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! This is the best beef barley soup recipe I know, so hurray for those leftovers!
This is the recipe the brave Southern husband fears above all others.
It’s not that it isn’t a fabulous version of beef barley soup…it absolutely is. Thick and filled with chunks of tender, super-slow-cooked beef, pieces of carrot and onion, laced through with fresh parsley and 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.
So what is there to be afraid of?
Well, this recipe makes a LOT.
I’m sure it’s possible to cut it down — I haven’t actually tried, though, because along with bacon and macaroni and cheese and pizza from Anna’s, this particular beef barley soup may just be my favorite food on earth.
And the first time we have it, the Southern husband is just fine. He even takes on the hardest part of the recipe, which is chopping up the meat into the small bite-sized pieces. Our tummies are full of warm, scrumptious soup and life is good.
Then we have it again. He’s still pretty much okay.
Still about 600 servings to go. And he begins to break down.
Because I guess there actually are some people in the world who don’t like to have wonderful beef barley soup for lunch and dinner for days and days in a row.
Yes, I know I could freeze it…but the thing is, I personally DO like to have wonderful beef barley soup for lunch and dinner for days and days in a row. This is why they say opposites attract.
ingredients needed to make this classic soup!
Here’s how you make this comfort food favorite!
(Scroll down for the handy complete printable recipe with nutrition info!)
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.
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.
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.
Give it another good stir, taste it and add salt and pepper if you think you need it…and you’re done!
more tips for making the best beef barley soup ever!
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!
Trust me, aside from the fact that it makes a swimming pool-sized portion, it is the best beef barley soup you will ever, ever make, taste or have giant vats of leftovers of.
It’s at its best when eaten on a chilly night out of your favorite soup bowl. But it’s not bad for breakfast, either….
Like the looks of this recipe? Pin it now so you can make it later!
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
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup pearl barley
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 5 carrots, chopped
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
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
Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying (without any extra cost to you)! Thanks for using them to keep our kitchen cooking…xoxo!
Eileen says
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 :)
Kate says
Wow – how great to have a household who can finish the whole thing! Glad they loved it as much as I do. :)
jan says
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
Kate says
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!
Ann says
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.
Yolanda says
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.
Fun and Fearless in Beantown says
This looks wonderful! I made my first slow cooker soup of the season last week…its not too early!
Kate Morgan Jackson says
I like the Muir Glen variety, but really any brand will do!
Anonymous says
What kind of tomato sauce do you use?
Kate Morgan Jackson says
Hi Connie — yes, a packet is equal to a cube, so four cubes should work just fine.
connie says
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?
Patty says
Great photography! I just love slow cooker recipes, this was delicious thanks!
Nutmeg Nanny says
I'm in love with the fact that this is made in the slowcooker…awesome!
Alison says
I was so excited to see the Peter Rabbit dish set while browsing Tastespotting! That really brings back memories! Soup looks delicious too!
Frenchie says
I grew up with those bowls and just love them. The soup also sounds great, I can't wait to make it.
Anonymous says
Love the story!
Mrs. Mordecai says
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!