This hearty Instant Pot beef and barley soup is about to be your new go-to for busy nights! It’s full of tender chunks of beef and veggies infused in a rich, savory broth with plump pieces of chewy barley that have soaked up all that flavor. But the best part? It is made in the Instant Pot, so it’s ready in just an hour!
Table of Contents
Pressure Cooker Beef and Barley Soup
There’s nothing quite as cozy and satisfying as a nice, hearty soup, but who has time to babysit a pot on the stove for hours and hours?
That’s where this Instant Pot beef barley soup comes in. It’s literally fast enough to make on a weeknight after work or running the kids home from sports practice, yet it tastes like it slow-cooked all day. We can’t get enough of it!
For more soups with barley, check out this Mini Chicken Meatball Soup too!
Why We Love This Barley Beef Soup
- Packed with proteins, veggies, fiber, and flavor! It’s a complete meal in a bowl.
- Formulated to be lower in sodium
- Tender melt-in-your-mouth pieces of beef infused with flavor
- The perfect way to warm up on a cold day
- Simple, healthy meal for the whole family
Ingredient Notes
- Light olive oil
- Lean beef stew meat: Make sure the stew beef is thawed so you can cut it into cubes. Dry it with a paper towel before browning to get the best crust.
- Veggies: This broth is packed with carrots, celery, onion, and fresh garlic.
- Tomato paste: This really brings the whole soup together. It adds a concentrated umami flavor and a little sweetness.
- Dry red wine: Wine is optional, but it adds a great depth of flavor.
- Seasonings: You don’t need too much. I like to use dry thyme, bay leaves, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Adding salt to taste helps keep this soup low in sodium.
- Low sodium beef base: This is optional, but it adds a concentrated beef flavor to make the broth extra rich and flavorful.
- Low sodium beef stock
- Pearl barley: Barley will plump up in the soup, add a great texture, and offer plenty of fiber to fill you up. Barley is also a great source of beta glucan, a special type of soluble fiber, which can reduce your cholesterol and improve heart health. In fact, it contains 3x as much beta-glucan as oats!
- Frozen green peas
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to saute function and preheat, add a small amount of oil. Dry beef thoroughly with a paper towel and brown well in batches, being careful to not crowd the pan. Remove browned beef to a plate and set aside.
- Saute the carrots, onion and celery for 5-8 min until softened. Add the garlic and tomato paste to the instant pot and saute for 30 seconds more. Remove veggies to a separate plate and set aside
- Deglaze the pot with the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot to get all of the browned bits. Add in the thyme, bay leaves, black pepper, beef base, beef stock and barley and whisk to break up the beef base. Add browned beef back in. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes, then natural pressure release for 15 minutes. Release any remaining pressure.
- Remove the bay leaves. Return the vegetables to the pot. Turn the instant pot back on the saute function and cook until the veggies are cooked through to your liking and the soup has thickened slightly. Add in the peas and stir.Taste and adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Expert Tips
- You can use a splash of beef stock in place of the wine. You could also use white wine if that’s what you have on hand.
- It’s very important to not crowd the pot when browning the beef. Make sure that the beef is patted very dry before browning.
- You could add mushrooms, green beans, corn, diced canned tomatoes, potatoes, or fresh spinach or kale for extra veggies.
- Farro could be substituted for barley.
- If you can’t find regular pearl barley, you can use quick cook barley. Just cook separately according to package directions and stir in after beef has pressure cooked.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! To cook on the stovetop: Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium high heat, brown meat in small batches as directed above, followed by the veggies and garlic as directed, remove veggies. Deglaze and add herbs, black pepper, beef base, stock and barley, stir to combine. Add the meat back into the pot, place lid on pot and reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 hours, or place in a 325℉ oven for 2-3 hours, until beef is very tender. Add veggies back to the pot during the last 20 minutes of cook time. Add peas, taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
Yes, but the texture of the meat will be different, and you’ll have small pieces of ground beef interspersed throughout the broth instead of tender bites of beef. Just brown the meat like normal, drain off any excess fat, and add it back to the pot in step 3.
No. Barley is a whole grain related to wheat and contains gluten, making it an unsafe choice for people with celiac disease or other gluten-related issues.
Storage Guidelines
Store leftover stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheat leftovers on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding additional water or beef stock to loosen the stew up as needed, it will get very thick as it cools.
Serving Suggestions
You don’t need much to round off this healthy soup, as it is already the perfect meal on its own! It contains beef, grains, and veggies, all simmered in a rich broth. If you want to make it even more filling, try pairing it with these sides:
- A piece of crusty bread to sop up the broth
- Healthy cornbread
- Green beans and red peppers
- A small side of kale and beet salad or cruciferous crunch salad
Recipe Variations
- Add greens: For a little extra fiber, add some baby spinach, chopped kale, or your favorite greens to the broth with the veggies and let them cook down.
- Make your own beef broth: Roast beef bones in the oven, then cover them with water in a large stockpot. Add onion, celery, and carrot, cover, and let the mixture slowly cook over medium heat for hours until it has a rich, beefy flavor.
- Amp up the flavor: To give this barley soup recipe an even richer flavor, add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce to the broth. I also like to add red pepper flakes for a little heat! Instead of wine, you can also try deglazing the pan with a bit of beer.
More Hearty Soup Recipes
- Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Hearty Italian White Bean Soup
- Sweet Potato Coconut Soup
- Healthy Chicken Noodle Soup
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!
Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
Ingredients
- Light olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat
- 2 medium carrots, sliced
- 2 large stalks celery, sliced
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 5 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup good dry wine, optional
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons low sodium beef base, optional
- 6 cups low sodium beef stock or broth
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 1/3 cup frozen green peas
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to saute function and preheat, add a small amount of oil. Dry beef thoroughly with a paper towel and brown well in batches, being careful to not crowd the pan. Remove browned beef to a plate and set aside.
- Saute the carrots, onion and celery for 5-8 min until softened. Add the garlic and tomato paste to the instant pot and saute for 30 seconds more. Remove veggies to a separate plate and set aside.
- Deglaze the pot with the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot to get all of the browned bits. Add in the thyme, bay leaves, black pepper, beef base, beef stock and barley and whisk to break up the beef base. Add browned beef back in. Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes, then natural pressure release for 15 minutes. Release any remaining pressure.
- Remove the bay leaves. Return the vegetables to the pot. Turn the instant pot back on the saute function and cook until the veggies are cooked through to your liking and the soup has thickened slightly. Add in the peas and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
Notes
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- You can use a splash of beef stock in place of the wine. You could also use white wine if that’s what you have on hand.
- It’s very important to not crowd the pot when browning the beef. Make sure that the beef is patted very dry before browning.
- If you can’t find regular pearl barley, you can use quick cook barley. Just cook separately according to package directions and stir in after beef has pressure cooked.
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