By: Jill Mills Posted: Oct 6, 2026

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This hearty Beef Barley Mushroom Soup is nourishing, comforting, and perfect for chilly nights. The beef becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender while the barley makes it extra filling. Ready in just 2 hours!

Beef Barley Mushroom Soup in a serving bowl.

This beef barley mushroom soup is a twist on traditional beef and barley soup, adding mushrooms to the mix. It’s like a heartier vegetable beef soup with tender chunks of beef, barley, mushrooms, and veggies in a savory broth. The broth is infused with red wine and herbs, adding lots of flavor.

This is one of our favorite chilly weather soups, topping the list with recipes like chicken taco soup and kielbasa potato soup. My favorite thing is that it’s ready in 2 hours, so I don’t have to plan for it too far in advance!

Why This Beef Barley Mushroom Soup Is So Good

Hearty & filling. Between the beef, the veggies, the mushrooms, and the barley, each bowl of this soup is hearty and filling without being heavy. It’s nourishing comfort food in a bowl.
Tender beef. While this beef and barley soup with mushrooms only takes a total of 2 hours to make, that’s plenty of time for the chunks of chuck roast to become nice and tender.
Savory umami broth. The broth for this soup has such an incredibly deep, rich, and robust flavor. The mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce add umami notes, while the tomato paste adds a bit of sweetness and the Dijon adds yet another layer of flavor.

Overhead view of ingredients needed to make beef barley mushroom soup

Ingredient Notes

Let’s take a look at everything needed to make this hearty soup recipe. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.

Olive oil – For searing the chuck roast and cooking the mushrooms.
Beef chuck – Chuck roast is ideal for this stew, as it becomes super tender doing the cooking process. You can also just grab a pack of diced stew meat.
Veggies – Onion, carrots, and celery add flavor and substance to the stew.
Mushrooms – Cremini mushrooms are ideal as they have a robust flavor and hold up well during the cooking process.
Garlic – Freshly minced garlic adds the best flavor.
Tomato paste – Adds a bit of sweetness to balance out all the savory flavors, providing some more depth to the broth.
Dijon mustard – My secret ingredient to creating a more robust broth with lots of flavor.
Dry red wine – Any dry red wine that you have on hand works. If you don’t cook with wine, you can use more broth, but it won’t have the same flavor.
Beef broth – Be sure to use low-sodium broth, especially since we’re using 7 cups of it. It’s better to add salt yourself to get the right amount.
Pearl barley – Pearl barley works best in this recipe. If using hulled barley, plan on a longer cooking time.
Herbs & spices – Bay leaves, fresh parsley, dried thyme, and dried rosemary, plus salt and pepper.
Worcestershire sauce – Adds savory umami notes to the broth.
Red wine vinegar – A splash at the end adds just a bit of acidity to brighten up the overall flavor profile of the stew.

How To Make Beef and Barley Mushroom Soup

While this soup takes about 2 hours to prepare, most of that time is hands-off simmer time. The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

Brown the beef. Pat the beef dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches on all sides until it develops a deep brown crust, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Cook the veggies. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Cook the onion, carrots, and celery for 7-8 minutes or until softened.
Add the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 6-8 minutes until they’ve released their moisture and begin to brown.

Beef, barley, and herbs added to the pot

Add the aromatics. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, followed by the tomato paste and Dijon. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste darkens.
Add the wine. Pour in the wine, scrape up the browned bits from the pot, and simmer for 3-5 minutes, until it has reduced by about half.
Simmer. Return the beef, along with any juices on the plate, to the pot. Add the broth, barley, bay leaves, herbs, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Cover partially and simmer for 80 minutes, until the beef is fork-tender and the barley is cooked through.
Finish. Remove the bay leaves and stir in the vinegar and parsley. Enjoy!

Beef Barley Mushroom Soup in a pot with a ladle.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

Before you make this beef and barley soup with mushrooms, take a second to read these quick tips.

Use a large pan. You definitely want at least a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven to give the beef plenty of room to brown and the soup enough space to simmer.
Take your time browning the beef. A good brown crust adds rich flavor to the soup. It’s also important to brown in batches. If the pieces are too close together, they won’t get a good sear on them.
Cook the tomato paste. Look for a visible color change in the tomato paste before moving on to the next step.
Simmer gently. Once everything comes to a boil, reduce the heat so it stays at a gentle simmer. Cooking it on higher heat will not speed up the cooking time and will just result in tough beef, instead of tender pieces.
Thin the soup. The barley will absorb a good bit of broth. If it ends up thicker than you’d like, just add a bit more broth or some water at the end.

What To Serve It With

I love serving this beef barley mushroom soup with a slice of crusty bread. Breadsticks are another great option.

I find a big bowl with some breadsticks is perfect for a hearty, comforting dinner. If you want to lighten it up a bit, pair a smaller bowl of soup with a side salad.

Storing & Reheating Leftovers