

Based on Betty Crocker’s wonderful recipe for Beef Barley Soup, this one’s a keeper!
The interesting history of barley soup goes back centuries, and some say it pre-dates written history! If you are wondering where it Beef Barley Soup orginated, culinary historians will say SCOTLAND! No surprise to me! LOL
It is one of my favorite soups!
I love the broth of this one! It’s thickened by the barley ONLY! At the end of the cook time you just add any vegetables you happen to feel like!
The technique is foolproof! You can’t go wrong!
I’ve varied it with potatoes, or a little cut-up cabbage. Use any veggies you happen to have, fresh, canned, or frozen.
In one picture I used frozen peas and carrots that I steamed in the microwave for 5 minutes, then added them into the crockpot at the end of the cook time. It’s ready to serve!
See how super fast and easy it is to make in the slideshow below.
Enjoy!
Beef Barley Soup in a Slow Cooker
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (Crockpot)
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds stew meat cut small
- 1 onion large, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- ⅔ cup pearl barley uncooked
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) tomatoes diced petite tomatoes, undrained
- 5¼ cups(64 ounces) beef broth
- 1⅔ cups vegetables canned, frozen, or raw (any vegetables)
Instructions
- Spray or grease your slow cooker.
- Add all the ingredients except the 2 cups of vegetables. Save those for the end.
- Cook, covered, on LOW temperature for 8-10 hours.
- Add your vegetables. You can heat them up in the microwave first if you are serving right away. Or let them heat for 15 minutes longer right in the crockpot. Canned veggies you can just add in, drain them first though. For frozen veggies, or raw potatoes or cabbage, steam these in the microwave until soft before adding them after the 9-10 cook time.