This is our go-to Beef Stew for those cooler weather months. Don’t leave out the barley, it’s a great addition to the texture!

We aren’t huge beef eaters in our house, but there is nothing better than a pot roast or a slow cooked pot of beef stew! With the price of meat skyrocketing, it’s a special treat for us.

I like to get two meals out of one portion of stew meat–you can easily stretch out the meal with extra veggies or protein.  Did you know barley has protein? I love the texture it adds to soups and stews, plus it cooks up quickly!

When chuck roasts go on sale or are in the markdown section, I grab them to chop up for stew meat. You can also freeze them! Best part of this stew is if you don’t like one veggie listed, use whatever you have on hand!

We serve this with warm crusty bread (look for markdowns near the bakery of your store) and large bowls. It’s a great meal to make on Sunday and bring for lunch the rest of the week.  It also freezes well!

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Beef Stew with Barley

Filled with veggies, this beef and barley stew is the perfect cold weather comfort food!

Course: Soup

Keyword: Barley, Beef Stew, Guinness

Servings: 8 bowls

Ingredients

• 2 lbs beef stew meat or cubed Chuck roast
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon Steak seasoning
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 6 cups vegetable or beef stock I use Better Than Bouillon
• 1 cup carrot chopped in rings (about 2 large carrots)
• 1 cup celery sliced
• 1 medium sweet potato cubed
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 medium potatoes diced
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• 1 bottle of Guinness stout beer using only 1 cup
• 1 cup frozen green beans
• 1/2 cup quick cooking barley

Instructions

1. In a bowl, add flour, Montreal Steak seasoning and onion powder. Mix and add meat, to coat. Set aside.

2. Heat a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Add 2-3 teaspoons EVOO. Add meat, shaking off each piece before adding. Allow to brown, but not fully cook. Remove from pan, for now.

3. Add more EVOO, if necessary and all fresh veggies, except frozen green beans, and garlic. Stir and cook for 8-10 minutes. Don’t worry about any brown bits at the bottom of the pan–that’s flavor!

4. Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste to the pot. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pot. Season with Worcestershire, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf.
   
5. Slowly pour 1 cup Guinness beer into pot. Focus on scraping the bottom of the pan.

6. Now add vegetable or beef stock and 2 bouillon cubes, plus 1 cups water. Return stew meat to the pot, with any juices that have formed on the plate.
   

7. Allow to bubble on LOW for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The stew is almost ready once the meat becomes tender. In the final 20 minutes, add frozen green beans and barley.
   
8. Serve with warm crusty rolls or bread.
   

Recipe Notes

This freezes well and can keep in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Feel free to sub out any veggies you dislike, but try to keep as many as possible for filling fiber and vitamins!

• For the slow cooker, brown beef as directed, then put all ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook: HIGH 6 hours; LOW 9-10 hours

What non-meat protein do you add to your foods? Have you tried barley before?