Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup
This easy recipe for slow cooker beef barley soup is not only hearty and delicious, but it makes enough for supper and leftovers and then some!
Jump to:
Why we love this recipe 🥰
This is the beef barley soup that dreams are made of.
Thick and filled with chunks of tender, super-slow-cooked beef, pieces of carrot and onion, laced through with fresh-ground pepper and just a hint of tomato flavor, this is my favorite soup in the entire world.
It is the perfect classic beef barley, and even better, it cooks in the slow cooker, so you can toss it together in the morning, go to work, forget it completely, trudge home 10 hours later, walk in the door, smell that gorgeous beef barley soup smell, remember tossing it together early in the morning, and smile a huge smile.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Beef: You can either use a whole chuck roast or a packet of stew beef (which is usually chuck roast cut up into chunks). One way or the other, you will need to cut up the meat into smaller, soup-sized piece.
- Beef Bouillon: Look for this dried beef broth mix in the soup aisle. You can also use canned or boxed beef broth – use 5 cups and leave the water out of the recipe.
- Barley: You are looking for pearled barley, which is usually in the rice aisle of the supermarket.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
How to make this recipe 👩🏻🍳
STEP 1: You start with the hardest part, which is cutting up 2 pounds of beef chuck roast into small, soup-sized chunks. Or get someone to do it for you (sends kisses to the Southern husband!). Dump it into your slow cooker.
STEP 2: Next, peel and chop a sweet onion (I like to do this in my food processor) and add that to the cooker.
Now add 5 cups of water, 4 packets of beef boullion, an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce, a cup of pearled barley and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
Give it all a good stir. Cover the cooker and let it cook on low for eight hours. Promise me you won’t take the lid off for a peek – we need to keep all that warmth in the cooker.
STEP 3: Once the soup is done, chop up 5 or six carrots (again, I go for the food processor for this step) and put them in a microwave safe bowl with a few tablespoons of water. Microwave them for 5 minutes and then add them to the soup.
STEP 4: Give it another good stir, taste it and add salt and pepper if you think you need it…and you’re done!
Recipe FAQs
Pearled barley is barley that has a couple of its outer layers removed. It’s still a little chewy and all kinds of delicious, but it cooks up to the perfect texture. You can usually find it hanging out near the rice in your favorite supermarket.
Bouillon is soup stock that has been dehydrated into a powder, usually with some spices added. You can find it in the soup aisle. In this recipe, it’s going to give the soup broth a nice beefy flavor. And if you prefer, just swap the water and bouillon for 5 cups of beef broth – both will work just fine!
You can, but they are going to get mushy. I promise that the extra step of microwaving them at the end is going to be worth it!
Pop it in the Comments section below and I promise to answer pronto!
This comfort food soup is just plain perfection when eaten on a chilly night out of your favorite soup bowl. But it’s not bad for breakfast, either….
Equipment we used for this recipe 🥣
These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!
- Measuring Cup: We love these angled cups that show the measurements on both the inside and outside of the cup.
- Cutting Board: These sturdy, dishwasher-safe cutting boards come in all different sizes.
- Food Processor: This all-star kitchen appliance is one of the very few that gets to live on our countertop 24/7.
- Ladle: We love this perfectly shaped one for scooping out soup or stew.
- Measuring Spoons: These handy magnetic spoons are not on a ring, so you can just pick the one you need.
- Slow Cooker: We love this sturdy and reliable cooker for so many soups and stews!
What to serve with this recipe 🍽️
We always love a warm biscuit with our soup, or a scoop of Southern spoonbread. If you like a sandwich on the side, you can’t beat this ham and Brie cheese sandwich.
And for dessert, let’s have a slice of chocolate chess pie!
Other soup recipes we love 💕
Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup
This easy recipe for slow cooker beef barley soup is not only hearty and delicious, but it makes enough for supper and leftovers and then some!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker, Microwave
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chuck roast, cut into bite sized pieces
- 5 cups water
- 4 packets beef bouillon (4 teaspoons)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup pearl barley
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 5 carrots, chopped
Instructions
- Combine everything but carrots and parsley in slow cooker and stir to mix. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Just before serving, put carrots in microwave-safe dish with about 1/8 cup water. Microwave for 4 minutes. Add carrots to soup with parsley.
- Taste and adjust seasonings (I usually end up adding a bit more salt and pepper).
- Serve. And serve. And serve.
Notes
- Beef: You can either use a whole chuck roast or a packet of stew beef (which is usually chuck roast cut up into chunks). One way or the other, you will need to cut up the meat into smaller, soup-sized piece.
- Beef Bouillon: Look for this dried beef broth mix in the soup aisle. You can also use canned or boxed beef broth – use 5 cups and leave the water out of the recipe.
- Barley: You are looking for pearled barley, which is usually in the rice aisle of the supermarket.
THANK YOU so much for posting this recipe!!! I made it this morning and came home from work to a house that smelled divine! I on the other hand, do not have a drop left. I have 3 sons at home with BIG appetites. Have to make another batch to share with my mom and my father-in-law! Thanks again :)
Wow – how great to have a household who can finish the whole thing! Glad they loved it as much as I do. :)
can you cook the carrots along with everything else? I would like to make this even easier, and thought the carrots might also taste better if they absorbed the meat flavor
You could – they will get very soft that way, and you are right that they will also absorb the flavor of the soup more. I like my carrots a little firmer and carroty tasting, which is why I do them at the end, but they will definitely be fine if you add them with everything else!
I made a double batch of this wonderful soup and added two 16 oz. jars of my own canned tomatoes mushed up slightly in the pot. I used Swanson's Beef Broth, but used one container of the full-sodium and one container of the low-sodium.
I am going to give this a try. Due to health reasons, I am having to eat a lot more fresh dishes instead of processed as well as less meat. I love soup and this is an easy way to accomodate my health. I am going to make this "vegetarian" style and maybe about 15 minutes or 20 before dishing it up, I am going to add fresh sliced mushrooms.
This looks wonderful! I made my first slow cooker soup of the season last week…its not too early!
I like the Muir Glen variety, but really any brand will do!
What kind of tomato sauce do you use?
Hi Connie — yes, a packet is equal to a cube, so four cubes should work just fine.
I want to try this soup, but what is meant by four packets of beef boullion? I have beef bouillon in cubes. Will that work and how much should I use? Four cubes?
Great photography! I just love slow cooker recipes, this was delicious thanks!
I'm in love with the fact that this is made in the slowcooker…awesome!
I was so excited to see the Peter Rabbit dish set while browsing Tastespotting! That really brings back memories! Soup looks delicious too!
I grew up with those bowls and just love them. The soup also sounds great, I can't wait to make it.
Love the story!
Oh, how I can relate! I love soup and my husband loves salad, so I try to please each of us seasonally. I can eat soup three meals a day. This one looks amazing. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. I can't wait to try it!