Description
Hearty beef and barley soup delivers comfort from Midwestern kitchens with rich, slow-simmered flavors. Generous portions of tender meat, wholesome vegetables, and pearl barley promise a satisfying meal you’ll crave during cold winter nights.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (454 g) boneless chuck roast (cut into small pieces)
- 8 oz (226 g) pre-sliced mushrooms
- 1.5 cups (225 g) carrots (sliced thin)
- 1.5 cups (225 g) celery (sliced thin)
- ½ cup (75 g) onion (chopped)
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 cup (185 g) uncooked pearl barley
- 8–10 cups (1.9–2.4 L) water (for thickness you want)
- 2 tbsps beef base (to make broth)
- 1 large bay leaf
- ½ tsp salt (add to taste)
- ½ tsp black pepper (add to taste)
Instructions
- Searing: Caramelize beef pieces in a skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown, developing a rich exterior and locking in savory flavors.
- Layering: Transfer browned beef to slow cooker and create a vegetable foundation with carrots, celery, onions, and mushrooms for complex aromatics.
- Liquid Infusion: Introduce minced garlic, beef base, water, and bay leaf to construct a robust flavor profile that will permeate the entire soup.
- Initial Cooking: Set slow cooker to high temperature for one hour, allowing ingredients to harmonize and develop an intense, deep essence.
- Slow Transformation: Reduce heat to low, incorporate pearl barley, and simmer for 4-5 hours until beef reaches fork-tender consistency and vegetables become meltingly soft.
- Seasoning Refinement: Discard bay leaf and calibrate soup’s taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, ensuring a perfectly balanced flavor spectrum.
- Presentation: Serve piping hot, garnishing with delicate sprigs of fresh parsley or thyme to add a vibrant, herbaceous concluding note.
Notes
- Sear Beef Carefully: Golden-brown exterior adds incredible depth and locks in rich, meaty flavors that transform the entire soup’s taste profile.
- Layer Vegetables Strategically: Dicing vegetables uniformly ensures even cooking and consistent texture throughout the soup’s composition.
- Monitor Slow Cooker Settings: High temperature for initial hour intensifies flavor development, while low temperature allows ingredients to tenderize slowly without losing moisture.
- Seasoning Matters: Salt and pepper should be added gradually, tasting throughout cooking process to create perfectly balanced flavor without overwhelming individual ingredients.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 205
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg