Quick Beef & Barley Soup

Wow. Talk about bland! If you follow this recipe to a T as I did at first, you may be disappointed as I and several others were. 1 Tbsp of fresh thyme is not enough to season 6 cups of soup. 1/4 tsp salt is not enough to season 6 cups of soup. I added an extra Tbsp of tomato paste (to amp up the umami) and more salt than written - and it was still bland!

I’m not sure I’d make this again given how boring it was. As written - it’s a hard pass. But if I have the stuff and feel like giving it a go again, I would definitely add garlic, bay leaf, another 3/4 tsp of salt, cracked pepper, an extra Tbsp of tomato paste, and finish with some fresh parsley. That MIGHT do the trick.

Great quick easy soup. I add some frozen peas to it. Loved it. Will make again.

Super yummy and so very easy! Will be making again & again. I did use the quick-cook barley but it still took extra 30(?) min or perhaps we like it softer than most? I added more barley 1 1/4 cup and bullion as others suggested so being my first time making it, I am not sure if it was needed. We will have left overs for a few days!

This is one of my top five eating well recipes. We make it all the time. Healthy but flavorful and you don't feel deprived. I add a little garlic (we love garlic) and also use New York strip because we typically double or triple the recipe for leftovers and the New York strip really adds a lot of rich flavor. This is a great recipe and makes you feel good to eat it.

I added lentils with it it was hardy and quick I will make again.

Will most def make again:)

Hi, I made this soup as the recipe stated and found it to be very bland. So, I tweaked it a bit and it turned out amazing. First, I added a cup of Barley rather than 3/4. I also added beef bouillion cubes to taste as it wasn't beefy enough for me. Addtional barley and beef bouillion (Knorr) made it must better! I would recommend this recipe with tweaking!

delicious comfort soup on a cold winter day in Wisconsin we used regular cooking barley and then added 2 more cups of beef broth and tomato past.

Perfect for a snowy day. Made this on a snow day so had to use what was on hand. This meant I used chicken broth and had no celery. I used extra spices and I admit I made small dumplings and added them. It was fabulous! I did cook it a little longer after I added the meat. It gets better and better.

Much better the next day I felt the soup needed more punch so I added a dried seasoning mix containing salt, shallots, garlic, onion and chives and let the soup cook for another hour after adding the beef back to the pot. Pros: Comes together quickly Cons: but isn't very flavorful after the short cooking time suggested.

Comfort food. Mmmmm. Hit the spot on a cold winter's night. My husband raved and raved. I only substituted a bay leaf for the thyme but kept everything else the same. I can't wait to try some of the other recipes in this month's magazine.

Quick Beef & Barley Soup Great winter soup for a cold night. Pros: Easy to make, tastes great, even better the next day!