Get this hearty Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup simmering in your slow cooker and you’ll come home to a wholesome and comforting weeknight dinner. It’s loaded with chunks of tender beef, vegetables, and wholesome barley.
Make it a cozy meal and serve this soup with warm Cheddar Dinner Rolls or a slice of Cheese Beer Bread.
I think I ate nearly an entire batch of this beef barley soup by myself the first time I made it. Not in one sitting, I swear. It was over the course of a few days.
It’s very uncharacteristic of me to do such a thing. I like variety in my life and will rarely eat the same thing twice from one day to the next, but wow, I couldn’t get enough of this soup. I know my husband had a bowl and I believe one of my boys had a bowl or two, but the rest was mine.
It has that leftover pasta thing happening. The thing where it tastes even better on the reheat. I warmed a bowl-full for myself the second day and noticed the barley was a bit softer and plumper but still retained a nice, slightly chewy bite. The flavors intensified and the whole situation was just really, really good. Literally to the last drop. And, there was not a drop left at the end.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Cubed beef: Save yourself the trouble of cutting down a roast and look for the beef labeled “Beef for Stew” at the grocery store. It’s just chuck roast that has conveniently been cut down into chunks for you. For soup, I like to cut it into even smaller, bite-size pieces.
- Seasoning: Salt, freshly ground black pepper and either fresh thyme of dried thyme.
- Vegetables: Diced yellow onion, diced celery, minced garlic, chopped carrots, and chopped cremini mushrooms.
- Oil: A little vegetable oil for browning the beef and cooking the veggies.
- Tomato paste: A vital component for adding richness to the soup broth.
- Worcestershire sauce: A quick way to add a ton of flavor and umami to recipes.
- Low-sodium beef broth: I mix up my own with Better than Boullion Reduced Sodium Beef Base.
- Pearled barley: Hulled barley has an extremely tough, fibrous outer layer so in order to reduce the amount of cooking time, some of that fibrous layer is polished off to make pearl or pearled barley, thus the name. Even though it has been polished, it’s still a healthy grain that is quite high in fiber and has a distinctive and lovely, chewy bite.
How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup
- Brown the beef: Heat the vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet and sauté the beef in batches, seasoning with salt and pepper while cooking. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the browned beef to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cook the veggies: In the same skillet, sauté the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Add the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and cook, stirring for a minute or two until well combined. Transfer the veggie mixture to your slow cooker with the beef.
- Add remaining ingredients: Add the beef broth, barley, and thyme. Reserve the mushrooms to add later (see tips below).
- Cook and add the mushrooms: Stir to combine, cover, and cook on Low for 5 to 7 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours. About 45 to 60 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the mushrooms. Continue to cook, covered, until the beef is fork tender.
Valerie’s Tips
Timing: If you can’t add the mushrooms during the last hour of the cooking time, they can be added with the broth and barley. Just be aware that they will shrink more and become much softer with the longer cooking time.
Consistency: The soup will seem quite brothy at first, but the barley works as a thickener as it cooks into the soup and will add some body to the broth.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Refrigerate: Transfer the cooled soup to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Freeze: For longer storage, I like to ladle the soup into freezer-safe gallon size plastic storage bags, press out as much air as possible and seal the bags. They can be laid flat and stacked in the freezer to save space and will stay fresh and tasty for 2 to 3 months. Thaw frozen soup in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat the soup in a pot on the stove over medium-low heat or in the microwave, just until warmed though. Soups with barley have a tendency to thicken when refrigerated or frozen so you may want to add a little additional broth or water to thin it to the desired consistency.
More Slow Cooker Soups You’ll Love
- Slow Cooker Hamburger Minestrone
- Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
- Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup
- Check out my entire collection of delicious soup, stew, and chili recipes for more ideas!
Sign up for my free newsletter for all the latest recipes and join me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for more cooking inspiration!
Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus additional as needed
- 1 ½ to 1 ¾ pounds cubed beef stew meat, boneless beef chuck
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup chopped carrots, from 2 to 3 peeled carrots
- ¾ cup diced celery, from 2 ribs
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 6 cups low-sodium beef broth
- ⅔ cup pearl barley
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 cups coarsely chopped cremini mushrooms
Instructions
- Cut the beef stew meat down into small (½ -inch) bite-size pieces.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. Add half of the beef to the skillet and allow to brown on one side for about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste while cooking. Flip pieces over and brown for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the browned beef to a 6-quart slow cooker. Repeat with the remaining beef, using additional oil, if needed.
- Return the skillet to MEDIUM heat and add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, to incorporate with any juices the beef left behind in the skillet. Add the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and cook, stirring for a minute or two until well combined. Transfer the veggie mixture to your slow cooker with the beef.
- Add the beef broth, barley, and fresh thyme to the slow cooker. Stir to combine, cover, and set the slow cooker to cook on LOW for 5 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. About 45 to 60 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the mushrooms. Continue to cook, covered, until the beef is fork tender (slow cookers can vary, times are approximate). Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
More Soup Recipes
This post was originally published on October 5, 2015. It has been updated with new text and images.
I could only find Quaker Quick Barley at my local grocery store. Says it cooks in 10 minutes so was thinking if waiting to add it that last 10 minutes of cooking. Has anyone used this kind when making this or have any suggestions?
I would suggest adding it about 15 to 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Hope it turns out great for you!
I’m going to be make this soon because it looks really good. I do want to say though that buying a chuck roast and cutting it into cubes is not only cheaper but tastes better than stewing beef and turns out much tender.
Hi Lauri. The beef stew meat I purchase at my local store is literally chuck roast that has been cut down into cubes. The amount of time and effort it saves is worth the slight cost difference for the small amount needed for this recipe. Hope it turns out great for you!
As a single guy, this has become my go-to recipe as its easy, tastes great, and freezes/reheats well. But, hopefully, some constructive nitpicks…
1. Sear the meat on “high”, 2-3 minutes on each side. That’s not only insane, but irresponsible. Lol You’re searing cubes! Maybe. That’s meat abuse at best and 100% burnt at least. Gas vs Electric, Anodized vs Cast Iron – Medium at least the first time. Adjust from there. Ideally you’re looking for the odd shaped meat to have dark sear marks as it adds flavor to the meat and veggies as the veggies deglaze the skillet s well.
2. Oil and salt and pepper quantities are too vague and too dependent upon how #1 goes. I understand 5 his isn’t baking, but..
This soup was really good, however I got busy and didn’t realize the slow cooker had switched to it’s keep “warm” feature, by the time I served it the barley had not only fluffed up but broke down a lot! It seemed to give the soup a bit of (dare I say “slimy” texture). And I promise, I didn’t add any Okra in there (*insert winky face*). Next time, I think I’ll add the barley a little later on in the cooking process.
Hi Carla. I’ve not had a problem with the barley breaking down but you do need to be sure to cook it for the time specified in the recipe. I hope it works out better for you next time!
Pinning this. I prefer to cook any soup starch like rice, barley, or noodles separately and then add to individual bowls. Have you ever tried baked barley with mushrooms? Deelish.
I was really pleased with this one, Vicky. I hope you do try it and love it! The baked barley sounds amazing. I’d love a link 🙂
We made this yesterday and it was FANTASTIC! Thank you!
Hi Jenny! I’m happy to hear it turned out well for you. I need to get this on my menu soon!
This looks like the perfect comfort food! My hubby loves barley and I know he would enjoy this!