Soul-Warming Pioneer Woman Beef Barley Soup Recipe

Pioneer Woman’s beef barley soup represents the ultimate comfort food for chilly evenings.

Hearty and soul-warming, this classic recipe transforms simple ingredients into a remarkable culinary experience.

Rich beef broth mingles with tender vegetables and chewy barley, creating layers of satisfying flavors.

Rustic and unpretentious, the soup reflects home cooking at its finest.

Each spoonful carries the warmth of traditional family recipes passed through generations.

Grab your stockpot and prepare for a delicious journey that promises to comfort and delight.

Tips for the Best Texture in Barley Soup

• Boost Flavor Depth: Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce or tomato paste to intensify the umami notes throughout the cooking process.
• Clean Barley Carefully: Rinse grains under cold water to eliminate dust and extra starch, preventing an overly thick soup consistency.
• Select Premium Meat: Grab meaty oxtails or chuck roast for creating a robust, flavor-packed broth with melt-in-your-mouth beef pieces.
• Harvest Fresh Herbs: Snip fresh thyme and bay leaves directly from your garden or purchase the freshest bundles to maximize aromatic intensity.
• Remove Surface Fat: Gently skim accumulated fat during the final cooking stage, ensuring a lighter, clearer soup texture before introducing barley.

Storing Soup Without Losing That Fresh Taste

• Vacuum Seal Method: Lock in flavor and prevent freezer burn by using a vacuum sealer. Remove all air from the container to preserve the soup's texture and taste for maximum freshness. Portion soup into individual serving sizes for easy future meals.
• Layered Container Strategy: Stack soup in glass or hard plastic containers with tight-fitting lids. Place a layer of plastic wrap directly on the soup's surface before sealing to prevent ice crystals and freezer burn. Label each container with the date and contents for quick identification.
• Mason Jar Preservation: Transfer cooled soup into wide-mouth mason jars, leaving one inch of headspace at the top. Secure lids tightly and store in the freezer. Mason jars protect soup from absorbing other flavors and keep contents sealed perfectly.

New Ways to Enjoy This Classic Soup

• Winter Comfort Classic: Replace oxtails with beef chuck roast for a more accessible and budget-friendly version that maintains rich, deep flavor and tender meat texture.
• Vegetable Power Boost: Add diced parsnips and turnips to enhance nutritional value and introduce a subtle earthy undertone to the traditional soup recipe.
• Herb Garden Infusion: Incorporate fresh rosemary and sage alongside thyme for a more complex herbal profile that elevates the soup's aromatic qualities and depth of flavor.
• Spicy Southwest Spin: Mix in diced green chiles and a pinch of smoked paprika to create a warming, slightly spicy version that adds excitement to the traditional beef barley soup.

Beef Barley Soup That Warms Every Spoonful

Hearty Pioneer Woman beef barley soup emerges as winter’s ultimate comfort companion, blending rich oxtail flavors with wholesome vegetables and nutty barley.

Robust ingredients meld together, creating a symphony of warmth and satisfaction that lingers long after each spoonful.

Rustic charm flows through this classic recipe, connecting generations of home cooks with its traditional preparation method.

Complex layers of seasoned broth showcase culinary expertise, transforming simple ingredients into a memorable dining experience.

Complex yet approachable, this soup invites passionate home chefs to explore culinary creativity.

Readers who discover this recipe will want to immediately share its deliciousness across social media platforms, tag fellow soup enthusiasts, and spread culinary joy with their personal cooking adventure.

Why Beef Barley Soup Is Always a Comfort

• Savor Rich, Slow-Cooked Flavor: This beef barley soup delivers deep, complex tastes from carefully browned oxtails and slowly simmered vegetables, creating a luxurious depth that warms you from the inside out.
• Master Comforting Cooking Techniques: The recipe teaches classic culinary methods like browning meat, sautéing vegetables, and creating a robust broth, which elevate home cooking skills with professional-level techniques.
• Enjoy Hearty, Nutritious Comfort: Packed with tender meat, colorful vegetables, and protein-rich barley, this soup offers a balanced one-pot meal that satisfies hunger and provides substantial nutrition in every spoonful.
• Embrace Flexible Cooking Simplicity: Despite seeming complex, the recipe is surprisingly approachable, allowing home cooks to create restaurant-quality soup with straightforward steps and minimal kitchen expertise.

What Makes Up This Hearty Soup Bowl

• Oxtails: Hearty, flavorful meat cut that provides rich depth to the soup. Best when well-marbled and fresh from a trusted butcher.

• Leeks, Onion: Aromatic base that builds foundational flavor for the soup. Choose firm, bright white and light green parts.
• Carrots, Celery: Classic soup vegetables adding sweetness and earthy undertones. Look for crisp, vibrant colored produce.
• Garlic: Provides robust, pungent flavor to enhance overall taste. Select firm, plump cloves without sprouting.

