Like many soups and stews, Beef & Barley Stew is an ultimate comfort food that will fill you up and leave you warm and content for hours. This is one of my husband’s favourites – the rest of us aren’t all that big on barley, so I make a big pot and portion it out into 2 cup containers for his work lunches. It IS very good (out of all the Beef & Barley I’ve tried, I will at least enjoy a bowl of this one), but he likes it so much that I make this one just for him.
My favourite time to make this is right after making beef dip subs. We cook eye of round beef roasts in the Instant Pot (recipe to be added eventually!) and use half for beef dip subs and half to make Beef & Barley Stew. The meat turns out incredibly tender and the whole pot is so flavourful and smells SO good! You can use beef stewing cubes though, either ready made in store or cut up your own roast.
Serve with our homemade dinner rolls to really warm up on the coldest winter nights.
Beef & Barley Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion large, diced
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 2 carrots medium-large, chopped
- 18 oz can diced tomatoes (540ml) - we like Aylmer Original
- 3-4 cups leftover roast beef or beef stewing cubes* see notes
- ⅔ cup barley pearl or pot
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp salt optional
- 2 tbsp Beef Better than Bouillon or equal amount other bouillon
- 2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
- 4 cups water plus extra if needed
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium heat.2 tbsp olive oil
- Add onion and celery and cook until onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in carrots, tomatoes, beef, barley, worchestershire sauce, Better Than Bouillon, seasonings, and water.
- Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Stir regularly, reduce heat if needed to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Reduce heat to keep stew at a simmer, cover, and allow to cook for 1-3 hours to allow flavours to fully develop. Stir regularly.
- Remove from heat and serve. If portioning into freezer containers, allow to cool completely before covering/sealing, and keep about 1" of room at the top of the container to allow for ice expansion.
Notes
Nutrition
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