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Barley soup with mushrooms and beef in a purple bowl with a copper spoon and a green napkin.

Barley Soup with Mushrooms

Beth Lee
Barley soup with mushrooms is the quintessential bowl of satisfying comfort food. Add in some flanken ribs and you've got a beef barley soup recipe that brings me right back to my bubbe's tiny kitchen in Brooklyn!
5 from 10 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Soup
Cuisine American, Comfort Food
Servings 6 servings
Calories 264 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 carrots diced or sliced
  • 1-2 celery stalks diced or sliced
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • ½ - 1 teaspoon dried thyme you can also use fresh thyme or dried basil, or even add some hot chili peppers
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
  • ⅓ cup dry sherry or white wine to deglaze the pot
  • 1-2 garlic cloves minced (use ¼ - ½ teaspoon of garlic powder if you don't have fresh)
  • ½ cup dried porcini mushrooms optional, if using soak in hot water for 15 minutes to soften and let any dirt fall to the bottom of the bowl **
  • ½ pound cremini or white button mushrooms sliced
  • 4 cups beef stock or use chicken, mushroom, or vegetable stock. Only have one can of stock? use water as the rest of your liquid and just taste your soup to see if it needs a little extra seasoning.
  • 1 cup pearled barley should be available at any grocery store, bulk bins, or specialty food store
  • ½ lemon juiced
  • 1 pound flanken ribs optional

Instructions
 

  • If using the optional flanken ribs, sear on medium high heat in the soup pot then remove to a plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
    Flanken ribs for beef barley soup searing in the soup pot.
  • Saute the carrots, celery and onion in the olive oil (or rendered fat) on medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent and just starting to take on some color – about 5 minutes.
    Celery, carrots and onion sauteing in the stock pot.
  • At this stage, I like to add in my dry herbs and spices (thyme and bay leaf) and some salt and both peppers to start layering flavors and release some of their fragrance in the hot pan. Mix them around a bit and then deglaze the pan with the white wine (in non-technical terms - pour the wine in the hot pan, listen to the sizzle, and mix it around to release any yummy flavors sticking to the bottom of the pan). Also add back in your flanken ribs at this point if using.
    Flanken ribs on top of sauteed mirepoix in stock pot.
  • Drain the porcini, saving the liquid (see note about draining the liquid). Rough chop the porcini and then add porcini and fresh mushrooms to pot and the garlic and sauté until the fresh mushrooms give off their liquid and start to show some color – another 3 - 5 minutes or so.
    Fresh and dried mushrooms added to mushroom barley soup in soup pot.
  • Now add the stock, mushroom soaking liquid and barley. Stir again and bring the whole thing up to a boil. Then reduce the temperature to low and let it simmer covered until the barley is cooked and the carrots and celery are soft.
    Barley added to the mushroom barley soup in the stock pot.
  • Lift the lid frequently to give it a stir and check to be sure it is not boiling. You'll want it to cook at a low boil - almost simmering.
    As you taste for seasoning, squeeze in the meyer lemon juice as needed.
    Side view of the soup pot on the stove with lid partially on while it cooks.
  • If you are adding in any pre-cooked meat, do so near the end just to warm it up. If you are using the flanken ribs check them for tenderness. If for some reason they aren't soft enough yet to remove the meat and add back in to the soup, wrap them in some foil with a little soup and throw them into the toaster oven or regular oven to cook a bit more. If you use thin cut flanken, this shouldn't be necessary. But if you've used a thick short rib cut, they may need a little more time to become fully tender.
    Seared flanken ribs on a white plate resting.
  • To serve the soup, ladle into bowls and if you have any fresh herbs around - basil or parley or chives, sprinkle some on top, or a splash of olive oil and/or a squeeze of lemon would be nice as well. Or serve it just as is - if you've been tasting it as it cooks and adjusting the seasoning, it will be perfect as is.
    Mushroom barley soup in purple bowl on an herby napkin with a copper spoon.

Notes

  1. My first pot of this soup was thick, creamy and risotto-like, aptly described by my daughter. If this happens to you, either embrace it as we did or add more stock! The barley definitely drinks up the liquid as it cooks, which is how I ended up with the velvety risotto-like texture. 
  2. Taste frequently when making this soup (or any soup). The recipe below is just a starting point - taste often and let your senses guide your additions. Have no fear - too much salt or spice - add water or stock. Too brothy? Let it reduce down a bit. Soup is a very forgiving dish to prepare.
  3. Dried porcini mushrooms will throw off a bit of dirt in their soaking liquid but that liquid is full of flavor. So strain those mushrooms and then strain the strained liquid through cheesecloth or a very fine mesh strainer. It's worth it for the flavor that soaking liquid has!
  4. Other add-ins: leftover chicken, other cuts of beef, even sausage or pancetta sauteed and added in would be nice. Also - other vegetables such as parsnip or zucchini - almost anything you want to use from your vegetable bin could become an ingredient in this soup.

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 9gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 643mgPotassium: 556mgFiber: 7gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 3447IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 2mg
Keyword barley, mushroom barley soup
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