Do you cook barley before adding it to soup? Your beef barley soup will simmer long enough to cook the barley. There is no need for the additional step of cooking the barley first. The barley takes about 30 minutes to cook completely.
Watch how to make it
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- ▢ 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ▢ 1 onion , finely diced
- ▢ 2 small or 1 large carrot (~200g/7oz), peeled, chopped into 1cm / 0.4″ cubes
- ▢ 2 celery stems , chopped into 1cm / 0.4″ cubes
- ▢ 2 small or 1 medium swede (US: rutabaga), peeled, chopped into 1cm / 0.4″ cubes (~200g, Note 1)
- ▢ 150g / 5 oz white mushrooms , cut in 4 (larger ones cut into 6 or 8)
- ▢ 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- ▢ 1/2 tsp fresh thyme , chopped (or 1/4 tsp dried)
- ▢ 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- ▢ 1/4 tsp ground fennel
- ▢ 2 fresh bay leaves (or 1 dried)
- ▢ 1 3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- ▢ 1/2 tsp black pepper
- ▢ 1 cup pearl barley , NOT hulled barley (Note 2)
- ▢ 1.75 litres / quarts vegetable stock , preferably homemade (its so easy!) else low sodium store bought
- ▢ 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
- Rinse barley in a colander with cold tap water. Leave to drain for several minutes.
- Sauté veg 5 minutes: Heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, swede, mushrooms and garlic (yes, all at once!). Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Sauté herbs/spices: Add thyme, coriander, fennel, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
- Simmer 35 minutes: Add pearl barley and vegetable stock. Stir, bring to a boil and simmer for 35 minutes until barley is cooked. It will have a nice chew to it but should not have a hard centre like uncooked rice.
- Stir in parsley: Stir in parsley leaves. Ladle into bowls and serve!
- Strain soup (or use slotted spoon), store vegetables/barley separate from soup broth. Otherwise the barley will soak up all the liquid!
Ingredients in Barley Soup
Here’s what goes in this Barley Soup:
Beef Barley Soup
FAQ
Should barley be soaked before adding to soup?
Do you have to soak barley before cooking? Pearl barley does not need to be soaked prior to cooking because it cooks quickly. Hulled barley benefits from soaking in water for a few hours before cooking. However, you should still budget more time for the hulled grain to cook (about 35 to 40 minutes).
Can you soak barley instead of cooking?
In case you’re wondering, this soak-instead-of-cook idea isn’t something you can do with just any old grain. Many of the bigger/tougher ones — barley, rice, farro and the like — will start to ferment and/or sprout long before they are tender enough to eat raw, so those require cooking.
Do I need to rinse barley before cooking?
There is no need to rinse barley before using it. To enhance the flavor of barley, heat the kernels in a skillet for a few minutes or cook it in broth instead of water. You can save time by cooking extra barley and freezing it. Add it to soups or salads as you need it.
Do you have to boil pearl barley?
How to cook barley. Pot or pearl barley can be used to bulk up soups and stews, or made into a salad for a substantial main meal, or it can be used in place of arborio rice in risotto. Pearl barley cooks to al dente in boiling, salted water in around 25 minutes, or around 40 minutes at a low simmer.