This Beef and Barley Soup is a great meal prep recipe. It reheats really well, is freezer-friendly, and warms your soul on a cold rainy day!
Ingredients to make Beef and Barley Soup:
- 16 oz Beef Stew Meat cut into bite-size pieces
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Ground Oregano
- 1½ tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 cup Water
- 3 Carrots sliced, (about 150 grams)
- 1 Yellow Onion diced, (about 250 grams)
- 1 Green Bell Pepper diced, (about 150 grams)
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes, No Salt Added (about 1, 14.5 oz can)
- 1 tsp Thyme
- ½ tsp Ground Oregano
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 1 cup Barley (about 100 grams)
- 2 Whole Bay Leaves
- 2 tsp Beef Base
- 5 cups Water
Instructions:
- Place your bite-sized pieces of beef in a bowl. Then add your black pepper, garlic powder, ground oregano into the bowl. Toss your beef in the seasonings to cover. Then add your flour to the bowl and give the beef another toss to coat in the flour.
- Heat a large heavy bottom pot with a lid to medium heat. Once the pot is warm add the oil to the pot then add your meat. Spread the meat out into an even layer covering the bottom of the pot. Cook 3-5 minutes before stirring to get a nice brown color. Then stir and cook again for another 3-5 minutes. After this 6-10 minutes, your meat will be mostly cooked, and may even be slightly stuck to the bottom of the pan. This is okay, that is creating flavor!
- Now add 1 cup of water to the pot, this will loosen things off the bottom of the pot. Using a spatula to help get those pieces incorporated into the water.
- Next, add your carrots, onion, green pepper, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, and black pepper to the pot. Stir everything together and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
- After 10 minutes add your barley, bay leaves, beef base, and water to the pot. Stir everything together and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover with a lid and allow to cook for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and give everything a stir about halfway through.
- By the end of the 25 minutes, your barley will be cooked and your soup will be done and ready to serve!
Beef and Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 16 oz Beef Stew Meat cut into bite-size pieces
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Ground Oregano
- 1½ tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 cup Water
- 3 Carrots sliced, (about 150 grams)
- 1 Yellow Onion diced, (about 250 grams)
- 1 Green Bell Pepper diced, (about 150 grams)
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes, No Salt Added (about 1, 14.5 oz can)
- 1 tsp Thyme
- ½ tsp Ground Oregano
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 1 cup Barley (about 100 grams)
- 2 Whole Bay Leaves
- 2 tsp Beef Base
- 5 cups Water
Instructions
- Place your bite-sized pieces of beef in a bowl. Then add your black pepper, garlic powder, ground oregano into the bowl. Toss your beef in the seasonings to cover. Then add your flour to the bowl and give the beef another toss to coat in the flour.
- Heat a large heavy bottom pot with a lid to medium heat. Once the pot is warm add the oil to the pot then add your meat. Spread the meat out into an even layer covering the bottom of the pot. Cook 3-5 minutes before stirring to get a nice brown color. Then stir and cook again for another 3-5 minutes. After this 6-10 minutes, your meat will be mostly cooked, and may even be slightly stuck to the bottom of the pan. This is okay, that is creating flavor!
- Now add 1 cup of water to the pot, this will loosen things off the bottom of the pot. Using a spatula to help get those pieces incorporated into the water.
- Next, add your carrots, onion, green pepper, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, and black pepper to the pot. Stir everything together and cook for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
- After 10 minutes add your barley, bay leaves, beef base, and water to the pot. Stir everything together and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover with a lid and allow to cook for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and give everything a stir about halfway through.
- By the end of the 25 minutes, your barley will be cooked and your soup will be done and ready to serve!
Nutrition
Macro Adjustments:
Below outlines the items in each macro group that are easily adjustable to meet your specific macros.
Fat:
The majority of the fat in this recipe comes from the beef itself. You could reduce the amount of fat by using a less fatty cut of meat, however, the fat is what provides some of the amazing flavors in this recipe. Therefore, I don’t recommend making adjustments to fat.
Carbohydrates:
The carbs in this recipe come from the barley and the veggies. The easiest of which to adjust the carbs, being the barely. However, when making adjustments to the barley you will also want to adjust the water slightly as the barley soaks up a decent amount of the water. For every 1/4 cup barley whether increasing or decreasing adjust the water by 1/2 cup.
Protein:
The protein in this recipe comes from the beef stew meat. An easy ingredient to adjust. However, the beef does provide the majority of the fat. Therefore, you will want to take that into consideration when making adjustments.
Meal Prep:
Yes, this recipe is meal prep-able and will last up to 6 days in the fridge. This dish is great reheated on the stove or in the microwave.
Freezer Friendly:
Yes, this a great freezer-friendly recipe and will last up to 6 months. I always recommend allowing it to defrost overnight.
If you love a good bowl of warmth like this Beef and Barley Soup you are going to want to check out these other favorites!
