Crockpot Beef and Barley Soup
Tender beef, chewy pearl barley, carrots and mushrooms in a rich, savory broth. A thick, stick-to-your-ribs soup that cooks while you work.
- Crockpot
- Slow cooker
- Beef
- Dinner
- 495 min total
- Serves 8
Ingredients
Ingredients for servings
Enter a number of at least ½, in steps of ½.
Original recipe serves 8. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.
- 2 lb beef chuck roast, cut in 3/4-inch cubes
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed
- 8 cups beef broth, low sodium
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz, with juice
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Steps
Step 1: Season the beef with 1 tsp of the salt. Brown it in the oil in a hot skillet over medium-high heat in two batches, about 4 minutes each. Move it to the slow cooker.
Step 2: Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic and barley to the slow cooker.
Step 3: Pour 1 cup of the broth into the hot skillet and scrape up the brown bits, then pour it into the cooker with the rest of the broth, the tomatoes, Worcestershire, thyme, bay leaves, pepper and the remaining salt.
Step 4: Cover and cook on Low 8 hours, until the beef is tender and the barley is plump and soft.
Step 5: Fish out the bay leaves. If the soup got too thick, stir in a splash of hot broth or water. Taste for salt and serve.
Swaps
- Barley: Brown rice works, but add it for the last 2 hours only.
- Mushrooms: Leave them out if you’re not a fan, and add 1 more carrot.
- Beef: Stew meat from the store is fine. Look for pieces with some marbling.
Tips
- Use pearl barley, not quick-cooking. Quick barley turns to mush in 8 hours.
- Browning the beef is optional, but it makes the broth taste twice as rich.
- This makes a big batch. It freezes well for up to 3 months.
The story
HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.
Beef and barley soup is the flannel shirt of soups. It’s not flashy. It’s not trying to impress anybody. It just keeps you warm and asks for nothing in return.
Barley is the star most folks overlook. It’s a whole grain with a chewy, nutty bite, and it releases starch while it simmers. That starch is what turns a thin beef broth into something thick and hearty without any flour or cream. Pearl barley has had the tough outer hull polished off, so it cooks through in a slow cooker without getting tough.
Mushrooms do a quiet job too. They’re loaded with savory, meaty flavor, so they make the broth taste beefier than beef alone. Worcestershire sauce backs that up with a little tang and depth.
The one thing to know: barley never stops soaking up liquid. The leftovers will be thicker than oatmeal by morning. That’s not a problem. That’s just a reason to keep a carton of broth in the pantry.
HAM out.
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