Easy Dairy-Free Beef and Barley Soup is a delicious and savory weeknight dinner that’s perfect for using up your leftover beef.
With just five core ingredients, this budget-friendly, flavorful, and hearty soup is ready in a little more time than it takes to boil the barley!
And it’s made without any butter or cream!
So, about this soup…
The prep for this soup is effortless. Just boil your barley, sauté the onions, and stir in the remaining three ingredients.
It uses just 5 ingredients—four from your pantry plus your leftover beef (freshly made beef works, too).
It reheats well for a quick weeknight dinner or a budget-friendly lunch at work.
It is a delicious, satisfying, and nutritious meal any time of year, because both beef and barley have nutritional benefits!
Origins
Beef and barley soup is believed to date back to 18th-century Scotland. Farmers would slowly cook beef or mutton with barley and vegetables over a low flame to create a hearty, healthy, and inexpensive meal.
Back then, a thick and hearty soup or stew that was made by boiling vegetables, grains, and often meat was called “pottage.”
Some cooking terms:
The following information may not particularly pertain to this recipe but rather answers general useful questions related to cooking.
What does it mean when recipes say “to taste” about an ingredient?
When recipes say “to taste,” it means that you can put in as little or as much as you like to your own taste. Some recipes have many ingredients that a cook can adjust to their own taste when cooking (not so much when baking though).
The best way to calculate what your taste is with a recipe that you are not yet familiar with is to first taste the dish and then add the “to taste” ingredient GRADUALLY, a little at a time—a splash of this or a pinch of that—until the dish is just the way you like it.
Make sure to stir the ingredient after each time you add it so that the flavor will distribute evenly and become part of the dish. Then taste again. Repeat until you reach your personal preference.
Note: If you plan on using the recipe again, it is highly recommended to make a note of what and how much you added so that you can refer to it next time.
What does it mean when a recipe says that an ingredient is “optional”?
If an ingredient is “optional,” it means that you can add it in or not based on your own preference. An optional ingredient can be flavor-related (i.e., salty, sweet, spicy, etc.), appearance-related (garnish), or even something like nuts or chocolate chips in baking.
What does “savory” mean?
“Savory” refers to foods that are not sweet, such as foods that taste salty, spicy, or herbal.
What does “sauté” mean?
To sauté means to cook quickly in a small amount of oil or fat in a frying pan on a relatively high heat that causes a slight browning of the food on the outside.
What does “boil” mean?
Boiling is cooking food submerged in water hot enough to have rapid, rolling bubbles.
What does it mean to chop?
To chop means to cut into small pieces.
What does it mean to dice?
Dicing is cutting into small cubes or squares.
What is needed to make easy 5-ingredient beef and barley soup?
I’m not great at meal planning and like to keep a lot of standard seasonings, spices, veggies, and canned goods in my kitchen at all times.
But these are all you need to have on hand to make this recipe even last minute!
pre-cooked (leftover) stew beef or brisket
pearl barley
onion
tomato paste
chicken consommé powder
(and a little oil for frying)
Love soup? Try these!
- Easy Vegan Split Pea Soup
- Easy Vegetarian French Onion Soup
- Vegetarian Egg Drop Soup
- Vegetarian Israeli White Bean Soup
- Creamy Vegetarian Potato Soup
Easy Dairy-Free Beef and Barley Soup
Easy and delicious, hearty beef and barley soup made with only 5 ingredients, including your leftover beef.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pre-cooked stew beef or brisket, cut into approximately 1-inch cubes*
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 1 medium onion, chopped or diced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste (more if you prefer)
- 2 tablespoons chicken consommé powder or to taste
- oil for frying
- water
Instructions
- Cook barley in a pot according to instructions on the package.
- Pour oil into a frying pan, enough to just coat the bottom (2-3 tablespoons) and place on a medium-low flame.
- Add onion and cubes of meat and sauté until browned.
- Add onions and meat to the cooked barley in the pot. Then, add tomato paste, chicken soup powder, and 4 cups water.
- Mix well and bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes until the soup has thickened.
Notes
* You can add more meat if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 774Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 278mgSodium: 201mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 91g