Sometimes stew is meh, but not when we make it! This beef, barley and vegetable stew recipe is savory and filling—it’ll easily end up as a family staple!
Pearl barley is lower in calories than white rice and has more fiber than white, brown or wild rice. Because of these fun facts, we decided it’s the perfect ingredient for this dish.
The other main ingredient in this recipe is chuck roast, which is commonly used in stew recipes. The grocery store often sells it cubed, but if you can buy it in a slab, on sale, and cube it yourself!
Serve this soup recipe in a fancy homemade bread bowl!

Beef, Barley and Vegetable Stew Recipe
what you'll need
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 medium carrots peeled and sliced
- 3 celery stalks sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup dry red wine optional
- 7 cups beef stock
- 14.5 oz can tomatoes diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 Tbsp beef bouillon
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 cup barley pearled
- salt and pepper to taste
let's do it
slow cooker directions
- Place ingredients (except oil and barley) into slow cooker. Cook on low for 10 hours. Stir in barley during the last hour of cooking. Once the barley is tender, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
stovetop directions
- Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat then add oil. Once oil is hot, add beef stew meat then cook for about 5–6 minutes until browned on all sides. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic then stir to coat veggies in oil. Cook veggies for 5–6 minutes until they begin to soften and the onions are translucent.
- Pour in wine (if using) then beef stock and diced tomatoes with juice, bay leaf, basil, oregano, beef bouillon and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine then bring to a boil. Once the liquid begins to boil, reduce heat to low, cover then simmer for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.
- After 1½ hours, add barley then stir to combine. Return the lid and continue simmering the soup for 1 additional hour, stirring occasionally.
- Once the barley is tender, remove soup from the heat, season to taste using salt and pepper then serve nice and hot. Enjoy!
One Last Thing
Serve this stew with a loaf of rustic bread. It’s perfect for dipping!
Nutrition
Calories: 407kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 29gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 79mgSodium: 1751mgPotassium: 584mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5g
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