Description
Make this ultimate hearty slow cooker beef barley soup for a cozy, comforting meal perfect for chilly days. This recipe delivers tender beef and chewy barley in a rich, flavorful broth, just like Grandma used to make.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 cup pearl barley, rinsed
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Season the beef cubes liberally with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the beef in batches until browned on all sides. Transfer the seared beef to the slow cooker.
- Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery to the slow cooker.
- Stir in the minced garlic, beef broth, rinsed barley, diced tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaf.
- Stir everything together well.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the beef is very tender and the barley is cooked through.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf before serving.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
- Searing the beef before adding it to the slow cooker builds deep flavor.
- Rinse the pearl barley well to remove excess starch.
- This soup is excellent for meal prepping and tastes even better the next day.
- For a thicker soup, remove about 1 cup of the liquid and stir in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch before adding it back to the slow cooker during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: Soup
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American/Italian Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 550mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 8g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 75mg