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.
The recipe is good!!
Delicious! We made this exactly as per your recipe except substituting beef stock for chicken stock and leaving out mushrooms as we didn’t have any in the pantry. Loved it, including our 7 month old. Thanks for suggesting!
Can I use my large Dutch oven
You certainly could!
Made this in the instant pot instead of the slow cooker. Followed the instructions, except for Dijon mustard since my wife doesn’t like Dijon mustard flavor at all. Only other change was to set the time for instant pot 30 minutes with 20 minutes natural release of pressure.
Ok now all that aside I was honestly a little underwhelmed by the flavor. I think this was more because I simply under-salted and not from the recipe itself. I added a pinch of salt to my 2nd bowl, and it was much better.
Obviously doing in a slow cooker would allow you to taste test easier, and adjust. But still a good recipe for instant pot if you have a good grasp of seasoning.
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!
I prefer to use pot barley because it’s more nutritious. How does that change the cooking time?
Great recipe. I cook for my father who is on a low sodium diet so I made some adjustments. I used no salt added tomato paste and no salt added beef stock. I used pepper and garlic powder to season the beef when browning instead of adding salt. I also added some extra seasonings to make up for the sodium reduction. I’m sure it would taste so much better as the recipe was written but the small sodium changes were necessary for his diet restriction and it still tasted great. It’s very hard to make soup low sodium without it tasting completely bland but the wine (naturally low sodium) really gives the soup flavor. Thank you for posting. Will be making again.
I followed the recipe except I used London Broil at 3.99 pound instead of chuck roast. Only used 1 large diced russet potato. I only had quick barley that I cooked separately and added when serving. My husband raved and had two large bowls.
I have been wanting to make beef and barley soup/stew for some time! Projected weekend cold weather gave me that excuse and scenario to do so. I followed your ingredient list, although I doubled the batch, for the most part. I added about 3 oz. of brandy, and Worcestershire sauce (roughy 2 TBLS). I also added a small bag of frozen peas. I grew up on Campbells beef & barley soup, it had peas! Those items gave it an umami twang it needed for our taste buds. Great recipe, it came out silky smooth and tasty! I expect it will be even better tomorrow after allowing all the goodness to meld together overnight!
Cheers!
Fabulous hearty simple winter meal. Thank you.
I use an enameled cast iron Dutch oven. Brown the beef, then deglaze with wine. Well worth the extra effort.
The best stew I’ve had…ever! Tasty, rich and creamy. The only things I changed/added is I used the whole can of tomato paste (6 oz) plus a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. Oh my!
Delicious!!! only change made,used 2 cans of beef broth and upped the wine to 2 cups and 1 cup water to make the 7 cups of liquid,used 2 tsp. Italian seasoning.Added 1&1/2 cups of frozen peas last 20 minutes,and a little corn starch for thickening.
This is a perfectly delicious soup/stew that was so easy to make. It has a rich flavor and truly a comfort food.
By far the best slow cooker beef stew recipe I’ve ever tried. I followed the recipe exactly, and it was perfect after four hours on “high” followed by two hours on “low.” I served it with a salad and toasted ciabatta bread. My husband raved about this stew.
Made this for supper tonight and it was delicious!
Great recipe! I used fresh soup bones from our farm and simmered in the crockpot for 6 hrs with the spices and water and wine in place of broth as it will make its own broth. Removed bones added veggies and simmered till done was amazing recipe. Was a great meal with crispy bread after a long cold day on the farm. They all loved it!
Thank you
I made this tonight. I followed the recipe exactly. It was soo good. Had sourdough french bread with it. I thought it wasn’t going to get done in time but I started the crock pot on high at 1pm and it was done by 6pm. Everything was cooked evenly and the meat was perfect.
Can you cook for 6 hours on medium to avoid changing from high to low? Just asking because I might let this cook whole I’m out
I didn’t try it with the Dijon mustard, but used the wine and two small shakes of worcestershire sauce along with some squash. It was very hearty and filling, great flavor and consistency.