There are few soups as tasty and satisfying as this classic beef barley soup. Between the tender and savory stew meat, the tender crispy veggies and the stick-to-your-ribs barley this is the perfect meal for a cold winter day—or just a day when you want some (actually fairly healthy) comfort food in your life.

My family has been making this soup for years and we never get tired of it. In fact, during the winter I’m pretty sure we have it at least once a week! My husband loves how meaty it is and I love the fact that my kids happily eat their veggies. It’s a win-win all around. Try it for your family today!

 

Ingredients

1 lb beef stew meat

salt and pepper, 1tsp of each

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion chopped

1 large OR 2 small carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks cleaned and chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp fresh oregano chopped

3 tbsp tomato paste

4 cups beef broth (low sodium)

3 cups water

3/4 cup barley

1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped

 

Instructions

Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Place the beef in a resealable plastic bag, then add the flour. Close the bag and shake until meat is fully covered in flour.

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the stew meat to the pot and cook just until the meat starts to brown. (Do this in batches so that you don’t crowd the meat.) Remove from heat and set aside.

In the same pot, you will have a lot of brown bits on the bottom, add the chopped onion, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the garlic, oregano and tomato paste to the pot and stir. Add the beef back in, then the broth and water, season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a medium-low. Cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to cook this for so long so that the beef becomes tender.

Add the barley to the pot and cook for another 30 minutes or until the barley is cooked through. Keep stirring occasionally so the barley won’t stick, and add more water if needed.

Remove the soup from heat and garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

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Quick tip: This beef barley soup freezes well. Store individual servings in small containers with tight-sealing lids. To re-heat let thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then warm up in microwave until it reached desired temperature.