In the cool winter months, there is nothing better than curling up with a warm bowl of soup. This is The Ultimate Beef & Barley Soup, and it’s full of a rich beef broth, tender chunks of seared chuck roast, vegetables, and barley, for a soup that is truly comfort food in a bowl. Serve it with a side of crusty sourdough bread, and you’ve got a classic, family-friendly recipe to keep in your weeknight dinner rotation!
Friends, of all of the recipes that I’ve created for this blog, one of the most highly request has been a beef and barley soup. This cozy and comforting soup is a staple in so many people’s households during the winter season, for the fact that it’s rich, hearty, and packed with flavor. The combination of tender beef chunks and barley makes this soup warm and filling, which is perfect for the colder months. Thankfully, I don’t live in an area with snow (or “real” winter), but if I did, I know I’d want this soup on constant rotation!
Whether you spend your winter days shoveling snow or hanging out at a Southern California beach, you can’t go wrong with this soup recipe. Think of it like the ultimate comfort food in a bowl! I love to prepare a big batch of this soup and store it in the freezer for those cold winter days when I just want a meal that feels like a hug in a bowl. Oh, and no hearty soup would be complete without a side of bread, and this recipe is no exception. I love serving this soup alongside my Cheesy Pull-Apart Garlic Bread or The Best Gluten-Free Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins for the ultimate comfort meal!
What You Need to Make The Ultimate Beef & Barley Soup
- Chuck Roast: While any beef cut can work in this soup recipe, I recommend using chuck roast. It’s a large cut of beef from the shoulder area that is tender, flavorful, and absolutely delicious.
- Olive Oil: A little olive oil adds healthy fats and is perfect for cooking the veggies and meat!
- Carrots, Celery, & Onion: Also known as mirepoix, the combination of diced carrots, celery, and onion makes for the perfect base for this soup.
- Garlic: I always recommend using fresh garlic, whenever possible. It adds the best flavor!
- Tomato Paste: A little bit of tomato paste adds a rich, tomato-y flavor to this soup. Don’t skip it!
- Soy Sauce: Soy sauce adds the perfect kick to this soup recipe! You can also opt to use coconut aminos or tamari, if desired, instead.
- Seasonings: This soup is perfectly seasoned, thanks to a combination of dried thyme, ground black pepper, and a bay leaf. Yum!
- Beef Broth: Of course, it wouldn’t be a beef soup without the beef broth! While any type of broth will work well for this recipe, I recommend using beef broth for the best flavor.
- Barley: Barley is a tender wheat grain that is high in fiber and pairs perfectly with the delicious beef. It is NOT gluten-free, so be sure to keep that in-mind, when making this recipe!
- Fresh Parsley: A sprinkle of fresh parsley adds the perfect finishing touch to this soup.
How to Make This Cozy & Comforting Beef Soup
To make this soup, start by heating a large pot or dutch oven, on the stove, over medium heat, and add in the olive oil. Prepare the chuck roast by cutting it into 1-inch pieces and trimming the fat. You can also ask your butcher to do this for you, to help you save a step. Once the oil is hot, add the chuck roast to the pot and cook it until it’s just browned on all sides. Then, remove the chuck roast pieces from the pot and transfer them to a plate.
Next, dice the carrots, celery, and onion, and add them to the pot. Sauté them in the olive oil and chuck roast juices for about 4 minutes. Then, add in the garlic, tomato paste, soy sauce, thyme, the bay leaf, and the ground black pepper to the pot. Toss to coat the veggies in the seasonings and sauté them together for one more minute. Then, add the chuck roast pieces back into the pot alongside any of the juices that collected on the plate.
Add in the beef broth and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Then, place the lid on the pot, cover, and allow the soup to cook for another 50 minutes. Once the 50 minutes are up, remove the bay leaf and add the barley into the soup. Then, cook the soup for another 25-30 minutes, uncovered, until both the beef and barley are tender.
Once the soup has finished cooking, taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Finally, ladle the soup evenly into bowls. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired, then serve and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend using chuck roast for the deep, beefy, tender flavor. It works perfectly in this recipe!
