Description
Hearty beef barley soup brings comfort from grandma’s kitchen to your table. Nourishing ingredients and simple preparation create a warming meal for cold days. You’ll savor each spoonful of this classic, soul-satisfying dish.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.5 lbs (680 g) boneless beef chuck (suitable for stewing)
- 64 fl oz (1.9 L) low-sodium beef broth
- 3/4 cup (130 g) pearl barley
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 medium carrots
- 3 medium celery stalks
- 14 oz (400 g) diced tomatoes (canned)
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh parsley leaves (chopped, for garnishing, optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables by dicing onion into uniform pieces, slicing carrots into thin rounds, and chopping celery into small segments. Mince the garlic cloves finely.
- Trim beef chuck into precise half-inch cubes. Thoroughly pat meat dry using paper towels, then season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Warm olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it becomes glossy. Sear beef in batches, creating a golden-brown crust on each side, approximately 2 minutes per side. Transfer browned meat to a separate plate.
- In the same pot, add remaining olive oil and sauté the vegetable mixture until they soften and release their aromatic qualities, roughly 3-5 minutes. Incorporate garlic, dried thyme, and additional salt, cooking until fragrant.
- Introduce tomato paste, stirring to coat vegetables evenly. Cook until the paste deepens in color, about 1 minute. Reintroduce browned beef and accumulated juices to the pot.
- Pour in beef broth, diced tomatoes, pearl barley, and bay leaf. Mix thoroughly to distribute ingredients uniformly.
- Elevate heat to high, bringing the mixture to a rolling boil. Reduce temperature to medium-low, allowing the soup to simmer uncovered for 40-50 minutes until barley reaches tender consistency.
- During simmering, roughly chop parsley leaves for garnish. Once barley is fully cooked, discard bay leaf. Ladle soup into serving bowls, sprinkle with fresh parsley, and serve piping hot.
Notes
- Pat beef completely dry before browning to ensure a deep, caramelized exterior that locks in rich flavor and prevents steaming.
- Rinse pearl barley thoroughly before adding to remove excess starch, which prevents the soup from becoming too thick and gummy.
- Replace beef with hearty mushrooms like portobello or cremini and use vegetable broth for a robust plant-based version that maintains the soup’s depth.
- Let the soup rest for 10-15 minutes after cooking to allow flavors to meld and barley to absorb more liquid, creating a more harmonious taste profile.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 254 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 533 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg