Instant Pot Beef and barley soup are just what is needed on a cold winter’s night. It has been really cold here in Colorado this year all winter long, we really haven’t had a break, and I have been craving soup. I thought about making a big pot of beef barley but was short on time. So out came my Instant Pot, and with half the time it would take to make it on the stove, I had a delicious bowl of steaming hot Beef and Barley soup.
This soup is hearty and satisfying and chock full of vegetables. I love to soak up the broth with a crusty roll or a hunk of sourdough bread. I added red wine and some Worcestershire sauce to add some depth to this soup, but if you don’t have them, you could just add more broth, but it won’t have as deep a flavor. The chewy texture barley adds to this soup is divine. Barley is an underutilized grain that I love the flavor of.
Using an Instant Pot makes this soup a breeze to make, and if you have everything prepped, it takes about an hour from start to finish. I like my Beef and Barley soup full of beef. I used 2 and a half pounds of stew meat, roughly half of a package from Costco, making it relatively economical. You can freeze the other half to make another batch or a Guinness and Beef Pot Pie I posted a while back.
I hope you make a big batch of this Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup to help stave off the cold and have a delicious meal. Ok, that is all for this week. Please think of others in your choices. We all need to get along together on this crazy trip of a world. Until next time!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 ½ lbs chuck roast or stew meat beef cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup dry red wine like cabernet or zinfandel
- 3 carrots sliced
- 2 stalks of celery sliced
- ½ cup pearled barley
- 8 oz package of mushrooms quartered
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme crushed if whole leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 4 cups beef broth or stock
- ¼ cup parsley chopped, for finishing
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce optional for finishing
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Hit the sauté function on the Instant Pot and adjust the heat to high.
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Add the olive oil and let it heat up.
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Then add in the beef in batches trying not to overcrowd the pot, and saute until the pieces begin to brown. Remove and repeat with the remaining beef.
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After finishing all the beef, remove and add the onion and saute for a few minutes until softened.
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Stir in the red wine to deglaze the bottom of the pot, scraping up all the browned bits of goodness.
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Add back in the beef along with the carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, barley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
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Add the beef stock, making sure to not fill beyond the max fill line.
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Place the lid on and turn the nozzle or valve to the sealing position.
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Hit the manual button for pressure cook and set the time to 20 minutes.
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When the Instant pot has done cooking, let the pressure come down naturally, Usually about 20-30 minutes.
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Stir in parsley and Worcestershire sauce.
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Taste the soup and see if it needs any more salt. And serve.
