Amish Beef Barley Soup Recipe

Amish beef barley soup with hamburger is delicious, hearty, and easy to make. Loaded with barley, beef, and veggies, this recipe is a complete meal by itself. And it won't take long to get this pot of comfort food to the table, making it a handy dish for a busy day.

Isn't that what most of us are looking for nowadays? Simple, quick, and delicious. I know I'm always happy to find quick and easy meal ideas that my family will enjoy. And wintertime calls for hearty comfort food, making this old-fashioned vegetable beef barley soup a perfect go-to.

Ground Beef Barley Soup

I love almost any cut of beef, and many beef barley soup recipes use beef roast or stew chunks. While beef chunks make a delicious soup, they take longer to cook.

So for this Amish beef barley soup, we are using ground beef. However, if you prefer, you are welcome to use beef chunks, although you will need to cook them longer.

Instructions

1. Cook the Ground Beef:
   • Crumble and brown one or two pounds of ground beef in a pan.
   • Drain any excess fat and set the cooked beef aside.
2. Sauté the Vegetables:
   • Add a tablespoon of oil or butter to a large cooking pot.
   • Sauté minced garlic cloves, dried onion flakes (or a small chopped onion), diced carrots, and a diced rib of celery in the oil for several minutes until they begin to soften.
3. Add Tomatoes and Seasonings:
   • Add the petite diced tomatoes (undrained) and seasonings to the pot.
   • Pour in 6 ½ cups of beef broth (or a combination of broth, water, and Better than Bouillon beef base).
   • Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil.
4. Add Barley and Simmer:
   • Add the quick pearled barley to the pot.
   • Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. Serve:
   • Serve the soup hot.
   • Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator. Reheat and enjoy!

Easy Beef Barley Soup Recipe With Ground Beef

Whenever I make soup with ground beef, I like to cook the beef separately and drain the fat before adding it to the soup. So that gives me an extra step and another dirty dish.

But if you use a lean type of burger, or if you don't mind the extra grease in your soup, you can go ahead and cook the hamburger in with your veggies. It makes it super easy, and you'll only have one pot to wash.

What Kind of Barley Should I Use?

Barley is considered to be a heart-healthy grain. But honestly, I haven't cooked with it much, other than in this Amish soup recipe which I enjoy. So I'm not very familiar with different types of barley.

I always use Quaker's Quick pearled barley. So I recommend using Quick Pearl Barley, as any other kind will probably require longer cooking time.

You can usually find it at Walmart close to the rice and beans.

What Could I Serve With Beef Barley Soup?

This one-pot dish is a complete meal on its own. But if desired, there are some sides that go great with a bowl of barley soup as well.

One of the first things that come to my mind is homemade buttermilk biscuits, or perhaps you're a fan of moist homemade cornbread.

And if you're trying to incorporate more veggies into your diet, almost any kind of salad goes well with a bowl of soup. You could try this delicious broccoli and cauliflower salad, or a seven-layer lettuce salad.

I hope you enjoy this Amish ground beef and barley soup. If you try this recipe, I'd love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!

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