Beef and Barley Soup

Tips & Tricks:

• 🔪 Skip steps with knife if you completed the prep ideas!
• 🥶 Double, triple, or quadruple this recipe and freeze in 24 oz containers. These are my favorite containers for freezing.
• ❌ Need a gluten free option? Use your favorite kind of rice instead of barley. Just make it separately according to the package instructions and serve the soup over the rice. Reduce the amount of chicken stock from 4 cups to 3, and use that extra cup to cook the rice (along with water if needed).

Ingredients:

• 1 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, or stew meat
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 large carrots
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 3 celery ribs
• 4 medium cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, red wine, or your choice of stock
• 4 cups chicken stock/broth
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 cup pearled barley
• 1/2 teaspoon Asian fish sauce, optional
• 5 oz frozen peas or green beans

Directions:

1. 🔪 Veg and Meat Prep (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
1. Cut beef into 1.5 inch pieces (bite size).
2. Cut carrots into half moons (bite size).
3. Cut celery into half moons (bite size).
4. Small dice onion.
5. Cut green beans (if adding) into bite size pieces if needed.
2. Brown Meat and Veg
1. Season beef with salt and pepper.
2. In a pressure cooker, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add beef and sear, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Add diced carrot, diced onion, and diced celery to pressure cooker and sear, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes.
4. Scrape vegetables into a heatproof bowl and set aside.
5. Add wine (or 1/2 cup of stock) to pot and cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot, until wine comes to a simmer and alcohol smell cooks off, about 4 minutes.
3. Pressure Cook
1. Add 4 cups of stock, thyme, reserved beef and any accumulated juices, and barley to the pressure cooker.
2. Close cooker and vent, cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
3. Quick release pressure.
4. Serve
1. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
2. Turn the pressure cooker back on to saute, stir in reserved diced vegetables, fish sauce (if using), and peas or green beans. Let the vegetables warm in the soup at a simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Reheat Options

1. Reheat in a medium pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally until warmed through, about 10 minutes.
2. Or microwave in a microwave safe bowl for 3-4 minutes, stirring halfway through.