Beef and Barley Soup with Mushrooms (Printable Version)

Tender beef, pancetta, mushrooms, and pearl barley simmered in rich broth. Hearty comfort for chilly days.

# What You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 lb beef chuck roast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
02 - 4 oz pancetta, diced

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 lb baby bella mushrooms, sliced
04 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
05 - 2 medium carrots, diced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 3 garlic cloves, minced

→ Grains

08 - 3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed

→ Liquids

09 - 8 cups low-sodium beef broth
10 - 1 cup water

→ Aromatics & Seasonings

11 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
12 - 2 bay leaves
13 - 1 tsp dried thyme
14 - 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
15 - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
16 - 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
17 - 2 tbsp olive oil

→ Garnish

18 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add diced pancetta and cook until browned and crispy, approximately 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a slotted spoon and reserve.
02 - Season beef chuck cubes with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add to the pot and sear until browned on all sides, about 5-6 minutes per batch. Remove and set aside.
03 - Add remaining olive oil to pot. Sauté onion, carrots, and celery until softened, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add sliced mushrooms to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release their juices and begin to brown, about 6-8 minutes.
05 - Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Return reserved beef and pancetta to pot. Add barley, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, beef broth, and water. Bring to a boil.
06 - Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender and barley is fully cooked.
07 - Remove bay leaves. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It actually tastes better the next day, which means you can make it when you have time and eat like royalty when you're busy.
  • The barley absorbs all the flavors so you get this incredibly rich, stick-to-your-ribs comfort that pasta soups never quite achieve.
  • It's the kind of soup that makes your kitchen smell so good that people show up at your door asking what you're cooking.
02 -
  • Rinsing the barley matters because if you don't, the starch coating will make your broth cloudy and the texture will be slimier than it should be.
  • Beef chuck isn't a fast cook—if you try to save time by not letting it simmer the full 90 minutes, you'll have chewy bits instead of tender melt-in-your-mouth pieces.
  • Don't skip browning the meat and pancetta properly; that caramelization layer is where your depth of flavor comes from, not from the broth alone.
03 -
  • Let your beef sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before searing—cold meat won't brown properly and just steams instead.
  • Taste the soup partway through simmering and adjust seasonings then, not just at the end, so flavors build gradually instead of all hitting at once.
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