Hearty Beef Barley Stew Slow Cooker

Nothing is quite as satisfying as getting a pot of hearty stew going in the slow cooker in the morning and coming home after a long day and then enjoying a big bowl of this beef barley stew for dinner.

This beef barley stew slow cooker recipe is healthy comfort food that the whole family can enjoy when the temperature drops. This soup has a healthy combination of vegetables, chucks beef, and pearl barley. The combination of the beef and vegetables make this beef barley stew the most delicious bowl of comfort

Please feel free to scroll down to the end of this post for the print version of this recipe. But if you still have some questions about this recipe, keep reading to know helpful notes and tips on how to reheat or what to serve with this delicious beef barley stew slow cooker.

What is beef and barley stew

Beef barley stew is an easy and hearty dinner loaded with tender chunks of meat, nutritious veggies, and pearl barley.

What is pearl barley?

According to Wikipedia, pearl barley is the most common form of barley for human consumption because it cooks faster and is less chewy than other kinds of barley. Pearl barley is similar to wheat in its caloric, protein, vitamin, and mineral content. However, some varieties are higher in lysine.

What goes in beef and barley stew

This beef barley stew recipe in the slow cooker packs a lot flavor this due to the layering of flavor from these ingredients; beef roast or the stew meat that you like, olive oil, onion, carrots, mushrooms, minced garlic, dried rosemary, tomato paste, unsalted beef broth, and pearl barley.

You can find the list of ingredients and the instruction in the recipe card at the end of this post if you want to print it.

How to make beef barley stew slow cooker

1. Pat dry the meat with paper towels seasoned with salt and pepper to taste.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat; add the beef to skillet and cook for 3 minutes each side or until browned. Transfer to a slow cooker.
3. To the same skillet, add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, add onion and carrots and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add ½ cup water to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer to a slow cooker.
4. Add mushrooms, rosemary, garlic, tomatoes paste, broth, and barley. Add ½ cup water, stir; cover and cook on high for 3.5 hours or on low for 7.5 hours
5. Uncover and stir stew to add remaining 1 cup water salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on high or low another 30 minutes.
6. Garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy!

When to add the barley to the stew

You're going to add the pearl barley after you transfer the browned meat along with the other saute ingredients into the slow cooker or crock pot.
If you want to save time in the morning, you can make the recipe up to step 3, Cover the slow cooker pot and keep it in the fridge overnight. Then in the morning, proceed with step 4 to start slow cooking the beef and barley stew recipe.

How long to cook the barley in the slow cooker

It's fairly easy to cook pearl barley in a slow cooker. Once you added the pearl barley and the beef broth, set the temperature on low to 7.5 hours or high temperature to 3.5 hours.

Pearl barley typically has a bit of bite to it, even when it's fully cooked, keep that in mind when you're cooking this beef and barley stew recipe if you haven't tried pearl barley before.

What to serve with beef and barley stew

I love to serve this stew with a green salad or fresh bread.
Grilled cheese is another excellent option.

Recipe notes:

• Make sure before you saute the meat that the pan is super hot.
• Pat dry the meat on all sides; this thing will help to get a nice sear on the meat because we want all the flavor in this slow cooker beef and barley stew.
• If you don't have a lot of time in the morning, then prep this recipe the night before through step 3. Cover the slow cooker pot and keep it in the fridge overnight. The next day in the morning proceeds with step 4.
• Keep leftover of beef barley stew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

How to reheat beef barley soup leftover

Barley soaks up the broth while it sits. Then you'll need to add a little bit of water or chicken broth to a saucepan and reheat the beef barley stew on the stovetop until you get your desired consistency.

Thank you for reading this post, I hope you found some helpful tips to make this hearty beef barley stew in your slow cooker or crockpot. If you make this recipe, please come back and rate it.

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