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Laughing Spatula / Recipe Index / Soup / Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup

Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup

By Kathi & Rachel

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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 comfort meal!

Two white bowls of Beef Barley Soup

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!
Browned stew meat in a large skillet

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.

chopped carrot, onion and mushroom for the soup

At this point you just dump everything else in!  Veggies, barley, broth and seasoning…boom!

What kind of beef should I use?

  • 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.
barley going into the slow cooker

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!

Soup is ready for long cook time in the slow cooker

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

Beef barley soup in white bowl

Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup

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!
3.87 from 73 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Author: Kathi & Rachel

Ingredients

  • 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

Instructions

  • In large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmery but not smoking.  About a minute.
  • 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).
  • Add seared beef to slow cooker.  (or large dutch oven or soup pot if cooking stove top).
  • Chop carrots, onions, mushrooms and garlic.  Add to pot with beef.
  • 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.)
  • 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.
  • Taste for seasoning and serve!

Notes

4 Weight Watcher Freestyle Points per serving (about 1 1/2 cups).

Other Tips for this Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!
 

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 661mg | Potassium: 485mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2270IU | Vitamin C: 4.4mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2.3mg

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!

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Filed Under: Main Course Recipes, Most Popular Recipes, One Pot, Slow Cooker, Soup

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Comments

  1. Susanne says

    April 2, 2016 at 1:08 am

    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.

    Reply
  2. Pat says

    March 2, 2016 at 10:59 pm

    5 stars
    I made this today in my crockpot. It was super delicious!!! Thank you for posting!

    Reply
    • Kathi Kirk says

      March 3, 2016 at 1:29 am

      What a nice comment! Thank you Pat!

      Reply
  3. Nicole says

    February 29, 2016 at 7:48 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Kathi Kirk says

      February 29, 2016 at 9:07 pm

      Hi Nicole – nope, they don’t get mushy. Potatoes do but the carrots stay pretty firm. Good question though!

      Reply
  4. allie says

    February 14, 2016 at 7:53 pm

    can i leave out the tomato paste?

    Reply
    • Kathi Kirk says

      February 14, 2016 at 10:15 pm

      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!

      Reply
  5. Monique says

    February 2, 2016 at 2:41 am

    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?

    Reply
    • Kathi Kirk says

      February 2, 2016 at 4:59 pm

      Hi Monique – I would think the last couple hours should do it. Thanks!

      Reply
  6. Lawna says

    January 7, 2016 at 10:39 pm

    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!

    Reply
  7. Annika says

    October 11, 2015 at 4:40 pm

    5 stars
    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 🙂

    Reply
  8. April says

    September 30, 2015 at 2:08 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Kathi Kirk says

      September 30, 2015 at 2:58 pm

      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….

      Reply
  9. Connie says

    September 27, 2015 at 2:55 pm

    This looks wonderful!! Just checking on the timing…did you mean 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Kathi Kirk says

      September 27, 2015 at 3:06 pm

      Sorry for the confusion! 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. I’ll fix the recipe…thanks for catching my goof!

      Reply
  10. Michelle says

    September 27, 2015 at 2:38 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Kathi Kirk says

      September 27, 2015 at 3:06 pm

      Oops, my bad! 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low…thanks for catching my goof!

      Reply
  11. carole says

    September 12, 2015 at 11:27 am

    5 stars
    Like you I use chuck but I buy a large piece and cut my own.

    Reply
    • Kathi Kirk says

      September 12, 2015 at 2:21 pm

      Even better, since I end of up cutting the stew meat into smaller pieces most of the time!

      Reply
  12. Sammie says

    September 11, 2015 at 3:49 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Kathi Kirk says

      September 12, 2015 at 2:21 pm

      Thanks for your note Sammie!

      Reply
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