While you technically can, I recommend preparing the beef according to the recipe, so that the soup has the richest and heartiest flavor.
No, it cannot. Barley is derived from wheat, making this soup naturally not gluten-free. You can try substituting out the barley for a rice, such as arborio, but note that the cook time and consistency of the soup will be different. I don’t recommend it.
I recommend storing any leftovers in an airtight container or large mason jar, in the fridge or freezer. In the fridge, this soup should stay good for up to one week. In the freezer, it should stay good for up to two months!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest, so stop by and take a look at what’s new.
** Photography by Tanya Pilgrim
Equipment
- Dutch Oven a large dutch oven is perfect for making this soup!
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 1 2-3 Pound Chuck Roast, cut into 1-inch pieces with the fat trimmed
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Large Carrots, sliced into rounds
- 3 Stalks Celery, thinly sliced
- 1 Medium Onion, diced
- 4 Cloves Garlic, mashed
- 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- ¼ Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 2 Teaspoons Dried Thyme
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 8 Cups Beef Broth
- 1 Cup Barley, medium
For Garnishing:
- Fresh Parsley, chopped
Instructions
- To make this soup, start by heating a large pot or dutch oven, on the stove, over medium heat, and add in the olive oil.
- Prepare the chuck roast by cutting it into 1-inch pieces and trimming the fat. You can also ask your butcher to do this for you, to help you save a step.
- Once the oil is hot, add the chuck roast to the pot and cook it until it's just browned on all sides. Then, remove the chuck roast pieces from the pot and transfer them to a plate.
- Next, dice the carrots, celery, and onion, and add them to the pot. Sauté them in the olive oil and chuck roast juices for about 4 minutes.
- Then, add in the garlic, tomato paste, soy sauce, thyme, the bay leaf, and the ground black pepper to the pot. Toss to coat the veggies in the seasonings and sauté them together for one more minute.
- Then, add the chuck roast pieces back into the pot alongside any of the juices that collected on the plate.
- Add in the beef broth and bring the mixture to a gentle boil.
- Then, place the lid on the pot, cover, and allow the soup to cook for another 50 minutes.
- Once the 50 minutes are up, remove the bay leaf and add the barley into the soup.
- Then, cook the soup for another 25-30 minutes, uncovered, until both the beef and barley are tender.
- Once the soup has finished cooking, taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- Finally, ladle the soup evenly into bowls. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired, then serve and enjoy!
Rate & review
SELECT A RATING and tell me what you think!
What others are saying
I wish I could leave this soup a 10 star review! It is absolutely delicious and easy to make. The beef is perfectly tender. The perfect dinner for cold, dark winter nights.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Jen! Thank you so much for your review!
I just made this tonight and it was fantastic! The stock was so hearty and delicious and the meat was so tender. This will be a staple in our home! Im so glad i can freeze leftovers to save for a night i don’t want to cook. Great use of a chuck roast. ❤
This soup was easy to make and is so flavorful and delicious! Its one of my favorite soups to make, even my picky kids love it. Definitely try this soup if you are looking for a great beef and barley soup! I rave about it to all my friends and family and share this recipe.
Make Beef-Mushroom-Barley soup:
Similar recipe to above; might want to adjust amt. of soy sauce if you add it to the mushrooms.
Take ~1# baby bella/portobello mushrooms, sliced or chopped to desired size. Sauté in small amt of butter w splashes worchestershire and tamari (or soy). Cook about half way down so there are still lots of juices and add to broth mix.
I sometimes use half beef and half homemade mushroom broth, too.
This soup is amazing. I also sautéed mushrooms and added kale in the barley step for more vegetable. This is now one of my go to soups!
That sounds delicious! Thank you so much for making this recipe and for your support!
Thank you for the great recipe! This soup was easy to make and delicious! Instead of the beef, I used venison. I also added some cubed potatoes and green beans for more veggies. Everyone loved it! Perfect meal for a cold Minnesota winter night!
Very beefy
This soup is perfection. The beef turned out so tender and the ratio of vegetables and barley was perfect. I usually make a stew when I have this type of beef on hand but this will be my new go to! My husband said it was one of his favorites as well.