Beef Barley Mushroom Soup

I want my winter soups to have substance. Give me a big bowl of something that is absolutely packed with flavours and textures and really sticks to my ribs. Also give it to me with big glasses of rich wine and large chunks of buttery bread that will likely stick to other parts of me but that’s totally worth it because it’s so good.

This soup is thick. It’s bordering on stew. That’s how I like it. If you’re not on board with that just thin it out with a little broth.

This soup also keeps well and is the perfect thing to load into the fridge to dip into all week. I knew somewhere deep inside I knew how to meal prep!

Beef – I use regular beef stew meat. Chuck roast is great or short ribs work well. You can even make this soup with ground beef or bison, in a pinch.

Barley – I use pearl barley, so if you only have pot barley you’ll have to adjust the cooking time

Red Wine – if you don’t want to use the wine you can just deglaze the pot with the same amount of beef broth.

Mushrooms – I’m a cremini girl, but regular white button mushrooms work just as well.

Beef Barley Mushroom Soup Recipe Variations:

Sweet Potato Version – add in about 1 1/2 cups cubed sweet potato when you add in the barley.

Herby Version – when you add in the thyme also add 2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary.

Cheesy Version – stir in a cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese at the end when you add the parsley. Stir until the cheese is melted in.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add in the beef in batches—no overcrowding, the beef needs space to develop that deep brown crust. Scoop out the beef and set it aside on a plate once it’s all browned.

If the pot now looks a little dry, add in another drizzle of olive oil and then toss in the onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté the veggies until the onion’s softened and then add in the garlic, and let it cook for 1-2 minutes until it’s all fragrant and smells amazing. Next, stir in the butter, let it melt, then sprinkle in the flour and give it a good stir.

Pour in the red wine and stir well to scrape up all the bottom bits—let it cook for a couple minutes to work off the raw flavour. Add the beef back into the pot along with the broth, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce, plus a nice big pinch of S&P. Bring it all to a boil, then lower the temperature to a simmer and let it bubble away or about an hour.

Add in the barley and let it continue to gently simmer for another hour until the barley is cooked and tender.

While the soup is doing its thing we’ll cook the mushrooms. Toss them with a splash of oil and some soy sauce, spread them out on a baking sheet, and roast for 10 minutes, until they’re deep brown and caramelized.

Add the mushrooms to the soup pot, stir in the parsley and kale (if you’re using it – and you should!), taste to see if it needs more S&P and tuck in.

• Serve it with this Chopped Kale and Apple Salad or this Fennel Apple Salad for a delicious fall lunch or dinner.
• Make some homemade bread to serve on the side like this Fluffy Black Pepper Focaccia Genovese with Grapes & Rosemary or make something fun like this 15 minute Garlic Butter & Cheese Stuffed Naan
• Keep it cozy and follow it up with this Upside Down Puff Pastry Apple Tart
• …or this Apple Almond Cake

If you like this Beef Barley Mushroom Soup Recipe let me know what you think in the comments below and please find and follow me on Social Media!