• Thyme Sprigs, Bay Leaves: Fragrant herbs that infuse subtle, complex flavors into the broth. Fresh herbs preferred over dried.
• Salt, Black Pepper: Essential seasonings to enhance and balance the soup's taste. Use kosher or sea salt for best results.

• Olive Oil: Used for sautéing and adding a light, smooth base to the cooking process. Extra virgin olive oil recommended.
• Beef Broth: Provides liquid base and additional meaty flavor to the soup. Low-sodium broth allows better seasoning control.
• Barley: Hearty grain that adds texture and nutrition to the soup. Pearl barley works best for quicker cooking.

How to Cook a Filling Beef Barley Soup

Step 1: Prepare Oxtails and Heat Oil

Warm olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season oxtails with salt and pepper. Brown the oxtails for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove oxtails with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Step 2: Sauté Vegetable Medley

• Leeks
• Carrots
• Onion
• Celery
• Garlic

Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften and start to brown.

Step 3: Bundle Aromatic Herbs

Tie thyme sprigs and bay leaves together with kitchen twine. Add the herb bundle to the pot for easy removal later.

Step 4: Combine and Slow Simmer

Return browned oxtails to the pot. Pour in beef broth and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove herb bundle and bay leaves. Skim excess fat from the surface.

Step 5: Cook Barley Separately

In a separate pot, bring of water to a boil. Add barley, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain barley and set aside.

Step 6: Merge Barley and Soup

Add cooked barley to the soup. Simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes until barley is fully soft. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Step 7: Serve and Enjoy

Decide whether to remove oxtails or serve them in the soup. Ladle hot soup into bowls and serve immediately. Perfect for a comforting and filling meal!

Pioneer Woman Beef Barley Soup Recipe

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4.9 from 18 reviews

• Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x

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Description

Pioneer Woman’s beef barley soup delivers hearty comfort straight from heartland kitchens. Tender beef chunks, robust vegetables, and pearl barley create a soul-warming meal perfect for chilly evenings when you crave something deeply satisfying.

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Ingredients

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Meat:

• 2 pounds (0.9 kg) beef oxtails, trimmed

Vegetables:

• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped (approximately 2 cups)
• 4 carrots, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces (approximately 2 cups)
• 1 yellow onion, chopped (approximately 1 cup)
• 2 celery stalks, diced into ½-inch pieces (approximately 1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Herbs, Seasonings, and Liquids:

• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) high-quality olive oil
• Kosher salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 10 cups (2.4 liters) canned beef broth
• 1 cup (170 grams) pearled barley

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Instructions

1. Prepare the oxtails by seasoning generously with 1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt and 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 grams) black pepper. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.
2. Brown the oxtails thoroughly, turning every few minutes to ensure even caramelization. This process should take approximately 10 minutes, creating a rich golden-brown exterior that locks in flavor. Transfer the browned meat to a separate plate using a slotted spoon.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add leeks, carrots, onions, celery, and minced garlic to the same pot. Sauté the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften and develop a light golden color, about 8-10 minutes.
4. Create an herb bundle by tying thyme sprigs and bay leaves together with kitchen twine, which will make removal easier later in the cooking process.
5. Return the browned oxtails to the pot and pour in beef broth. Submerge the herb bundle and season the liquid with additional salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, then immediately reduce heat to low.
6. Cover the pot and allow the stew to simmer gently for 60-75 minutes, creating tender meat and developing deep, complex flavors. Periodically skim any excess fat from the surface during cooking.
7. In a separate saucepan, cook pearl barley in 4 cups (960 milliliters) of water. Simmer for 30-35 minutes until the grains are tender but still have a slight bite. Drain thoroughly.
8. Remove the herb bundle and bay leaves from the oxtail stew. Gently fold the cooked barley into the pot and continue simmering for an additional 15-20 minutes to meld the flavors.
9. Taste the stew and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. For serving, you can either leave the oxtails in the soup or remove them, depending on personal preference. Ladle the steaming stew into warm bowls and serve immediately.

Notes

• Slow-cooked oxtails melt into a luxurious broth, creating an incredible depth of flavor that transforms this humble soup.
• Fresh herbs and carefully balanced seasonings elevate the dish from simple to extraordinary, capturing the essence of comfort cooking.
• Cooking barley separately ensures perfect texture, preventing mushiness and maintaining the integrity of each delicate grain.
• Skimming excess fat delivers a cleaner taste while preserving the rich, robust meaty essence that makes this soup so memorable.
• Choosing peak-season vegetables like sweet carrots and aromatic leeks guarantees a vibrant, authentic flavor profile that sings with freshness.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
• Category: Dinner, Lunch, Snacks
• Method: Simmering
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 8
• Calories: 430 kcal
• Sugar: 3 g
• Sodium: 750 mg
• Fat: 20 g
• Saturated Fat: 5 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 40 g
• Fiber: 7 g
• Protein: 30 g
• Cholesterol: 90 mg