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Beef Barley Vegetable Soup is loaded with shredded beef, vegetables, and barley, along with a nice favorable broth. This soup will fill you up and keep you warm on those chilly days and nights!

Soup Season at our home looks like a constant rotations of flavors and textures. We love a spicy Turkey Taco Soup, some delicious Sweet Potato Curry Soup, or this healthy Detox Lentil Soup any given night of the week!

Overhead shot of a pot of beef barley vegetable soup, with a ladle lifting some up.

Best Beef Soup

I’m definitely not a chicken and fish ONLY kind of girl. I try to keep red meat to a minimum, but sometimes I just crave a big ole hamburger or some roast beef. We grew up eating a lot of roast beef, and that was one of the meals Mom cooked most before she began to forget. Using it in beef soup is most definitely my favorite way to eat it.

Soup is my cool weather love language. I love making huge pots of soup with loads of veggies and flavor. Here are some of my favorites by type. SO MANY to choose from:

Chicken – Chicken Tortilla Soup (with homemade enchilada sauce)
Beef – Shredded Beef Cabbage Soup and Italian Wedding Soup
Meatless – Coconut Curry Vegetable Soup and Creamy Potato Soup (minus the bacon)
Extra Healthy – Detox Lentil Soup and Split Pea Vegetable Soup

Closeup shot of a white bowl with handles, full of beef barley soup.

Ingredients needed for Beef Vegetable Barley Soup:

Olive Oil – Used to sauté the veggies below.
Veggies – Onion, carrots, celery, cabbage slaw, garlic, and mushrooms. So many veggies!
Broth – I used a lower-sodium beef broth.
Worcestershire – You’ll need two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce for additional flavor.
Tomato Paste – Tomato Paste is a great add-in for some depth of flavor.
Bay Leaves – I tend to add bay leaves in most of my beef soups, but this is optional.
Chuck Roast – I used a two pound chuck roast for this soup. See below for options for cooking the roast.
Pearl Barley – You’ll need just 1/2 cup of this grain. It tends to puff up quite a bit after cooking.

How to make Beef Barley Vegetable Soup:

Sauté the veggies. In a medium to large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the veggies – onion, carrots, celery, cabbage slaw, garlic, and mushrooms – and cook, along with some salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, or until veggies are starting to soften and become fragrant.
Add liquids. Pour in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, bay leaves, and additional salt and pepper (if desired). Bring to a boil.
Add cooked roast and barley. Turn down heat to a slow bubbling simmer, and add cooked roast (see below for how to cook the roast) and barley. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes, or until barley is cooked. Check seasonings.
Serve. Remove bay leaves and ladle soup into individual bowls. We like to enjoy this with some salty crackers or crusty bread.

A stock pot with sautéed veggies for the soup.

How to cook a beef roast:

For all of these options, be sure to brown the roast first. Slice the roast in chunks and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a skillet (or you can do this in the instant pot if using that method) to medium heat and add olive oil. Then add roast (in batches if necessary) and brown pieces on all sides. Remove the roast from heat, and use one of the methods below to continue cooking.

Instant Pot – After browning, add a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, a couple tablespoons of tomato paste, and beef broth to cover the roast. Pressure cook on high for 55 minutes, and do a natural release for 15 minutes. Remove roast, cool slightly, and shred.
Slow Cooker – Once browned, add the roast to a slow cooker. Add a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, a couple tablespoons of tomato paste, and beef broth to cover the roast. Cook on high for about 5 hours or low for 8-10 hours.. When it falls apart easily, it’s done.
Stove Top – After browning the roast, use the same stock pot to make soup. Deglaze the pan as you add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and beef broth to cover then roast. Cook, with lid on, at medium-high heat for 2 to 3 hours, or until beef falls apart easily.
Oven – Once browned, add the roast to a roaster or dutch oven. Add Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and beef broth to cover. Cook, with lid on, on 350 degrees for 2 to 3 hours, or until beef is very tender.

Overhead shot of a stock pot of beef barley vegetable soup, with bay leaves.

Red meat is a great source of iron. Whenever I donate blood, I make a conscious choice to eat a few servings of red meat the week prior to giving. That and a few big spinach salads, and I’m usually good to give. This Beef Soup recipe is a good one to keep on hand for this purpose, and it gets even better tasting after a day or so in the refrigerator.

What is barley?

Barley is a cereal grain that cooks use in a variety of dishes, including breads and stews. This whole grain is rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and offers a variety of healthy benefits. There are two types – hulled and pearled. Hulled barley has the bran and germ intact because of minimal processing, while pearled barley has neither one. Barley will expand to three and a half times its volume when cooked.

Two bowls of beef barley vegetable soup, with crackers.

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Try this soup recipe next: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Please let know if you try this recipe. Be sure to comment and leave a review on the blog so I can see what you think. You can also like my Facebook Page, follow me on Pinterest, and catch me on Instagram.

xoxo ~Sue