Hearty beef barley soup with chunks of tender beef with some veggies and barley. A crock pot soup that you can start in the morning and eat in the evening. Make a pot today for that cold winter day.
I want to do more soups this winter, but I’m a classic type guy. No kale here and I’m too old to change.
I wanted a soup that didn’t require intention. No add this or shred that in the middle. Just prepare in the morning for the evening. So I looked around a little, but my wife came to the rescue. She had some definite ideas. Mostly garlic, she craves garlic and this needed garlic. Also, she was not looking for a vegetable beef soup with barley. No green beans and no tomatoes. OK, I can do that.
My Rating
It’s a nice middle 4. She had two serving. I felt there was a bit too much barley and would decrease it 25% next time.
Recipe notes for Hearty Beef Barley Soup
The Barley. Some recipes cooked it separately and added near the end. Some added with 2 or 4 hours before done but most added at the beginning and had excellent reviews, so I went with that. I felt the texture was fine.
I like to brown the beef in recipes like this, so I spent 5 minutes of browning and then I added the garlic to bloom it for a minute or two. If you don’t use non-stick then, you might need to add a little broth to the pan after moving the beef to deglaze the pan.
The recipe size. I had a 2 pound plus chuck roast and the recipes I was using to model used 2 pounds. That makes way too much for a “cooking for two” website. I’m suggesting a 50% reduction and the discussion and recipe card reflect that but not the pictures. That should fit nicely in a 3 1/2 qt. pot.
I forgot the tomato paste for the photo. Also, the pictures are for a full “double” recipe. The recipe card is set for half the amount. So the discussion is also adjusted to half.
Start with about 1 pound of chuck roast. Trim and cut into bite size pieces.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef to brown for about 5 minutes. Add 1-2 cloves crushed garlic for the last minute of browning. Move to a crock pot.
Dice 2 stalks celery, 1 medium potato, 1 1/2 carrots, and one medium onion. Add to crock pot.
Add 3 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 cup uncooked barley. Finally, add 5 cups beef broth.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6 | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 8 hours |
|
|
| Hearty beef barley soup with chunks of tender beef with some veggies and barley. A crock pot soup that you can start in the morning and eat in the evening. Make a pot today for that cold winter day.
|
- 1 pound chuck roast cubed or use stew meat
- 1-2 cloves garlic crushed or minced
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 1/2 carrots
- 1 onion medium
- 1 potato medium
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup uncooked barley
- 5 cups beef broth
- Start with about 1 pound of chuck roast. Trim and cut into bite size pieces.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef to brown for about 5 minutes. Add 1-2 cloves crushed garlic for the last minute of browning. Move to a crock pot.
- Dice 2 stalks celery, 1 medium potato, 1 1/2 carrots, and one medium onion. Add to crock pot.
- Add 3 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 cup uncooked barley. Finally add 5 cups beef broth.
- Cook on low for 8 hours.
Again the pictures are double the written instructions. I felt the barley was a little too much but my wife was good with it. I would decrease by 25%.
As written, this will fit into a smaller 3 1/2 quart crock pot.
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All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
If you like this recipe or find it useful, the pleasure of a nice 4 or 5 rating would be greatly appreciated. Rating is done by clicking on the stars above.
Last Updated
December 3, 2016
Hi All, I'm DrDan and welcome to 101 Cooking for Two. We present some of the best recipes with easy to follow step by step photo instructions to make your everyday cooking needs easier. 
Leslie
I also love simple soups, recipe sounds good and plan to make this week. However, we don’t like barley, do you have any suggestions for a substitute? Thank you, leslie (made crock pot candy, loved by everyone!)
Marie
I’m a little late to the party, but any short cut pasta such as ditalini or macaroni would make a nice swap out for the barley.
DrDan
It is based on the barley with it taking up a lot of the “space.” The only thing the comes to mind is green beans or something, but proportions would be off…
I like my vegetable beef soup https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/crock-pot-vegetable-beef-soup/ . The meat and beans take up the “space.” You will see the about same amount of meat makes less soup. Maybe add a medium potato and some garlic, and you would almost be there.
It is just soup, so almost anything you do to it will be OK.
Dan
Lara
This looks SO good! I think I have all ingredients on hand to make tomorrow. For the non-barley lover, rice would probably work just as well?
DrDan
Perhaps the rice. I would need to test. Something like a long grain wild rice which holds up better. The less processed the better I think for the crock pot. My fear with the rice is that it would just become a big pot of rice with some beef. Also once rice overcooks, it is bad.
I think of rice as not very forgiving since it took me awhile to get it right. Crock pots are quite variable so I try to use forgiving ingredients like beans, meat, carrots etc…. OK I will stop rambling.
sam brown
This is my all time favorite soup!! So glad to see it without green beans … many thanks to your wife!
DrDan
My wife laughed and said you’re welcome.
Thanks for the note
Dan
Cheryl Cuddy
Finally I found a PURE Beef Barley recipe. I don’t like chuck roast so I will use something like sirloin..
Chris
This weather has had me in a stew mood lately. We’ve done it twice in the past week and I could still go for a bowl of yours.
Rosina Morrone-Reeves
The photo’s of your Beef Barley Soup look wonderful. It is in the photo’s that I see you are adding the Beef Broth. The Beef Broth ingredient is missing from your written recipe or am i missing it?
DrDan
You’re right and fixed. I had it in the discussion/instructions but not in the list.
RossC
The weather is crying out for this soup…
I haven’t enjoyed a barley soup in a while… Time to do so…