Simply mix the dough, shape and let rise in the oven at 170 degrees and without even removing these beauties from the oven, crank up the heat and finish cooking. Doesn’t get much easier than that!
You might also like this Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon. Sounds fancy, but it’s just beef stew with red wine. A little for the pot…a little for the cook…hiccup!
To dusting off that slow cooker!
Clink!
Kathi
This hearty beef and barley soup can be made stove top or slow cooker! It has a rich meaty flavor and takes only a few minutes to get into the pot!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds cubed stew meat - I used chuck roast
- 1 cup onion - diced
- 1 cup carrots - diced
- 1 cup mushrooms - sliced
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2/3 cup uncooked pearl barley
- salt and pepper to taste
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In large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmery but not smoking. About a minute.
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Sprinkle beef pieces with salt and pepper. Add to hot skillet leaving undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until a brown crust forms. Turn beef over and sear the other side. (you may have to do this in two batches depending on the size of your pan).
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Add seared beef to slow cooker. (or large dutch oven or soup pot if cooking stove top).
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Chop carrots, onions, mushrooms and garlic. Add to pot with beef.
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Add tomato paste, barley and beef broth and Worcestershire sauce to beef and veggie mixture. Top with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. (You can finish with seasoning when soup is done.)
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Cook in slow cooker for 4-5 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high. If using stove top method, simmer 2-3 hours, or until beef is tender and veggies are cooked.
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Taste for seasoning and serve!
4 Weight Watcher Freestyle Points per serving (about 1 1/2 cups).
Other Tips for this Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup:
- You can make this Beef Barley Soup on the stove top. Simply follow the recipe without adding it to the slow cooker. Simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is tender.
- Chop your veggies and toss into the pot with the stew meat. We kept the pieces on the small side so it felt like a soup.
- Browning is not required, you could add the meat to the pot uncooked, and get a good soup, but we like the depth of flavor it adds. Up to you and how much time you have!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we might receive a very small commission, at no additional cost to you, should you chose to purchase that linked item. I only link to items I know and trust. Clink!
I appreciate your guidance on the cook time for the slow cooker for making beef barley soup. The addition of 1/3 cup of tomato paste helps to make the soup flavorful. Good recipe.
Hi, I see your calories are per serving but there’s no reference to what size a serving is?
Watching my calories but love beef barley!l
About a cup and a half.
This was SO good! I ran out of broth so I used about 1/2 broth, 1/2 red wine, and it was incredible. The texture of the soup was so velvety from the beef fat and barley starch. Toss together a small side salad and you have a perfect weeknight dinner. I’m making it for a second time today. 🙂
I’m new to using a slow cooker. Mine is an Instant Pot with a slow cooker option. I cooked it on Low for 4 hours and the carrots were still crunchy! Then I cooked it more on High for another hour. Carrots still not as soft as I’d like, but they’re edible. The main problem though, is that the beef is not tender at all! Hard and chewy. What have I done wrong?
Hi Janet – The only thing that could have gone wrong is not enough heat. 4 hours with a slow cooker (not an instant pot), should be ample time to soften up this soup! I am not familiar with that appliance, not a fan of instant pots. They cook to fast to develop any flavor. Sorry it didn’t work for you…sounds like it could be the cooker.
Hi Kathi, Thanks for your reply. I’m sure you’re right that the problem was not with the recipe but with the cooker. It obviously did not heat up properly. I cooked it on the stovetop today for about an hour more, and it is delicious! Darn Instant Pot!
I haven’t made this yet but plan to tom’w during a snowstorm. I just want to say that I am choosing this recipe not only because it looks great but because of the reviews people have left and most importantly that you took the time to respond to every one of them! So many times you see questions go unanswered on blogs and it really bums me out. I love that you are interacting with your readers.
I’ll be bookmarking your page!
Hi Heather! Thanks so much for the note. I really appreciate you mentioning that. Interacting with our readers is super fun- would love to get MORE comments in fact! Stay warm in the snow and hope you enjoy the soup!
Love, love,love this soup! So rich and hearty. I cook mine for 7 1/2 hours on low as I double the recipe! I omit the mushrooms and add celery instead. Fantastic!!
Thank you for the rave review Vonnie! You are so sweet to leave a comment and we are so glad you loved our soup recipe! Have a great day!
I just made this today on the stovetop. It is SO good.
I made a few tweaks:
I left out the mushrooms. Doubled the garlic. I put the browned beef and sauteed veggie mix in a stock pot, and added diced yukon gold potato and a bayleaf to everything else . Simmer for 1.5 hours, and added another 2 cups of broth after since it was a bit thick from evaporation and simmering.
I highly recommend this soup! It is delicious.
Just like i used to make at a Jewish country club i worked at! The chef would be proud!! Thank gou for the memories!!
I made this for a Christmas gathering that we were told to bring a soup. This was well liked and I noticed a few people having seconds. My brother-in-law said it was like a soup his mom would make. Very good soup. I will be making it again. Thank you!!
Made your soup recipe today and the bun recipe attached,, yum yum!!
I wanted to attach a pic, but can’t!
