Despite all the trends, old-fashioned comfort food is still a mainstay and this Hamburger Barley Soup is an old reliable. It combines some pretty common pantry items into a hearty and satisfying soup.
I adapted this recipe from one on allrecipes.com many years ago. Before that, I almost never bought barley, but now I make it a habit to have it in the pantry. As well as V8, which I stock in the winter to make my beef stew. Other than that, you probably have the rest of the ingredients on hand right now.
This is a great soup to make on a cold weekend day, when you just want something cozy for dinner!
Barley is a healthy grain
Barley doesn’t get much attention these days, but if you are trying to introduce more good food variety into your diet, barley does the job. The grain contains selenium, which prevents inflammation, according to some. As you’ve probably heard, chronic inflammation is a prime suspect among many serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, even Alzheimer’s.
According to Medical News Today, barley is also considered a rich source for several B vitamins including niacin, thiamin and B-6. (B vitamins are said to have a direct impact on your energy levels, brain function, and cell metabolism). Plus, barley contains beta-glucans, a type of fiber that has been found to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.
Ingredients
How to make Hamburger Barley Soup
First, chop up the vegetables: onion, carrot and celery. (AKA "mirepoix")
Then, brown the ground beef, add in those vegetables and some barley, and give it all a good stir.
Pour in all the liquid: beef broth, tomatoes, water and V8 juice. Add the seasonings, bring it to a boil and let it simmer, covered, for a couple hours.
Since nothing in this soup is exotic or unusual, even your picky eaters will enjoy it. Like many soups, it also makes a great leftover.
Serve with a grilled cheese sandwich and you’ll see smiles all around.
Oh, and oyster crackers. This soup definitely goes well with crackers. But if you want to take that up a notch, you can make some Ninja Foodi cheese scones for a wonderful side with this soup! 😀
Remember to pin this for later!
More Comfort Food Soups for you to Enjoy
- Instant Pot Chicken Barley Soup
- Cheesy Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Minestrone
- Navy Bean Soup with Ham
- Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
📖 Recipe
Hamburger Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 1½ lb ground beef
- 1 onion minced
- 4 carrots minced
- 3 celery sliced thin
- ½ cup barley
- 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 cups water
- 12 oz vegetable or tomato juice V8 or similar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 TB dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground garlic
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook, stirring and breaking the meat into small crumbles until evenly browned and no longer pink. Drain and discard excess grease.
- Stir in the onion, carrots, celery and barley. Pour in all the liquids (tomatoes, juice, beef broth, and water) and add the seasonings.
- Bring soup mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring frequently.
- Remove bay leaves before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Mihaela|https://theworldisanoyster.com/
I have pearl barley for breakfast - a great substitute for cereals, but I never used it in soups. I will remember to make a soup next time I boil a batch of barley. Saving your recipe!
Sula
Oh yes it's very good in soup!
Jennifer | @kitjen_
This soup is amazing, especially in the cold LA weather right now, thank you!
Sula
It really hits the spot during the cold weather months!
Rita
Husband & I enjoyed this tonight, with cheese and crackers, but a nice slice of homemade bread would have been nice with it. When I didn't have enough of the pearl barley ( I would have added more than a 1/2 cup for sure), I added one large cubed potato. I substituted 2 - 8oz cans of tomato sauce for the veg or tomato juice and omitted the diced tomatoes. Was delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Sula
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Rita!
Emily Flint
My dad and I were just talking about barley soup so I am totally sharing this with him. I also love the addition of hamburger meat. We always have it in the freezer but I often run out of new ideas of how to use it.
Sula
You don't usually think of soup for hamburger but it really works for this one!
Alexandra
How delicious and full of flavour!
Sula
Its the power of the barley!!
Blake Moon
What a great idea.
Sula
Yes, its delish!