I found myself with leftover Christmas beef tenderloin, even after forcing to-go plates on family. To be honest, I overcooked the beef. It would be best used in a recipe where it could be re-hydrated, like soup or stew. I thought about vegetable beef soup but finally settled on a rustic beef and barley soup. It was a good call. The kick this soup gets from the garlic and thyme adds depth of flavor to the otherwise bland ingredients. This recipe is perfect for using leftover beef roast or even steak. If I were making this without pre-cooked beef, I would chop beef chuck into medium pieces, sear it in olive oil, and cook it along with the barley, which takes 45 minutes to an hour. Since the meat was already cooked, I added it towards the end so as not to dry it out any further. It was perfect!
While in my basement photo studio plating and tasting the soup, I got creative and added shards of aged Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Oh. My. Goodness. Soup perfection. It is a wonder I had any left to photograph. But, this is dinner, so I stopped tasting. I’ll thank myself at dinnertime. This would be even better served with my herb focaccia bread, and there is time to make it before dinner too.
Try this the next time you find yourself with leftover beef. You won’t regret it.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces leftover beef (cubed)
- 1 1/2 cup pearled barley
- 32 ounce package beef stock (not beef flavored stock)
- 2 - 3 large cloves garlic (pressed)
- 1 medium sweet yellow onion (diced)
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large carrot (diced)
- 1/4 cup tomato ketchup
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas
- Dash of gravy browning liquid like Kitchen Bouquet or Gravy Magic for color
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Fresh Chopped Parsley
Instructions
- To a large pot add two cups water, one cup beef stock and the pearled barley. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic, onion and thyme. Cook on low heat for 45 to 60 minutes until the barley is cooked but still has a little chew to it. Add additional beef stock, one cup at a time as the liquid is absorbed. Do not add more water. The final flavor should come from the beef stock. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Add the carrots and ketchup and cook until the carrots are just tender, not mushy. Add the beef, frozen peas, browning liquid, salt, pepper and fresh parsley. Cook an extra minute or two. Serve piping hot with cheese shards if you like. Make sure you have bread for dunking. Enjoy!
cposz says
Very tasty! Next time I’ll use half the barley and lots more stock (ours was almost a casserole – (just a bit too thick). The taste was wonderful, though. I will keep and tweak.
Thanks for this!
MichaelO says
Thank you
Elle Cavanaugh says
So grateful that your recipe popped up when I Googled “Recipe for soup with cooked beef”. Thank you! 🙂
One thing slowed me down that maybe you might want to update in your recipe instructions?
1. I’ve never cooked with barley before and your instructions weren’t clear whether to turn heat to low and simmer COVERED or NOT covered. I Googled how to make boiled barley and found to cover it. Their simple language was “Cover, and reduce the heat to low. Allow the grain to simmer for 45 minutes.”
2. I also found a useful note there for “healthier family meals”: Use hulled barley for a more nutritious meal. If you are using pearled barley (nutrients stripped out), cook for half the time of hulled barley.
Thanks again for a great day-after-Christmas meal for my family this year. Cheers!
PS The “rate this recipe” stars selection widget wouldn’t work from my Chrome v39 browser, so I left no rating, but wondered if it was still going to show some random rating anyway due to the system error? Hope not!
Kelly says
I’m making this tonight, YUM!
Mary says
Should me good with the cold weather! I’m jealous.
Kelly says
It was delicious, thanks!
Mary says
Did the kids like it? I rarely have kids around to act as taste testers. Not asking to borrow yours though. 🙂
Lindsay says
I am confused by the beef stock. The ingredient list says 32 oz but the recipe uses only 1 cup.
Mary says
Thanks for pointing that out. The extra beef stock is for adding to the pot as the barley cooks and soaks it up. You can use as much or as little as you want, depending on how you like your soup. I actually added more when I re-heated it the second day because the barley continue to absorb liquid.
Thank again. Sometimes in my baster to share I forget a step or two.
Lindsay says
Thanks, Mary! I did end up making this and added all the broth. It was delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Mary says
Wonderful Lindsay! I am glad you enjoyed it. I would have answered your question sooner but I was at a Poultry Show all day!
Ali says
What a beautiful soup 🙂 Thank you so much for linking this recipe up at Recipe Sharing Monday! The new link party is up and I’d love to see you back. Have a great week. 🙂
Kathy Shea Mormino, The Chicken Chick says
Looks delicious! Perfect dinner idea for the frigid weather we’ve been having here in New England.
Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop!
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
Jamie @ Coffee With Us 3 says
I’ve really been in the mood for a good soup lately, and I’ve got 1/2 a cow coming from the butcher any day, so I’ll definitely give this a try! Thanks for linking up at Saturday Dishes!
Kristina & Millie says
nom nom nom! I so would love a bowl of this right now!
Diane Balch says
I love pearl barley and I love that you are using leftover beef… great warming recipe.
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says
Beef and barley are such great partners for soup. And those chards of parmesan make me want to reach in and grab that bowl.
Mary says
It’s a good one Maureen! Thanks for your visit!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
Oh my this soup looks good. It’s 50 billion degrees outside and yet, one peek at this soup and it’s what I want for dinner. 🙂