Beef Options in The Best Beef and Barley Soup:
The best meat to use for this soup is stewing meat. Your grocery store should carry it, already cubed up for you. If you can’t find that, you can just buy a chuck roast. If you prefer, you could also use ground beef.
Browning:
Technically, browning the chuck roast is an optional step. If you absolutely do not have the time, you can skip it. However, we highly highly recommend you brown the roast. It adds so much flavor to this soup, that you will really be missing out if you skip this step.
Red Wine:
We love the added flavor red wine brings to this soup, and with how long it simmers on the stove, all of the alcohol cooks out before you consume it. However, if you prefer to not cook with alcohol, you can always substitute with more broth. Wondering what type of red wine to use? You can really use any red wine you like. The type of wine does not matter as much as just being sure you use a wine that is good enough to drink. Please, do not use cooking wine from the grocery store. The flavor isn’t great, and it just has a ton of added salt that you really don’t want in this soup.
Tomato Paste Tip:
When a recipe like this one calls for only a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste, we always hate to waste the rest of the can. Instead, we purchase the tubes of tomato paste found right next to the cans, so we can use just the small amount needed without wasting.
Barley:
Barley is such an under-utilized grain. There are several different types of barley, but we prefer pearl barley in this soup.
Storage and Reheating Instructions:
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat either in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low heat, or in the microwave in 30 second increments until warmed through. If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious soup recipes:
30 Minute Taco SoupCreamy Vegetable SoupOld Fashioned Beef StewChicken Noodle Soup
Watch the video below where Caytlin will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes. Δ Δ
