I first shared this recipe on Recipe Girl where I am a contributor. Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup is a hearty soup packed with veggies, super tender beef, and whole grain barley. It’s the perfect simple and healthy meal for a rainy spring day.
Beef and Barley Soup
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My husband isn’t a fan of soup but this Beef and Barely Soup sure changed his mind. That two pounds of tender beef are what won him over, plus the amazing flavor that the beef and veggies bring. Unlike an simple can of vegetable soup, this one is actually filling since it is loaded with protein, veggies, and whole grains. Even my little girls who aren’t big meat eaters love it which is awesome because it’s a balanced meal that’s easy for me to make and clean up since it only requires one pot- Instant Pot or a stock pot.
How to make Beef and Barley Soup:
Prep your chuck roast by cutting it into 1/2 inch pieces. You don’t want too big of chunks since this is a soup and you’ll want to fit more on each spoonful than one hunk of meat.
Next you’ll use the saute function on your Instant Pot (or a large pot over medium-high heat) to brown the meat. When browning meat it’s important to avoid moving it around. Just add the meat in an even layer (you’ll need to work in batches) and let it cook for 2-3 minutes so it forms a nice crust. Then flip it and cook another 2-3 minutes and remove the meat onto a plate or bowl.
Then you’ll start on the veggies and cook the onions and celery. For almost all my soups I like to dice my onions and celery pretty small so that they are really tender and almost disappear when cooked. After they are nice and soft, you can toss the beef back in the pot along with all the other veggies, broth, spices, and herbs. You’ll save the green beans for the very end so that they don’t turn that ugly lunch lady green bean color. You know what I mean.
If making this in the instant pot you’ll just place the lid on, make sure the knob is set to “seal” and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes with a 15 minutes natural release.
If making the soup on the stove top, bring the soup to a simmer, cover, and cook it on low for 60-90 minutes or until the beef is tender.
The last step is to stir in the frozen green beans. The hot soup will cook them perfectly in 5-10 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with some crusty bread so you can soak up every last drop of yummy broth.
This soup is even great as leftovers the next day or you can even freeze it for those days you’re too busy to cook.
HERE ARE A FEW MORE SOUP RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
- The Best Minestrone Soup
- Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
- Meatball Pizza Soup
Tools used to make this Beef and Barley Stew:
- Instant Pot Pressure Cooker– As much as I love my slow cooker, you can make things way faster (1/8 the time!) in the pressure cooker. It’s truly amazing! You can make anything in it from soup to rice to fall-off-the-bone tender ribs.
- Knife Set– I got this when I got married almost 8 years ago. I use them multiple times a day and they’re still going strong!
- Enamel Cast Iron Dutch Oven– I love this one and it’s affordable. I use it for soup, stew, bread…
Beef and Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 1 rib celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups carrots, diced
- 15 ounce diced tomatoes
- 3 red potatoes, cubed
- 2/3 cup pearl barley
- 6 cups beef broth, (or water and bouillon)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bayleaf
- 1 cup frozen green beans
- Fresh parsley, (for garnish)
Instructions
Instant Pot (pressure cooker):
- Season beef with salt & pepper. Place 2 teaspoons oil in the bottom of Instant Pot and set to "Saute". Once hot, work in batches to brown the beef. Place on a plate once browned.
- Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the Instant Pot and saute the onions and celery until softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 more seconds. Add the beef back in along with the carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, barley, broth, salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir together, place lid on and set valve to "seal". Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes with a 15 minutes natural release followed by a quick release. Remove lid when safe.
- Stir in the frozen green beans and place the lid back on for 5 minutes (no need to mess with the setting). Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Serve garnished with parsley and a side of hearty bread.
Stove Top:
- Season beef with salt & pepper. Place 2 teaspoons oil in the bottom of a pot. Work in batches to brown the beef. Place on a plate once browned.
- Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pot and saute the onions and celery over medium heat until softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add the beef back in along with the carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, barley, broth, salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer 60-90 minutes or until beef is tender.
- Add the green beans and simmer 4 more minutes. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Serve garnished with parsley and a side of hearty bread.
Amazing! My whole family ate it up and are looking forward to leftover for lunch today. Thank you! 🙂
Naomi, Yay! I’m so happy to hear your family loved it! Thank you for leaving a review!
I loved this recipe. Making for the second time today. The leftovers froze well and were delicious lunches for work.
I’m so happy to hear that Kathy! Thank you for leaving a review! 🙂
This is very good. However, when making the Instant Pot version, my barley was not cooked. I had to cook it for at least another 20 minutes on soup or sauté function so that the barley wasn’t hard. Just thought I’d mention that for anyone else looking to make and serve right away.
Hi Michelle! Is it possible you were using barley groats? They have the hull still on and therefore take a lot longer to cook. You should be using PEARL barley for this recipe. It cooks similar to brown rice.
I’ve made this multiple times and shared this recipe with all my instant pot-loving friends! They love this recipe!
I’m happy to hear you love it! Thanks for sharing it with others and for taking the time to leave a review. 🙂
Is is quick pearl barley or long cool barley?
Just the regular pearl barley, NOT quick.
This soup is so hearty and delicious. On of my go to recipes. It freezes great, too!
This soup is so hearty and very delicious! One of my new go to recipes. Freezes great too!
Made it today. It’s really good. It’s going in my box of keeper!
I’m so happy to hear that Sheila! Thanks for the review! 🙂
Love this recipe! It’s exactly what I wanted after planting my garden on a cool day. Thanks for your work.
Ann, I’m so happy to hear you liked it! Thank you for leaving a comment. Good luck with your garden! 🙂
I made this recipe for my family and it was delicious. The whole family loved it! The beef is so tender. I used fresh green beans (what I had at the time) and steamed them in the microwave until crisp tender before adding them in the last step. Thanks for sharing this recipe! It will be a regular in our Instant Pot recipe rotation.
I’m so happy to hear it’s going to be a regular at your house! And thank you for sharing how you made it using fresh green beans. 🙂
How should I adjust the recipe if using fresh green beans?
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Made the potato soup last night, didn’t think it was possible to make another soup in the same league. OMG, this beef barley recipe is fabulous! BIG love from my family!
Jennifer, Thanks for the review! So happy to hear it was a hit in your home. 🙂
Maybe it’s just me, but “where’s the beef”. I don’t see where you add the browned beef back into the mixture. Safe to assume it’s before the lid goes back on? That’s what I did. Looking forward to trying this tonight.
Sorry about that. Yes, you add it back in when you add all the other ingredients.
Do you trim the fat from the beef for this?
I do trim off any large sections of fat.
Trying this weekend. However, it seems your recipe leaves out putting the browned beef back in the IP before the pressure cook. Otherwise, the beef is left on the plate after browning.
Does it matter if I use “quick” pearled barley?
Thanks!
That might end up mushy if you put it in the instant pot as directed for the regular pearled barley. If you make this on the stove top, just add the quick barley at the last 10 minutes of simmering.
This sounds amazing! I’m making it for supper tonight for my fiancé and I.????
Looks and sounds delicious! I will be making this soon, thanks for the recipe!