Hi Sandy! I’m not sure you can attach pics in the comment section but I sure like the idea! So glad you liked the soup and thanks for sending such a nice note!
Making this tomorrow!
Wow. Really turned out great! I have a summer cold and thought, “how ’bout a soup recipe?”. It was really fairly easy and just delightful to eat. I added a bit of Parmesan shavings and some fresh parsley on top. Highly recommend this recipe!
Oh my goodness! What an amazing flavor! I added a dollup of sour cream to my bowl and it was absolute perfection! Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this yesterday as written. Because I was short on time, I used a bag of fresh petite carrots, a bag of frozen sliced mushrooms, a bag of frozen onions, and minced garlic. I used quick barley because that’s all the store had, and it was fine after 4 hours on high. The stew was amazing! My family loved it! It’s sure to become a staple fall and winter meal for us! Thank you!
I am so glad you liked it and thank you for the great tips to make this soup even easier!
Yumm I made this last night, such easy ingredients to buy. I bought spicy tomato paste instead and chuck at the butchers counter. Left out mushrooms & onions since the bf doesn’t like them. Cooked on high for 3 hours then low for 1 hour. Turned out perfect & this is the type of leftovers I’ll definitely be eating.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you for taking the time to write such a nice note Paige! I am so glad you liked it. Soooo cold in Seattle…I think I’ll whip up a batch of this today!
Can I put this in a pot instead of slow cooker??
Thanks
Yes! There is a note in the commentary section of the recipe. “Cook on stove top following regular directions. Simmer 2 hours or until beef is tender”. Hope you love it!
Will this fit in a 4 Qt. slow cooker? You never mentioned what size you used???
Yes…a 4 quart should be fine. I have a 6 quart but there was plenty of room left.
This looks sooo yummy, going to try it out tomorrow! Was wondering, should I add the barley a little later to avoid it being a little mushy? I seen someone mention that, not sure? I will be cooking it on the low setting.. going to try to add some potatoes a couple hours before done aswell. ☺ please let me know what you think if you have a chance? Thank you
Hi Jackie, I din’t have a problem with the barley getting soggy but I could see how it could become overcooked if left in the slow cooker too long. I think your safe following my directions but if you have to leave it in the pot longer you might want to delay adding it by an hour or two. Hoping you love this! It’s one of my favorite fall stews to make!
Awesome, thank you…one of my favourites I can’t wait to try it. ????
Hi Kathy going to make this soup today ,cannot wait to try it . Sounds so yummy can I chop up some fresh tomatoes to add to it.?
I think it would be a great addition! I hope you love it!
What size slow cooker do you use for your recipes? I have a couple of slow cookers – 3-1/2 quart and 6 quart. I am never quite sure which one to use because most recipes on the web don’t specify.
Made this in the slow cooker this past week. It is delicious!! I used a piece of chuck steak I bought at Costco. I cut it into big chunks, like 3 inch cubes and browned them really well first. They came out really tender. I added a can of diced tomatoes as well. The barley was mushy after 6 hours on low but I don’t mind it that way. Overall very good recipe and highly recommended.
I made this today in my crockpot. It was super delicious!!! Thank you for posting!
What a nice comment! Thank you Pat!
Does the carrots go to mush if cooked that long? I noticed you suggested putting potatoes in to someone for the last couple hours, wouldn’t that be the same for the carrots?
Hi Nicole – nope, they don’t get mushy. Potatoes do but the carrots stay pretty firm. Good question though!
can i leave out the tomato paste?
It deepens the flavor of the beef stock and thickens it up and bit but yes. You can leave it out without too much damage!
I was going to try this today I was wanting to put potato in. What theme would be the best time to put them in?
Hi Monique – I would think the last couple hours should do it. Thanks!
I’m trying this soup now! And boy o boy does it smell delicious! Can’t wait to try it! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
This soup was so delicious! I am pretty sure this will be a staple to my diet this coming winter. It’s just so hearty and wonderful! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Hi, I plan on making this and accidentally bought quick barley instead of pearl barley. Would I be able to use this like the recipe states or would I need to wait and add it at the end. I’ve never cooked with any kind of barley, so advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi April – I have never used quick cooking Barley but I can’t see any reason you can’t use it. Like you suggested, just add it in later. Hope that helps….
This looks wonderful!! Just checking on the timing…did you mean 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low? Thanks.
Sorry for the confusion! 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. I’ll fix the recipe…thanks for catching my goof!
Hi Kathi! Tihs soup looks great and I am planning on trying it this week. Question about the cooking time. You have listed here 4 hours on low and 6 hours on high. You noted that on low yours cooks fast, so I believe you meant the 4 hours on low part – but on high, should it be halved? 2 hours on high? I can’t iagine 6 hours on high if it can complete in 4 hours on low. Just wanted to double check before I scorch it! Thanks!
Oops, my bad! 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low…thanks for catching my goof!
Like you I use chuck but I buy a large piece and cut my own.
Even better, since I end of up cutting the stew meat into smaller pieces most of the time!
Yum. I could happily have soup every day during the colder months and this beef and barley version looks delicious. Thank you for sharing. Sammie http://www.feastingisfun.com
Thanks for your note Sammie!