Enjoy the tantalizing aroma of beef barley soup as it simmers in your kitchen. Brimming with hearty beef, savory vegetables, and barley, it's satisfying and delicious.
Trim excess fat from beef; cut into bite-sized cubes. Toss cubed beef with flour, salt, and pepper.
In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Add beef in a single layer, not overcrowding the pan. You may have to do it in batches.
Cook without stirring for 2 to 3 minutes, and then stir to brown the other sides of the beef cubes, cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes. The beef doesn’t have to be cooked through at this point. Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining beef, adding more oil if necessary.
When you've finished searing the beef, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same pot. Add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes or until onion is translucent.
Add garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Add ½ cup to 1 cup of beef broth and scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan (deglaze).
Add remaining beef broth, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, thyme, bay leaf, and seared beef.
Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to medium-low or low. Cover and simmer for 60 minutes.
Add barley, stir, and cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 35 to 40 minutes or until barley is tender and beef is very tender. If desired, add more beef broth to thin the soup.
Remove bay leaf, stir in fresh parsley and serve hot.
Video
Notes
Don’t cut the vegetables too small or they may disintegrate with the long cooking time.
Leftover soup can be refrigerated for up to four days or frozen for up to 4 months. If the soup seems too thick when reheating, thin as desired with beef broth or water.