This hearty, flavorful soup slow cooks with cubes of tender beef chuck roast, perfectly cooked vegetables, and plump, chewy pearled barley. Red wine and beef broth add depth to the beefy broth. Warm up a loaf of fresh sourdough bread in the oven, break off big hunks for dipping, and enjoy the ultimate comfort meal!
WHen We’re Craving Big Comfort and Big Flavor, This Is The Soup!
This hearty soup will always remind me of my husband’s parents, Archie and Loree. They loved a good soup, and especially this recipe — I aimed to make it for them whenever they visited during fall and winter, and often sent them home with a meal of leftovers. And now when they’re no longer with us, I still have their soup-loving son who reminds me that he loves this soup, too!
This is one of the coziest meals I know, perfect for a chilly day. From putting it together in the slow cooker (only takes 25 minutes), to letting it simmer away for a good part of a day, to enjoying that first spoonful of tender, flavorful beef and chewy barley, this soup feels like a great big hug.
This recipe has been a favorite with family, friends, and readers for many, many years. And the #1 thing I hear is how people love how flavorful it is. When I was testing this recipe, I was very choosy to include only ingredients that work well together — ones that support and boost each other’s best qualities. For example, I included red wine, tomato paste, thyme, and a good amount of garlic because all of these pair gorgeously with the main attraction, beef.
So, for the ultimate robust, beefed-up flavor, it’s very important to use a flavorful cut of beef. An inexpensive, tougher cut is best, and I always use beef chuck. First, the beef cubes are seared, to coax out and lock in flavor. Then the slow cooker transforms them into irresistible, fork-tender bites of beefy heaven by sloooowly breaking down its fat marbling and collagen. This also offers rich flavor and a silky, thickened texture to the broth. I greatly appreciate an ingredient that adds so much value to a recipe!
“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
Whenever I make this soup, my family asks, “what do you have for dipping?”
Sometimes it’s homemade sourdough bread, other times I grab an artisan loaf from our local Kowalski’s bakery. Popovers are a favorite, too, perfect for mopping up every last bit in the bottom of the bowl.
And when we have guests at the table, I like to add a simple salad of fresh greens with my homemade buttermilk ranch dressing.
I use pearled barley for its Firm, chewy texture
Just like I don’t want mushy apples in my apple crisp (and use certain kinds of apples to accomplish this), I also do not want mushy barley in my soup! So I always use pearled barley in this recipe. It’s similar in size and texture to brown rice, and offers the very best “not-mushy” texture in this slow cooker recipe.
Also. Just Say No to Mushy Vegetables!
The vegetables cook for a long time in the slow cooker, so I always cut them somewhat thick. If you cut them small, they will definitely end up mushy.
If you prefer smaller pieces of veggies, I recommend adding them later in the cooking process.
Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Stew with Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1" cubes (Top round is another option, just know that it will not be as flavorful and tender as chuck.)
- Morton kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, cut into ¼"-thick slices
- 8 large carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally into ½"-thick pieces
- 6 large cloves garlic, minced
- 4 medium-large yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 6 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 cup dry red wine
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ cup pearled barley* (SEE NOTES)
- 1 bay leaf
- chopped fresh parsley, optional garnish
Instructions
- Sprinkle beef cubes fairly generously with salt and pepper. If you own a slow cooker with a meat browning function, 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-quart 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 very tender.
- Serve hot, with fresh parsley sprinkled over the top. A good, crusty bread for dipping is always welcome.
Video
Notes
- For very soft barley – add the barley after you brown the beef, and then slow cook for 6 hours, until the soup is done.
- For a firmer, chewier bite – add the barley just 1 to 2 hours before the soup is done.
This is the next recipe going in my slow cooker! I think my whole family will love it, looks delicious!
Wonderful! We just enjoyed it again yesterday!
Your recipe is in my slow cooker right now. I’m planning to package it up and freeze it so we’ll have some yummy heat’n’eat meals while I’m recovering from eye surgery.
I hope you liked this stew, Deborah. Just a note – the soup may thicken up after being frozen. If that happens, just add a bit more beef broth when warming up the soup on the stovetop.
I’m wondering what I could use as a substitute for the wine. The recipe looks delicious but when I see wine I shy away. Can you recommend something different?
Hi Allison – I would just eliminate the wine and make the recipe without a substitute. If you don’t want to use wine because of the alcohol, I completely understand. But if you’re just leary to use wine, I encourage you to give it a try. It adds beautiful depth of flavor to a slow simmering soup. You can’t taste that it has wine once it has finished cooking. Please let me know how it goes – hope you like it!
I am prepping this tonight to put into the slow cooker tomorrow and I can hardly wait to eat it already when I get home from work tomorrow!
Wonderful! Hope you liked it!
Amazing stew! I’ve tried a lot of different stew recipes and this one by far is the best. Super flavorful, love the barley addition. I used organic stew meat and cooked on high for 1 hour and then on low for about 5 hours and it was perfect. We were so anxious to dig in that I totally forgot the fresh parsley. This one is a keeper for sure! Thanks!!
Hi Laura – thank you for coming back to let me know you made this. I’m so happy you liked it! :)
Oh this is just the perfect thing to have waiting for you when you return from work on these freezing cold winter days! Looks delicious!
My neighbor went on the gaps diet and gave me a bunch of food she wanted out of her house. Many of those groceries have left me scratching my head trying to figure out what to do with it.
Cross the barley off the “what the heck am I supposed to do with this” list!
Excellent. Enjoy the soup!
It is such a cold night here, this sounds perfect!
This meal is perfect for us in Buffalo NY right now. It has been absolutely freezing outside and am looking for a good bowl of stew to heat my system. Looks nice and hearty!
Excellent! Stay warm!!
I just spent this weekend stockpiling a bunch of slow cooker recipes because I have one ten hour work day during the week! This made it to the list :)
Wonderful! Hope you like it!
The count down is ON!!! In the meantime, I’ll be hunkering down with soup. Stay warm Brenda!
My family would love this Brenda!! I don’t make stew often. The slow cooker is calling my name for this one!
Gotta make a pot of this for Eric. Total comfort food and it’s perfect for the weather we’ve been having.
Total comfort food! This looks perfect!
Dangit! We just had this for dinner last night (but not your recipe). I wish I would have looked on here first! Although I didn’t have any pearl barley and I really wanted some :(
I live in Colorado, and I am always so happy when it gets above 40 degrees! It feels so warm!
Hi Melissa – please let me know if you give this recipe a try. And here’s to spring and warmer temps!
Looks DELICIOUS! I just bought everything and will be making it tomorrow morning! One question: the picture shows mushrooms…but there aren’t any listed in the recipe. Did you just saute them and throw them in the pot with the beef? Thanks!
My apologies! I just updated the recipe. Thanks for letting me know. I hope you like this stew!
Now this is my kind of dinner! Love this comfort food!!
This stew looks so cozy! It’s been unseasonably warm here in Utah, but I think I’m going to have to give this recipe a try while the evenings are still cozy.
This is such a cozy dish, Brenda! I’m sure it doesn’t compare to Minnesota, but we have been getting some snow in Colorado this week and this would be the perfect meal! :)
This stew looks delicious and I have a feeling this is destined to become a favorite!!!! I could use a big bowl of this after being outside for 10 minutes. Stay warm Brenda and here’s hoping the ground hog was seriously wrong!!!