Beef and Barley with Mushrooms (Printable)

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

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

→ Garnish

18 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# Directions:

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 to the pot. 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.
07 - Remove bay leaves. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

# Helpful Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes even better the next day, which means you can make it on Sunday and eat like royalty all week without breaking a sweat.
  • The combination of tender beef, crispy pancetta, and umami-rich mushrooms means this soup is never boring, no matter how many times you make it.
  • Your whole kitchen smells incredible while it simmers, and that alone is worth the two hours.
02 -
  • Don't skip searing the beef properly—that crust is where half the flavor comes from, and it only takes five extra minutes but changes everything.
  • If your barley tastes hard after the simmering time, your heat was too high; the next batch, reduce to a gentle simmer so the barley has time to become tender without the liquid disappearing.
03 -
  • Pat your beef dry before searing—even a little moisture on the surface will steam instead of brown, and you lose that crucial flavor layer.
  • Taste the soup in stages; adding salt gradually as it simmers prevents you from oversalting, since the broth reduces and flavors concentrate.
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