Vegetable Beef and Barley Soup

This Vegetable Beef and Barley Soup is a hearty, soul-warming soup consisting of melt-in-your-mouth beef short rib, tender chewy barley and loaded with turnips, carrots and mushrooms.

Yields roughly 12 cups and will serve 8 (1-1/2 cup) servings.

Course Soups & Stews

Cuisine Scottish

Keyword barley, beef, soup, vegetable

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 3

Total Time 4

Servings servings

Calories 315

Author Laurie McNamara

Equipment

Lodge 7-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Oval Dutch Oven

Ingredients

3 medium carrots peeled and sliced into coins
3 medium leeks washed and sliced
1 large yellow onion diced
3 medium turnips peeled and diced
1 pound mushrooms cleaned and halved
1½ tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil safe for high heat
2 pounds beef short ribs bone-in or boneless (see notes)
kosher salt
8 cups beef stock fat free
1/2 cup pearled barley not quick cooking barley
3/4 cup frozen peas
freshly ground black pepper more or less to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Clean and prep your vegetables.
Add avocado oil to 6-quart (or larger) dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat.
Use paper towel to pat the short ribs dry and then season all sides with kosher salt.
Once the pan and oil is hot, sear the short ribs on all sides.
Note: I like to sear the short ribs for the deep rich flavor, however if short on time, you can skip this step and add them in with the vegetables and broth.
Once browned, transfer the short ribs to a clean plate and drain and discard majority of the oil in the pot, leaving only a little behind.
To the pan, add the carrots, onion and leeks with a pinch of kosher salt. Stir and cook 2 minutes, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
Add in the turnips and mushrooms. Pour in the beef stock, add the barley and stir.
Add the browned short ribs back in, cover the pot and heat over medium-low for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
Once time is up, use tongs to remove the short rib bones. Chop the meat (discarding any tough or fatty pieces) and add the beef back into the soup along with the peas. Stir and heat through - should only take a minute.
Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to your preference.

Notes

Bone-in or Boneless Short Ribs?

- I like to use bone-in short ribs because I like to sear them to give the soup a deep rich flavor. However you don't have to sear them if you're short on time.

- I've also used boneless short ribs in this recipe. I skipped the browning and just added them in with the vegetables and broth and cooked as instructed - this is a great time saver if you can find them.

WHAT IS THE EASIEST WAY TO SKIM FAT OFF OF A POT OF SOUP OR STEW:

- Make the soup a day in advance. Once cooled place in the fridge overnight, the fat will rise to the top and solidify in the fridge. You can then remove the cold hardened fat and discard. Then reheat.

- Allow the fat to rise to the top. Run a ladle under cool water and wipe dry. Fill the ladle with ice and skim the bottom of the ladle over the top of soup. The fat will freeze and stick to the underside of the ladle. Wipe the grease off of the ladle and repeat if necessary. You may also need to replace the ice as you go.

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Nutrition