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All-Day Beef & Barley Slow Cooker Soup

Name: All-Day Beef & Barley Slow Cooker Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1½ lbs beef stew meat, cut into chunks; 1 cup pearl barley; 4 cups beef broth; 2 cups water; 3 carrots, sliced; 3 celery stalks, sliced; 1 onion, diced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 bay leaf bay leaf; 1 tsp dried thyme; 1 tsp dried parsley; ½ tsp black pepper; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 2 tbsp olive oil, for browning, optional

Tender chunks of beef, pearl barley, carrots and celery slow-cooked in a savory broth with thyme and tomato. Hands-off and freezer-friendly.

By Denise Updated October 17, 2026

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Brown the beef, fill the slow cooker and come home to the coziest soup in the world.

Prep15 min

Cook8 hr

Total8 hr 15 min

Serves8

LevelAdvanced

What makes it special

Dried thyme
Black pepper

On busy days I love walking into a house that already smells like dinner. Ten minutes of work in the morning, and by evening there's a pot of tender beef, soft vegetables and chewy barley in a rich, savory broth.

Why I love it

Almost no effort. The slow cooker does the hard part.
Melt-in-your-mouth beef from long, gentle cooking.
Barley gives body, a lovely chew and makes it filling.
Even better tomorrow, and it freezes beautifully.

Tips for the best soup

Use pearl barley. It holds its shape through the long cook.

Brown the beef if you can. Those golden edges mean a richer broth.

Season at the end. Slow cooking mellows flavors, so taste and add salt and pepper before serving.

Add more liquid if needed. Barley is thirsty.

Variations

Mushroom: add sliced mushrooms for an earthy flavor.
More tomato: stir in a can of diced tomatoes.
Extra veggies: add potatoes, peas or green beans in the last hour.
Smoky: a teaspoon of smoked paprika.

What to serve with it

Crusty bread or a warm biscuit, plus a simple green salad. For a cold Sunday, a grilled cheese sandwich on the side is hard to beat.

Storing

Keep it in the fridge for 4 days or the freezer for 3 months. Reheat on the stove with extra broth.

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Questions, answered

Do I have to brown the beef?

No, but it adds a lot of flavor. If you're short on time, skip it and the soup will still be good.

Can I use quick-cooking barley?

Stick with pearl barley. Quick barley turns mushy over a long cook.

Which cut of beef is best?

Chuck roast or stew beef. They turn tender after hours of slow cooking.

Recipe by

Denise