This wholesome and nutritious Beef and Barley Stew recipe is positively packed with FLAVOR! Easy to make and great for leftovers, it’s sure to become a part of your regular meal rotation!
Fork tender beef, plump nutty barley, a vibrant array of vegetables, and a deliciously rich broth come together in this satisfying Beef Barley Soup recipe. As delicious as it is right off the stovetop, it makes for fabulous leftovers after the flavors have had more time to develop! I love a good beef barley soup. Not only is it great cool-weather comfort food, it’s absolutely loaded with healthy ingredients. Barley has a wonderful and unique flavor and coupled with umami-laden beef, it gives this soup has an incredible depth of flavor. This Beef Barley Soup packs in a variety of vegetables but you are more than welcome to add or substitute any other veggies of your choice.
Can You Freeze Beef and Barley Stew?
Yes you can! Freeze the whole batch or in individual portions in ziplock bags and you’ll have a ready meal in the time it simply takes to reheat it. You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Beef and Barley Stew Recipe
Let’s get started! Choose a cut with generous marbling as that will produce the best flavor. Cut the beef into 3/4 inch chunks, pat dry with a paper towel, and season with salt.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the beef on all sides, working in batches so as not to overcrowd. Browning the beef is absolutely essential to achieving the best flavor so do not skip this step! Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef and set aside.
This is what the Dutch oven is going to look like by the time you’re done searing the beef. Don’t even think about cleaning it out. That is another secret to achieving ultimate flavor. When we add the veggies and liquid we’re going to “deglaze” the bottom of this pan…helloooo flavah! Add the olive oil to the Dutch oven and saute the onion, carrots and celery for 5 minutes.
Add the mushrooms, spinach, garlic and herbs and cook for another minute. Return the beef to the pot. Add the wine, beef stock, bay leaf, salt and tomato paste. Stir to combine. You have two cooking methods to choose from:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Cover the Dutch oven and cook on the lowest rack for about 2 hours or until the beef is fork tender.
- Bring to a boil on the stove top, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 60-90 minutes or until the beef is fork tender.
While the stew is cooking, add the barley to 2 cups water in a medium pot. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. Strain the excess liquid. Add the barley to the stew and continue to cook for at least 10 more minutes, preferably up to an hour. The longer it cooks, the more tender the beef and the more flavor the stew will have. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve garnished with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Be sure to also try our Chicken Barley Soup!
For more delicious beef stews be sure to try our:
Hungarian Goulash Guinness Stew Pörkölt Beef Bourguignon Sega Wat Hachee Old Fashioned Beef Stew Domoda Szegedin Goulash Kalops (Swedish Beef Stew)
Adapted from Vikki Krinsky’s Beef Stew With Barley Originally published on The Daring Gourmet February 8, 2014 Read more about me…
