Winter is just around the corner and the days are getting colder, in my part of the world anyway! I love warming up with a hearty bowl of soup and this slow-cooker beef and barley soup sure did hit the spot! It is easy to make and you can just leave it to cook away in the slow cooker while you get your work done. Makes 10 servings at 4 points per serving on WW.
Ingredients used
- Beef *stewing/sirloin
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Potatoes
- Beef broth
- Garlic
- Tomato paste
- Bay leaves
- Italian seasoning
- Salt & pepper
- Pearl barley
Tips and suggestions...
Beef- I used stewing beef, which I cut into smaller pieces once it was browned. Any beef will work well, you can use a sirloin steak, or you can even swap out the beef and use a ground turkey or chicken to lower the points, be sure to cook the ground meat before you add it to the slow cooker if you decide to use it.
Vegetables- carrots, celery, and onion are a nice veggie mix for this soup, feel free to add in any others you would like. I used white potatoes as they are my preference but any potatoes will work well in this recipe.
Seasonings- I kept it simple with some bay leaves, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt/pepper. You can add in any seasonings of your choice, to suit you.
Storing and re-heating...
You can store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
This soup freezes very well, to re-heat, let dethaw at room temperature then heat in a pan on the stove over medium heat, you might need to add in a little broth or water if it is too thick. You can also re-heat in the microwave.
Slow cooker beef & barley soup
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs beef *I used stewing beef, sirloin or similar will work fine
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 4 small-medium white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- 7 cups beef broth
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ¾ cup pearl barley
Instructions
- Brown the beef in a frying pan over medium heat, I used a little cooking spray in the pan, you do not need to cook all the way through, the beef will finish cooking in the slow cooker.
- Add the beef and all of the ingredients to the slow cooker, cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
- Makes 10- 1 cup servings. Store leftover soup in the fridge for up to 3 days, you can freeze this soup.
Notes
Marcia
Hi, what size slow cooker did you use?
Drizzle
Hi mine is a standard 6 quart slow cooker
Sheri
Always love to make this recipe!
Drizzle
So glad you enjoyed it Sheri 🙂
Tina
Can you make this on the Stovetop? I would cut the recipe in half just for me because my husband wouldn't eat it.
Dawn
Can this recipe be done in the oven? If so for how long?
Thanks
Drizzle
H Dawn, do you mean in the oven or on the stovetop? If you have a dutch oven I would think it will cook fine in the oven, I'd try it at 350F for about 3-4 hours, checking it at the 3-hour mark.
Tina
Can you use quick cooking barley?
Laurie Goss
Anyway you can include sodium in your nutritional label?
Becky Ames
This is my favorite stew recipe. Super filling and tasty. I made it for my Mom and she loved it too. I always add extra carrots and potatoes.