Description
A cozy, hands-off meal filled with tender beef, nutty barley, and soft carrots, perfect for busy days.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb beef chuck, cubed
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preparation: Trim excess fat from the beef and cut into bite-sized cubes if not already cubed. Peel and dice the onion. Slice the carrots and dice the celery. Mince the garlic. Measure out the barley and thyme.
- Mixing: In the slow cooker, add the beef, pearl barley, beef broth, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, dried thyme, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir everything gently to combine.
- Cooking: Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the beef is tender and barley is cooked through. Avoid lifting the lid too often.
- Finishing: Remove the bay leaf before serving. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Serve hot.
Notes
Serve with crusty bread or warm dinner rolls. For a heartier meal, consider adding roasted root vegetables.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 480 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 500mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 70mg