This comforting beef barley soup is just what you need to fend off the polar vortex. It is an old-fashioned soup that provides instant feelings of well-being. Make extra servings to store in your freezer!
Prep Time:30 minutes
Cook Time:2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time:2 hours 60 minutes
Yield:8 -10 servings 1x
Category:Dinner
Cuisine:Traditional American
Ingredients
Scale
1 1/4 cup pearl barley
4 T olive oil
2 pounds chuck beef roast, cut into 4” pieces
3/4 pound carrots, peeled and sliced (about 4 medium carrots)
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced, including the white part and a little of the light green
3 stalks celery, sliced
4 clove garlic, mminced
1/2 pound mushrooms (shiitake or white mushrooms)
3/4 pound waxy potatoes, diced
2 quarts chicken bone broth
1 quart beef bone broth
2 bay leaves
Handful of thyme sprigs
1 t Worcestershire sauce
10 ounces baby spinach
Grated parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Heat a large heavy-bottomed soup pt, such as a Dutch oven. Add the barley and toast over medium heat for 3 – 5 minutes until the grains take on a bit of color. Stir frequently and take care not to burn. Remove the grains and set aside.
Add olive oil to the pan. Season the beef with kosher salt and pepper and sear on all sides. Remove from the pot and set aside, reserving any juices.
Add more olive oil if needed and sauté the carrots, leeks, celery and garlic together for about 5 – 6 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking another 10 minutes. Remove the vegetables and set aside.
While the vegetables are cooking, chop the beef into bite-sized pieces. Return the beef and any drippings to the pot and add the chicken and the beef bone broth. Add bay leaves, thyme sprigs and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for an hour, until beef is tender. Add the barley after 30 minutes and continue cooking with the meat for the remaining 30 minutes.
Add the vegetables and potatoes to the soup and cook another 15 – 20 minutes until barley and potatoes are done. Add the spinach to the pot and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove thyme stems and serve. Garnish with some grated parmesan cheese for a little extra umami if you like.
Notes
You can add the thyme sprigs to the soup whole, just remember to pull out the stems before you serve.
This soup freezes beautifully. If you plan to freeze or refrigerate some of the soup, do not add the fresh spinach to the portion of the soup you plan to freeze or refrigerate. Adding the fresh spinach right before you serve the soup keeps the spinach a beautiful bright green color.
The barley will continue to absorb broth after you freeze and defrost it so you may need to add more liquid to your defrosted soup. You can add plain water or a little more chicken broth.