Beef and Barley Soup with Mushrooms (Printable)

Hearty soup with tender beef, smoky pancetta, mushrooms, and pearl barley in rich, aromatic broth.

# What You Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 lb beef chuck roast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
02 - 4 oz pancetta, diced

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 lb baby bella mushrooms, sliced
04 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
05 - 2 medium carrots, diced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 3 garlic cloves, minced

→ Grains

08 - 3/4 cup pearl barley, rinsed

→ Liquids

09 - 8 cups low sodium beef broth
10 - 1 cup water

→ Aromatics & Seasonings

11 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
12 - 2 bay leaves
13 - 1 tsp dried thyme
14 - 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
15 - 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
16 - 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
17 - 2 tbsp olive oil

→ Garnish

18 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

# How To Make It:

01 - In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook until browned and crispy, approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside.
02 - Season beef chuck cubes with salt and pepper. Add to the pot in batches, searing until browned on all sides, approximately 5-6 minutes per batch. Remove beef and set aside.
03 - Add remaining olive oil to the pot. Sauté onion, carrots, and celery until softened, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add sliced mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release their juices and begin to brown, approximately 6-8 minutes.
05 - Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Return beef and pancetta to the pot. Add barley, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, beef broth, and water. Bring to a boil.
06 - Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender and barley is fully cooked through.
07 - Remove bay leaves. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's the kind of soup that tastes even better the next day, so you're basically getting two great meals out of one cooking session.
  • The pancetta adds a smoky depth that makes people think you spent hours fussing, when really most of that time is just simmering away on its own.
  • Pearl barley gives you that satisfying chew without needing any special techniques or fussy ingredients.
02 -
  • Don't skip the searing step for the beef, even though it feels like extra work—those browned edges are where the flavor lives, and they make the final broth taste like it's been cooking for days.
  • Rinsing the barley before adding it changes everything; it keeps the broth clear and allows the barley to actually absorb the broth instead of making it starchy and cloudy.
  • The soup genuinely tastes better the next day as the flavors marry and deepen, so if you have time, make it ahead.
03 -
  • Make this in a Dutch oven if you have one—the heavy bottom distributes heat evenly and prevents burning, plus it looks beautiful if you're bringing it to the table.
  • Batch-searing the beef might seem tedious, but crowding the pot drops the temperature and you'll end up steaming instead of browning, which costs you serious flavor.
  • Taste the soup 10 minutes before you think it's done; sometimes the beef and barley finish faster than you expect depending on your stove.
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