Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup

This Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup is an easy slow cooker meal that is packed with flavor and meaty goodness. It’s just the soup recipe to make when temperatures drop.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword crockpot, slow cooker, soup

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 377kcal

Author Jillian - a Food, Folks and Fun original!

Ingredients

3 pounds stew meat trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
1 large onion chopped fine
1 medium fennel bulb chopped small with green parts discarded
8 ounces button mushrooms sliced
3 large carrots peeled and chopped into ½-inch pieces
5 medium garlic cloves minced
½ cup Holland House Red Cooking Wine
1 quart beef broth 4 cups
1 quart beef bone broth 4 cups
28 ounces diced tomatoes
1 cup pearl barley
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup minced fresh parsley plus more for serving

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Using paper towels, pat beef dry (you need the meat dry to get a nice sear) and season with salt and pepper. Heat large pan over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon oil until just smoking. Brown half of meat, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer meat and juices to slow cooker insert, and repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and rest of meat.
Keep heat at medium-high, add 1 tablespoon oil to pan, onions, fennel, mushrooms, and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms have released their moisture and vegetables are softened, about 7-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to slow cooker insert.
Add wine, broth, tomatoes, barley, tomato paste, and thyme to slow cooker insert. Cover slow cooker and cook until meat is tender; LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours. 10 minutes before serving, ladle off fat from surface, and stir in Worcestershire sauce and parsley. Cover and cook 10 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls, and garnish with parsley, serve.

Nutrition