Crockpot Beef Barley Soup

Slow cooker beef barley soup with potatoes comes out so good. You can start with our Beef chuck roast slow cooker recipe to shred or start with stew meat. An Old Fashioned hearty one pot meal with carrots and potatoes that is a family favorite year round.

You’ve gotta’ try this soup for dinner this week. Using any cut of beef you love cut into bite size pieces, add your favorite vegetables and you’re set. If you have never cooked this grain from scratch, it’s an easy Crockpot recipe we will walk you thru.

I started this idea by making Instant Pot Barley Soup with ham after the holidays. A great choice when you’re tired of sandwiches. It came out so good that one morning I figured I could make it slow on low too and it worked!

We are all about making easy beef recipes though since we have a lot of it in our freezer. Living in Northern Idaho with farmers all around us makes it super handy when we want lean, organic meats year round.

Ingredient Notes

This was made with a package of beef stew meat that was in my freezer that I needed to cook. I had defrosted it overnight in the fridge but you could cook Frozen Stew Meat this way too as it will thaw and then cook in this long cook time.

I like to use olive oil to brown meat but you could use avocado oil instead if you would rather. If frozen, skip this step of course and just make sure the pieces are separated. Run under cool water if needed.

The liquid should really be beef broth or stock as water won’t add any flavor. For a richer flavor you could use a bit of red wine instead.

For the vegetables you should use those that are rather firm like potatoes peeled and cubed 1″ ea.,  carrots peeled and cut into 1″ piece and some white or yellow Onion sliced

Minced garlic is always in almost every savory recipe we make so that goes it without even measuring really. 😉

Tomato paste thickens the soup nicely, spaghetti sauce would be a good alternative but isn’t as thick.

And then let’s talk about seasonings to amp the yum up, we add; Worcestershire sauce gives it a pop, Salt and pepper to taste, thyme is optional, and occasionally some bay leaves

We used quick barley for this one so it can be thrown in at the end for the last 30 minutes. If you used traditional barley you’d need to add that with everything else to get tender all day long.

Tips

When you cut your meat up just make sure they are all the same size, large bite size pieces. At this time I trim it up a bit to remove excess fat and any bone that may be in there. If making as a stew meat recipe you can skip this step. Like I said, I use what I have on hand for this one.

If you wanted to use chuck roast that is great too. We have used this same protein in our slow cooker beef manhattan which comes out amazing too. Cutting it up into bite size pieces not only cuts down the cooking time but makes it super easy to eat when it’s done too.

If you have only made slow cooker beef stew with tender beef and vegetables in the past, the old fashioned way, it is always great to change things up. Soup has always been the ultimate comfort food for dinner I say. Especially during the Winter when the weather is icky and cold outside we always crave something hot in our bellies.

Other Slow Cooker Soups You’ll Love

Slow cooker soups are something that many times I will throw together with what we need to use up. If you have been following me for any length of time you know how I hate wasting good. This is a great way to make something new out of all of it.

With leftovers I will almost always make a pot of slow cooker split pea soup after the holidays. You can cook dry beans in this thing too without soaking them beforehand. Whether you make our slow cooker ham and beans as a soup with more broth or less as a side dish it turns out great. I typically use Northern beans but Navy works well too.

And then just think outside of the box beyond that. After Easter I may make slow cooker ham hocks this way. Put them into the bottom with sliced carrots, celery, cubed taters, and whatever type of broth I have on hand. Cover the meat so they’re submerged and put it on low all day long.

Storing Leftovers

Again, I hate to waste. If I have used ingredients that were about to go bad and/or leftover meat I will not save it at all since it has already been reheated and repurposed. Most of the time this isn’t the case so there are a few things you should remember so the flavor and texture is retained for as long as possible.

Always allow your food to come to room temperature Store in a sealed container or freezer bags zipped tight with all the air removed. Keep in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months

How to Reheat Leftovers

First transfer your contents into a microwave safe dish, or into a pot on your stovetop. To nuke heat on high/regular power in 30 second increments stirring in between sessions until hot. You may want/need to put a paper towel over the top to prevent splattering and dirtying the inside of your machine.

If using a pot just heat over medium high heat stirring intermittently until as warm as you’d like. Using a lid will help prevent a potential mess.

Can You Save Leftovers After Reheating?

You shouldn’t. Cooling, heating, cooling, and repeating will increase the likelihood that bacteria may grow. To avoid this only take out the amount of food you are going to reheat and eat right then and there. If you heat it all at once then the whole thing should be eaten at that time. What is remaining should just be discarded at this time.