A filling and nutritious soup packed with veggies and grains.
I don’t know what it’s like where you live, but the weather has been nuts here in Pennsylvania. One minute it’s snowing like crazy, and the next it’s 60 degrees and raining. The warmer weather during the past week or so has been nice, but I know winter isn’t over yet (Punxsutawney Phil said so).
There are so many reasons I’m ready for summer, like gardening, walks outside, and farmers markets, but there are also a lot of things I like about winter, such as comfy clothes, beautiful snow, and SOUP.
Yep, another soup recipe. This is the seventh one I’ve shared on the blog, and I’m sure there will be many, many more. I shared a post called 20 Healthy Soups to Keep You Warm This Winter with some recipes from other bloggers, too.
You could say soup is a passion of mine. Not only is it quick to make, but it’s pretty difficult to mess up, too. Plus, you can pack so many veggies into it! And most importantly, it’s comforting and brings me so much joy.
Fun fact–I actually live with Zack on his family’s small beef farm. They have a few cows who hang out right behind our house most of the time. I haven’t been much of a beef eater in awhile, and having these cow friends makes me want to eat it even less (even though we do have a freezer full of it).
Sometimes, though, I want a good hearty meal, and what’s more classic than some beef vegetable soup? This soup is full of all kinds of veggies, delicious flavors from herbs and spices, and some barley, which has become my favorite grain recently.
As always, you can mix up this recipe how you please (especially since soup is so hard to mess up). You can add a variety of vegetables and choose a different grain, such as quinoa or rice. And if you don’t eat beef, you could sub another type of meat or have no meat at all. Make this soup your own and enjoy!
(There are quite a few ingredients in this recipe, but you can click on each ingredient and step and cross them off in the recipe card below while gathering the items and making the recipe)
Beef Barley Vegetable Soup
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A filling and nutritious soup packed with veggies and grains.
You'll Need...
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 lb beef stew meat*
- ½ large or one small onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 5 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 4 medium potatoes, cubed
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 8 cup beef or vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig fresh thyme (or ½ teaspoon dry)
- Pinch of hot pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup cooked barley**
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
- 1 cup fresh or frozen sweet peas
Directions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add one tablespoon olive oil.
- One oil is warm, add stew meat and brown. Remove meat from pot.
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil, then onions and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and stir, coating onions and garlic.
- Add meat back to the pan, along with carrots, potatoes, bay leaves, thyme, pepper flakes, salt and pepper, worcestershire sauce, and broth.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20-25 minutes until potatoes are soft.
- Whisk flour and water together, then add to the soup and stir well.***
- Add barley, corn, and peas, and simmer another 5 minutes until everything is cooked thoroughly and the flour has dissolved.
Additional Notes
*If you want your soup more heavy on meat, I’d add two pounds of beef.
**I’ve been cooking a big batch of pearl barley in my instant pot on the weekends to eat throughout the weak. You can also find quick barley at the store.
***The flour mixture helps to thicken the soup.
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