Comforting Ground Beef and Barley Soup

I was probably 25 before I realized that barley could go in soup. Growing up, we had chicken noodle, tomato, and maybe vegetable if we were feeling fancy. Barley was something you’d find in health food stores, not in our pantry.

That changed when I made ground beef and barley soup for the first time. The barley gives it this hearty, filling quality that regular soup just doesn’t have. Plus, it’s one of those meals where you can throw everything in one pot and let it simmer. No fancy skills required—just chop, brown, and wait.

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What Kind of Ground Beef Should I Use?

For this hearty soup, lean ground beef works best since you don’t want too much grease floating on top of your broth. I’d recommend going with 90/10 or 93/7 ground beef – it has enough fat to keep the meat flavorful but not so much that you’ll be skimming grease for days. If you can only find regular ground beef (80/20), just make sure to drain it really well after browning and maybe even pat it with paper towels. Ground chuck or ground sirloin are both great choices if your butcher has them, and they’ll give you that rich, beefy flavor that makes this soup so satisfying.

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Options for Substitutions

This comforting soup is pretty forgiving when it comes to swapping ingredients:

• Ground beef: You can easily swap ground beef for ground turkey, ground chicken, or even ground lamb. If using leaner meats like turkey or chicken, you might want to add an extra teaspoon of olive oil to prevent sticking.
• Pearl barley: This is the star of the soup, so I’d stick with pearl barley if possible. But if you’re in a pinch, you can use quick-cooking barley (reduce cooking time to about 10-15 minutes) or even brown rice, though it will change the texture slightly.
• Beef and vegetable broth: Feel free to use all beef broth or all vegetable broth depending on what you have. You can also mix chicken broth with beef broth – just keep the total liquid at 10 cups.
• Fresh herbs: If you have fresh parsley and thyme on hand, use about 2 tablespoons fresh parsley and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme instead of the dried versions. Add them in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
• Balsamic vinegar: Red wine vinegar or even a splash of lemon juice can work in place of balsamic vinegar. Start with less and taste as you go.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking

The biggest mistake when making ground beef and barley soup is not browning the beef properly – you want to break it up into small pieces and let it develop a nice brown color, which adds tons of flavor to your soup base.

Another common error is adding the barley too late in the cooking process, since pearl barley needs at least 45 minutes to become tender, so add it early with the broth to give it plenty of time to cook through.

Don’t skip the step of cooking your onions, celery, and carrots until they’re softened before adding the liquid – this builds a solid flavor foundation that makes all the difference.

Finally, taste and adjust your seasoning at the end, especially the balsamic vinegar, which brightens up the whole soup but can easily overpower if you add too much at once.

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What to Serve With Ground Beef and Barley Soup?

This hearty soup is pretty much a complete meal on its own, but I love serving it with some crusty bread or dinner rolls for soaking up all that good broth. A simple side salad with mixed greens and a light vinaigrette helps balance out the richness of the beef, or you could go with some buttered cornbread if you want to keep things cozy. Since the soup already has plenty of vegetables and protein, you really don’t need much else – maybe just some crackers on the side for extra crunch. On colder days, I sometimes add a dollop of sour cream on top and serve it with warm biscuits for the ultimate comfort food experience.

Storage Instructions

Refrigerate: This hearty soup gets even better after sitting overnight! Store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The barley will continue to absorb some of the broth, making it thicker and more filling each day.

Freeze: Ground beef and barley soup freezes really well for busy weeknight dinners. Let it cool completely, then freeze in portions for up to 3 months. I like using freezer bags laid flat so they stack nicely and thaw faster.

Warm Up: Heat the soup gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. If it seems too thick after storing, just add a splash of beef broth or water to thin it out. The microwave works too, but stir it every minute or so to heat evenly.

 

Preparation Time	15-20 minutes
Cooking Time	90-120 minutes
Total Time	105-140 minutes
Level of Difficulty	Medium

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 600-700
• Protein: 60-70 g
• Fat: 30-40 g
• Carbohydrates: 40-50 g

Ingredients

For the soup base:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 tsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp additional as needed
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 6 cups beef broth (homemade or canned)
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tsp dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup pearl barley

For seasoning and finishing:

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, more or less to taste
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Step 1: Brown the Ground Beef

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 tsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp additional as needed

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.

Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a spatula, until it is cooked through and lightly browned.

If you prefer a leaner soup, transfer the browned beef to a fine mesh strainer and rinse it with very hot water to remove excess fat, then return the beef to the pan.

(This step is optional but can help make the soup lighter and more flavorful.)

Step 2: Sauté the Aromatics

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• up to 1 tsp olive oil (from Step 1, if needed)
• cooked ground beef (from Step 1)

Push the cooked ground beef to one side of the pan.

If the pan looks dry, add an additional 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the empty side of the pan and sauté for 2–3 minutes until fragrant and starting to soften.

Step 3: Simmer the Soup Base

• 6 cups beef broth (homemade or canned)
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tsp dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• sautéed beef, onions, and garlic (from Step 2)

Pour in the beef broth and vegetable stock.

Add the dried parsley and dried thyme.

Stir well to combine everything, and bring the soup to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Let it simmer, uncovered or partially covered, for 30 minutes to develop flavor.

Step 4: Prepare and Add the Vegetables

• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
• simmered soup base (from Step 3)

While the soup base is simmering, finely chop the celery and carrots.

After the initial 30-minute simmer, add the diced celery and carrots to the soup.

Allow the soup to continue simmering for another 30 minutes so the vegetables become tender.

Step 5: Add the Barley and Continue Cooking

• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• simmered soup with vegetables (from Step 4)

Once the vegetables have softened, add the pearl barley to the soup.

Let it simmer for an additional 30 minutes, or until the barley is tender but still slightly chewy.

Before adding the barley, feel free to skim off any fat that may have risen to the top—especially if you didn’t rinse the beef earlier.

You can also add a bit more water if the soup has thickened too much.

Personally, I like to taste the broth at this stage and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Step 6: Finish and Serve the Soup

• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, more or less to taste
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• soup with barley (from Step 5)

When the barley is cooked through but still has a slight chew, turn off the heat.

Stir in the balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

Serve the soup hot—I like to add an extra splash of balsamic vinegar to individual bowls for a flavorful kick!