Healthy Beef and Barley Soup

So delicious and packed with nutritional benefits, this healthy beef and barley soup is perfect for chilly winter days, served with a slice of crusty sourdough bread or a fresh lettuce salad.

Seasoned with parsley and bay leaves, and adding the tang of Worcestershire sauce, this soup is full of delicious flavor. It is even more flavorful the second day, making it great for leftovers or lunches throughout the week.

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Kitchen Equipment

Ingredient Notes

• Broth – I typically use whatever type of broth I have on hand. This is a great way to include more bone broth in your diet!
• Worcestershire sauce – Look for one that doesn’t have high-fructose corn syrup in it. I use this one!
• Fresh parsley – Garnishing the soup with fresh parsley is optional, but I highly recommend it. It adds extra flavor, plus a lovely pop of color!
• Salt – I use pink Himalayan salt, but you can use whatever salt you prefer.
• Barley – Use hulled barley for this recipe; it still has the bran and germ intact, containing more nutrients than pearl barley.
• Olive oil – I use regular olive oil, but you can substitute for extra-virgin, or even avocado oil.

Tips for Healthy Beef and Barley Soup

• Prepping it ahead of time – If you want a head start on making this soup, brown the ground beef and onion earlier in the day.
• Diced onion – Make sure the onion is finely chopped to avoid large bites of it in the soup.

Step-by-Step Instructions and Photos

1. Heat the olive oil in the cooking pot over medium heat. Then add the ground beef and finely diced onion and cook until browned. Drain any excess grease.

2. Add the chopped celery, frozen mixed veggies, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, water, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, dried parsley flakes, and bay leaves, and combine. Over medium heat, bring the soup to a gentle boil, stirring frequently. Once at a gentle boil, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add the barley and stir to combine. Continue cooking over medium-low heat for about 40-50 more minutes, or until barley is tender and swollen.

4. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Healthy Beef and Barley Soup

Packed with nutrients and full of delicious flavor, this healthy beef and barley soup is a family-favorite and perfect for cozy season.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 317 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 ½ lbs ground beef thawed
• 1 large onion
• 1 head celery finely diced (or 3 cups chopped)
• 2 10 oz bags frozen mixed veggies
• 1 29 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 3 8 oz cans tomato sauce
• 4 cups broth
• 3 cups water
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp bay leaves
• 1 dried parsley flakes
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 1 cup hulled barley
• fresh parsley for garnishing

Instructions

 

• Heat the olive oil in the cooking pot over medium heat. Then add the ground beef and finely diced onion and cook until browned. Drain any excess grease.
• Add the chopped celery, frozen mixed veggies, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, water, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, dried parsley flakes, and bay leaves, and combine. Over medium heat, bring the soup to a gentle boil, stirring frequently. Once at a gentle boil, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add the barley and stir to combine. Continue cooking over medium-low heat for about 40-50 more minutes, or until barley is tender and swollen.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Notes

• Broth – I typically use whatever type of broth I have on hand. This is a great way to include more bone broth in your diet!
• Worcestershire sauce – Look for one that doesn’t have high-fructose corn syrup in it. I use this one!
• Fresh parsley – Garnishing the soup with fresh parsley is optional, but I highly recommend it. It adds extra flavor, plus a lovely pop of color!
• Salt – I use pink Himalayan salt, but you can use whatever salt you prefer.
• Barley – Use hulled barley for this recipe; it still has the bran and germ intact, containing more nutrients than pearl barley.
• Olive oil – I use regular olive oil, but you can substitute for extra-virgin, or even avocado oil.

Keyword barley, beef, beef and barley, healthy, soup, vegetable

Recipes to Pair with Healthy Beef and Barley Soup

• Artisan Sourdough Boule
• The Family Favorite Salad Recipe
• Italian Bread Bowls

For more healthy recipes, check out my delicious, spiced butternut squash muffins, roasted garlic and herb potatoes, or oven-roasted butternut squash.