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Full bowl of beef barley soup with parsley garnish.

Beef & Barley Soup

Old fashioned Beef and Barley Soup is packed with tender chunks of beef sirloin, beef broth, tomatoes, pearl barley and lots of vegetables. It’s the perfect heart-warming soup for a cold winter day.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • ½ cup pearl barley, rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • 450 g beef sirloin steak or beef sirloin stir-fry strips, cut into ½” cubes
  • ¾ cup diced onion
  • ¾ cup diced carrots
  • ¾ cup diced celery
  • ¾ cup ½” sliced green beans
  • 1 ½ cups ½” diced potatoes, about 2 or 3 potatoes, depending on size
  • 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 900 mL tetra pack beef broth
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • parsley, for garnish

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan bring about 3 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Rinse barley and add it to the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover and cook for 20 - 25 minutes until the barley is tender but still chewy. Drain and rinse barley and set aside. Note: the barley can be cooked ahead and refrigerated.
  2. Meanwhile, in a 5 qt Dutch oven, heat about 1 teaspoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef cubes and brown on all sides; with a slotted spoon remove them to a plate. Add about another 1 teaspoon of oil and repeat process with remaining beef. Set aside.
  3. Add remaining olive oil to the Dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, celery, green beans and potatoes and cook over medium-high heat for two minutes, while stirring constantly.
  4. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, water, balsamic vinegar, bay leaf, oregano and cooked barley. Return browned beef and any accumulated juices to the Dutch oven. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Cook uncovered on medium-high heat until soup comes to a light boil, let bubble for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until the vegetables and barley are completely tender.

  6. Garnish servings with fresh parsley.

Recipe Notes

  1. Cook the barley ahead of time in a separate saucepan; this can be done up to 2 days ahead.
  2. Swap barley with farro or rice – just adjust the cooking time for those grains.
  3. Use a tender cut of beef like sirloin, striploin or sirloin stir-fry strips but not stewing beef which is a tough cut and requires a longer cooking time.
  4. To make this soup more budget friendly, replace the tender cut of recommended beef with the same weight of extra lean ground beef and the soup will still be rich and flavourful.
  5. Use whatever vegetables you prefer or have on hand, for example swap green beans with peas.
  6. To speed things up, prepare your ingredients ahead of time which also ensures you have everything you need ready to go.
  7. Cut the veggies thick so they will contribute to the chunkiness of the soup and can withstand the simmering time.
  8. Sear the meat in two or three batches to ensure good browning and ensure you season it before you brown it.
  9. If the soup gets too thick for your liking you can thin it out with more beef broth or water.