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Rainy days like the past few we’ve had always make me crave a nice warm bowl of soup (or chili!). I like my soups plentiful with lots of veggies and grains and hearty textures. This beef barley soup fits the bill. It is rich, flavourful, and filling. Everything you want to warm your bones on a gloomy day. My favourite way to make soups lately has been in the Instant Pot. It cuts the cook time down at least in half compared to the stovetop, but you get the flavour as if it had been simmering for hours. The other major bonus is that you don’t have to babysit a pot on the stove, you can walk away (even leave the house!) and it will turn off when the timer is done, slowly release pressure, and keep warm until whenever you want to eat it. For this busy mama of 4, that is something I feel giddy about every time I use it! I realize not everyone has or wants an Instant Pot, so I’ve also included slow cooker and stovetop instructions. You do what works best for your family, this soup will taste amazing whichever way you go!

This recipe is super flexible. You might notice in my prep pictures there is no celery. Well, I didn’t have any on hand so I just added more carrots. No problem! I was out of barley but I had a bag of farro on hand from another recipe, so I used that in it’s place. Delicious! I didn’t have crushed tomatoes on hand but I had a can of whole ones – I whizzed them up in the bullet, problem solved! Listen, when you have 4 kids you learn pretty quickly how to use what you have instead of making the dreaded unplanned grocery trip – I will avoid that at all costs… 🙂 Good for me and my budget!! Give it a try and use what you have on hand! As long as you’re making smart substitutions (similar items with the same texture and cook times) it will be just fine!

I’ve been serving my soup lately with my whole wheat bread for dipping. I usually have some on hand for sandwiches so it’s an easy go to and everyone loves a good slice slathered with butter for dipping. A nice crusty loaf or biscuits would be delicious options as well. I hope you find yourself sitting over a nice hot bowl of this soup soon. Let me know in the comments how it went for you, I love hearing from you guys! Side note… the comment section is at the VERY bottom of the page, after the recommended recipes… I’m such a newb to this whole website making game, I have not figured out how to move them up higher but I am working on it. If any of you are website wizards and know a trick for this, let me know!!! Talk to you soon 🙂

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5 from 2 votes

Beef Barley Soup

A hearty, satisfying, budget friendly soup the whole family will love. I've included Instant Pot, slow cooker, and stovetop instructions so everyone can join the fun!

Course Soup

Keyword barley, ground beef, instant pot, make ahead, slow cooker, soup

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef or stew meat if you prefer*
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 156ml can tomato paste
• 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 28 fl oz can crushed tomatoes used diced if you like a chunkier texture
• 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp liquid aminos or soy sauce
• 1 tsp pure maple syrup
• 5 cups beef broth or water
• 3/4 cup pearl barley farro works as well
• 2 cups frozen peas optional
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley to garnish optional

Instructions

Instant Pot:

• Turn the Instant Pot on Saute mode and brown the ground beef. Add the onions while the beef is about halfway done cooking and saute until they are translucent.

  *If using stew meat, skip the browning step. Make sure stew meat is cut into 1-1.5" chunks (I use kitchen shears to do the job!)
  
• Add the carrots and celery and saute for another minute or two.
  
• Add the garlic, italian herbs, tomato paste, and salt and pepper and saute for another minute.
  
• Turn off saute mode. Stir in the remaining ingredients except the frozen peas and parsley.

  *Add stew meat if using at this point.
  
• Secure lid and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes with a quick pressure release.

  *If using stew meat, allow for 10 minute natural pressure release after the 20 minute pressure cook before releasing the remaining pressure.
• Stir in frozen peas and allow the residual heat to cook them for a minute or two. Serve with fresh parsley scattered on top and some crusty bread or biscuits for dipping.
  

Slow Cooker:

• Follow steps 1-3 using a large skillet over medium low heat.
• Add the cooked meat and veggie mixture to the slow cooker and stir in the remaining ingredients except the frozen peas and parsley.

  *Add stew meat if using at this point. Make sure it is cut in 1-1.5" pieces (larger chunks wil not get as tender).
• Cook for 8-10 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
• Stir in frozen peas and allow the residual heat to cook them for a minute or two. Serve with fresh parsley scattered on top and some crusty bread or biscuits for dipping.

Stovetop:

• Follow steps 1-3 using a large pot over medium-low heat.
• Add the remaining ingredients (*add stew meat at this point, if using) except the frozen peas and parsley and simmer on low for 30-45 minutes or until barley is tender (simmer for 1 hour if using stew meat). Stir occasionally to prevent barley from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add more water/broth as needed if the barley soaks up too much liquid. Turn off the heat.
• Stir in frozen peas and allow the residual heat to cook them for a minute or two. Serve with fresh parsley scattered on top and some crusty bread or biscuits for dipping.
  

Featured in this Post:

This post includes affiliate links, meaning I made a small commission at no extra cost to you, should you decide to click through the links and purchase anything. These are my honest opinions and I would never recommend anything to you I didn’t absolutely love and use on a regular basis. Hope you find these lists helpful!

Instant Pot (8 Quart) – This is my most used kitchen appliance, I am obsessed with this thing! It saves me so much time and hassle in the kitchen and serves so many purposes that I think it is definitely worth the purchase. My favourite things to make are hard boiled eggs, rice, whole chickens, broth, pulled beef and pork, chili, soups, ribs, mac’n’cheese…. the list goes on!

Organic Pearl Barley – a delicious hearty grain I love using for beef barley soup. The Yupik brand on amazon has been very reliable and affordable making it my go to brand for dry goods.

Coconut Aminos – This is an excellent healthy substitute for soy sauce. It is gluten free, soy free, much lower in sodium than soy sauce, and packed with amino acids and active enzymes. And it tastes delicious, very similar to soy sauce.

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