Mom’s Vegetable Beef Barley Soup is packed with flavor! Tender vegetables, barley, and beef combined in a broth that the entire family loves!
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This recipe is one that my mom has been making for years! Each and every Fall/Winter season, my mom adds this into her meal rotation and it’s always a favorite!
As the years have passed, she has changed it up from adding barley to noodles. Depending on the vegetables she has on hand, sometimes those change up as well.
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If you love soups, check out these other family favorites:
Mom’s Vegetable Beef Noodle Soup
Lots of variation you can try with this recipe, but all will have an incredible flavor!
If you’re wondering what to serve this with, you can keep it simple and offer a crusty bread. If you are a salad lover, a side salad goes great with this as well!
Now that my brother and I are older and have family’s of our own, my mom will make this for my dad and her. Since my hubby and I live right down the street from my parents, I have a tendency to invite myself over for a bowl because its one of my favs!
When one of us has a sick kiddo or family member, my mom also makes a big pot of this and drops it off to our houses. Nothing helps you feel better than a nice, warm bowl of hearty soup, right?!
If you have a dutch oven, add the ingredients in and let it simmer a few hours before dinner. If you have a soup pot, feel free to do the same! You can even adapt this to a slow cooker by cooking the beef, adding in the ingredients as listed below, and setting on low for about 4-6 hours.
Ingredients Needed:
Mom’s Vegetable Beef Barley Soup is comfort food at its finest! Print the recipe below and be sure to add it to your next meal plan!
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Mom's Vegetable Beef Barley Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef
- ½ cup onion *chopped
- 1 garlic clove *minced
- 4 cups beef broth
- 3 cups water
- 14 oz diced tomatoes *do not drain can
- ½ cup medium barley *Quaker brand is what we use
- ½ cup celery *sliced
- ½ cup carrots *diced
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- ½ teaspoon dried Basil
- 9 oz mixed vegetables
Instructions
- In a 4 quart saucepan or dutch oven, brown the ground beef.
- Add onion and garlic.
- Cook until the onion is tender; drain fat.
- Add remaining ingredients, minus the frozen vegetables.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat, simmer about 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add frozen vegetables and cook about 10 more minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
- Add additional water or extra can of tomatoes if soup becomes too thick upon standing. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Recipe updated: 9/20/21
Judy says
I don’t have any beef bouillon cubes, but I do have beef broth. Can this recipe be made successfully without the bouillon cubes. I need this soup to be low sodium. I remember my Mom made Beef Barley Soup, of course it was always delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe. **
Kristin says
Absolutely! Feel free to use the beef broth without cubes! It’ll be tasty and less sodium!! Enjoy!
Claire says
My husband loved it! Taste was REALLY good and, although I dislike tomato type soups, I thought it was excellent too.
Kristin says
Yay! Glad to hear you both enjoyed it!
Joan Schaller-Bauer says
Thank you so much reminding me how yummy barley is!!! I haven’t used it a few years and just a new box; not easy to find! I am looking forward to making this.
I am a low sodium freak, [ and this is loaded with salt!!!] so I use low sodium soup bases, bouillon, and even veggies, if I can find them! I agree a nice cheap cut of chuck steak of such will work great! I also have a tip I wish to share…….low sodium V-8 Juice is magnificent for soups, stews, etc……..even just as is, for home made tomato soup!!! I would definitely use some in this recipe!!! Thank you again and bon appetite!!!
Kristin says
Yes, Barley is so tasty! Great tips and suggestions! Thanks!!
Julie says
All I can find is Quaker quick barley. Can this be used instead
Kristin says
Absolutely! That works great!! Hope you enjoy!
Rae says
Is it possible to have the nutritive value for this great soup.
Kristin says
For a Serving Size of 1 cup
Calories 100
Total Fat 3g
Saturated fat 1g
Cholesterol 11mg
Sodium 1160mg
Carbohydrates 12g
Net carbs 10g
Fiber 2g
Glucose 1g
Protein 6g
Mary says
In Scotland we have a cheap cut of meat called boiling beef usually the basis of a great pan of soup.
Kristin says
We have stew beef that is a good option, but I almost always have ground beef on hand, which is why it calls for that. You can use either and I bet it will be just as good. How fun that you are fun Scotland, I’m jealous because I have never been, but all the pictures I see are gorgeous there!!