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Slow Cooker Beef Barley Stew

Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup is a hearty, flavorful soup with tender beef and vegetables, plus plump barley. It’s an easy crockpot recipe that’s comfort in a bowl! Watch the video!

a white bowl of beef barley soup, plus crusty bread and a glass of red wine

Easy Beef Barley Soup Recipe

Hearty and flavorful, this Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup just couldn’t be any easier. Enjoy this recipe that’s sure to take the chill out of your winter-weary bones!

It’s a comforting, meat-on-the-bones recipe that requires little hands-on time. Just sear the beef, dump everything in the slow cooker, and let it do all of the work. The leftovers are fantastic too!

FEATURED COMMENT:

“Made this last night, thought I would have leftovers for today, my family had multiple bowls and finished the stew!!! My husband said it was the best I ever made, so thank you!”

– Lynn

Why You’ll Love This Beef and Barley Soup

Looking for more cozy and comforting soup recipes? Check out my Irish beef stew, booyah soup, and lasagna soup as well.

ingredients to make stew, to include cubes of beef, potatoes, barley, onion, mushrooms, carrots, beef stock, and red wine

Ingredients You’ll Need

This stew gathers its rich flavor from a variety of fresh + pantry ingredients. If you enjoy comfort food, this recipe is a real treat. Scroll down to the recipe card for measurements.

a small clear bowl of uncooked pearled barley

What Kind of Barley to Use for Soup?

For this beef barley soup recipe, look for “pearl barley” (affiliate link) or “pearled barley”. It’s similar in size and texture to brown rice. It has a chewy texture and takes about an hour or so to fully cook.

My recipe instructs you to add it after browning the beef, which will give you a very soft barley because it cooks for 6 hours. If you prefer a firmer, chewier bite to the barley, then add the barley to the slow cooker 1 to 2 hours before the stew is done.

If you want to use quick barley, which only takes about 15 minutes to fully cook (because it has been pre-steamed), then add it to the slow cooker 15 to 30 minutes before the stew is done.

ingredients being cut on a wood cutting board: beef, potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, and onion

How to Make Beef Barley Soup

This is such an easy beef and barley soup recipe. After browning the beef, all you do is stir in the remaining ingredients, put on the cover, and let the slow cooker do the rest of the work! Scroll down to the recipe card for more detailed instructions.

Here are more slow cooker recipes for you!

a red ladle of beef stew, over a slow cooker full of beef stew

Tips for the Best Beef Barley Stew

beef barley soup in a white bowl, plus crusty bread and glass of red wine

Serving Suggestions

This hearty stew just begs to be sopped up by some warm, crusty bread. Or how about steaming hot popovers? Try my traditional Popovers recipe – or if you have sourdough starter or discard, these heartier Sourdough Popovers are AMAZING!

A fresh side salad would also be good. Dress simple fresh greens with my Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing – our family loves it!

I might also suggest, as my photo depicts, a glass of dry, robust red wine for sipping. So very lovely.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Beef stew recipes always make great leftovers!

More Slow Cooker Soup Recipes

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stew made of beef, barley, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms, in a white bowl

Slow Cooker Beef Barley Stew

Yield: 10 servings
prep time: 25 minutes
cook time: 6 hours
total time: 6 hours 25 minutes
Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup is a hearty, flavorful soup with tender beef and vegetables, plus plump barley. It's an easy crockpot recipe that's comfort in a bowl! Watch the video!
4.4 Stars (623 Reviews)
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast cut into 1″ cubes
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces mushrooms cut into thin slices
  • 8 large carrots peeled and sliced diagonally into 1/2″ pieces
  • 6 large cloves garlic minced
  • 4 medium-large yellow potatoes peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
  • 1 large yellow onion chopped
  • 6 cup low sodium beef broth
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ¾ cup pearl barley
  • 1 bay leaf
  • chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  • Sprinkle beef fairly generously with kosher salt and pepper. If you own this awesome slow cooker, where you can brown meat right in the slow cooker – add the oil to the slow cooker and then brown the beef right in the slow cooker, searing beef on all sides. Otherwise use a large skillet over medium-high heat to heat the oil and then brown the beef. Drain off fat. If using a skillet, transfer beef to slow cooker. You will need a large slow cooker for this recipe, as it makes a big quantity (ours is a 7-qt. size).
  • Add mushrooms, carrots, garlic, potatoes, onion, beef broth, wine, tomato paste, mustard, and thyme, and stir well to incorporate. Then stir in barley and add the bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Then turn heat to low and cook for 2 hours more, or until beef is tender. Serve hot, with fresh parsley sprinkled over the top. A good, crusty bread for dipping is always welcome.

Video

Notes

from a farmgirl’s dabbles

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 Calories: 353kcal Carbohydrates: 23g Protein: 27g Fat: 16g Saturated Fat: 6g Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 75mg Sodium: 556mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!
stew made of beef, barley, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms, in a white bowl

This post was originally published in 2015. Photographs and some of the text were updated in 2018 and 2021.