Beef and Barley Vegetable Soup is a hearty cold-weather dinner made with tender chuck roast, barley, carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes, and mixed vegetables. This version uses the slow cooker to tenderize the beef first, then finishes the soup on the stovetop with the vegetables and tomato broth.
Why This Beef and Barley Soup Works
Chuck roast benefits from long cooking, so the slow cooker handles the toughest part of the recipe. Barley goes in during the final hour so it can absorb the beefy cooking liquid without disappearing into the soup.
The second stage adds carrots, celery, onion, frozen mixed vegetables, tomatoes, and bouillon. That gives the finished soup a much more vegetable-forward profile than a basic beef barley soup.
Ingredient Notes
Chuck roast: This cut becomes tender with slow cooking and gives the soup a rich beef flavor.
Barley: Barley thickens the soup slightly as it cooks and gives each bowl a chewy, hearty texture.
Mixed vegetables: A frozen vegetable blend keeps the prep easy and adds more variety than carrots and celery alone.
Stewed tomatoes: Tomatoes make this version brighter and more vegetable-forward than the mushroom-heavy slow-cooker beef barley soup elsewhere on the site.
Tips for Tender Beef and Barley
- Give the roast enough time. Chuck should be fork-tender before you chop it into bite-size pieces.
- Add barley near the end of slow cooking. This keeps it from becoming overly soft.
- Do not discard the slow-cooker broth. That liquid carries much of the beef flavor into the finished soup.
- Taste after the bouillon dissolves. Bouillon adds plenty of salt, so final seasoning should come last.
Ingredients
- 1 (3-pound) beef chuck roast
- 1/2 cup barley
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 (16-ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
- 4 cups water
- 1 (28-ounce) can chopped stewed tomatoes
- 4 beef bouillon cubes
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- Salt to taste
How to Make Beef and Barley Vegetable Soup
- Place the chuck roast in a slow cooker and cook on High until tender, about 4 to 5 hours.
- During the final hour, add the barley and bay leaf to the slow cooker.
- Remove the meat and cut it into bite-size pieces. Discard the bay leaf. Reserve the beef, barley, and cooking broth.
- Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and frozen mixed vegetables. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until they begin to soften.
- Add the water, stewed tomatoes, bouillon cubes, sugar, black pepper, and the reserved beef-barley-broth mixture.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 20 minutes.
- Taste and season with salt and additional black pepper before serving.
Storage and Freezing
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Barley continues absorbing broth as it sits, so add a splash of water or broth when reheating if the soup becomes too thick.
The soup can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stovetop.
More Hearty Beef Soups
For another beef-and-vegetable option, try Vegetable Beef Soup. You can also try Stuffed Pepper Soup or browse more easy beef recipes and soup recipes.
