Easy Beef Barley Soup
Cuisine: American
Author: Janelle
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 20 mins
A hearty and comforting homemade beef barley soup.
Ingredients
  • 1 lb lean beef round stew meat
  • 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup carrots, diced
  • 1 cup yellow onions, finely chopped
  • ½ cup celery, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 7 cups beef broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
  • ⅔ cup pearled barley, dry
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch Oven or large pot. Add the beef, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon ground pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5-7 minutes until browned.
  2. Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften. Tie the thyme sprigs together with kitchen string and add to the pot along with the bay leaves. Next, add the broth, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of ground pepper. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours or until meat is softened. Discard the thyme bundle and the bay leaves.
  3. Add pearled barley and bring to a boil.
  4. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until the barley is tender. You may need to add more water or broth at this point if the soup thickens too much since the barley absorbs a lot of water. Add fresh parsley just before serving.
Recipe by the chic brûlée at https://thechicbrulee.com/2012/10/19/easy-beef-barley-soup/