Beef and Barley Soup

This is one of those recipes that stretches some leftover roast beef into a few hearty and healthy homemade lunches. Start the soup base by heating a little oil in a large soup pot then gently cook some diced carrots, onions and celery. Meanwhile, soak the barley, dice the potato and chop up the roast beef into bite size pieces. You’ll add them after the mirepoix is cooked.

We’ll use the classic trio of diced celery onions and carrots. I think it’s fitting that for this Irish style beef soup, the vegetable colours match the flag of Ireland.

Options for the broth

For the beef broth you can either use homemade broth, store bought liquid broth or powdered broth mix. You can add any leftover beef gravy as well.  After simmering for an hour, the barley will swell and be very tender. The  ¾ cup of barley in this recipe will make a rather thick soup. If you’d like it less thick, reduce the barley to about ½ cup. One full cup of barley gets more of a stew than a soup.

What is not eaten right away can be portioned into containers for freezing. When reheating from frozen, you may want to add a little water or beef broth to thin it out a little. 

Pot barley vs Pearl Barley

Besides being delicious, barley is a very healthy and versatile grain. When cooked, it has the consistency of pasta with a light nutty flavour.  

In this recipe, we use pot barley which is less refined that pearl barley. It still has most of the barley bran intact compared to pearl barley which is polished to remove the bran. 

Health Benefits

Many experts will attest to the numerous health benefits of pot barley.

• Excellent for digestive health
• Great for heart health
• Helps control blood sugar
• Nutrient dense
• Good for immune support

According to a claim approved by Health Canada, regular consumption of barley can reduce cholesterol levels and improve heart health. As a high fiber grain, regular consumption of barley can provide such health benefits as improved digestion and reduced feelings of hunger, which can lead to weight loss.

This superfood is also rich in several vitamins, especially niacin and thiamin. Barely is also a good source for minerals like iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and selenium. Because it contains gluten, it is not suitable for those with celiac disease.

Beef and Barley Soup

Kevin Lamoureux

Use up that leftover roast beef by simmering it with beef broth, carrots, onions potatoes and some hearty, healthy pot barley.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Course Soup

Cuisine Irish

Servings 8

Calories 180 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1½ cups yellow or Spanish onions finely chopped (about 1 large onion)
• 1 cup carrots finely chopped (about 1 large carrot)
• 1 cup celery finely chopped (about 2 ribs)
• 2 quarts beef broth
• 2 quarts water
• ¾ cup pot barley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ cup parsle,y finely chopped
• 2 cups cooked roast beef finely chopped
• 1 cup potatoes, diced

Instructions

 

• Heat the oil in a large soup pot then add the onions, celery and carrotts. Cook on medium heat, strirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes).
• Meanwhile, soak the barley in water for about 5 minutes, give it a stir, then drain using a strainer.
• Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes. Near the end of cooking time, add an additional cup of equal part water and broth to thin the soup if desired.

Notes

Nutrition

Per serving

Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1.5g | Iron: 2mg

Keyword barley, beef, leftover, roast beef

Originally published 8/8/2014. Revised and republished 11/13/2025

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• Irish Seafood Chowder
• Welsh Leek & Potato Soup
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