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Beef and Barley Stew

October 26, 2020 6 Comments

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Beef and Barley Stew – a comforting winter warming filling bowl of tender beef pieces, vegetables and pearl barley.

Beef and barley stew in pot with wooden spoon, bowl of stew in background

Beef and Pearl Barley Stew

When it turns to the colder months of the year, stews and casseroles are a weekly rotation in my household. Firstly I love the ease of chucking all ingredients in one pot and secondly it’s great for warming you up, especially if you have been out of the house for the day. 

Pearl Barley in Stews and Casseroles

Pearl Barley is a great ingredient for adding into stews, casseroles and soups, it will bulk out the meal making it much more filling and means you don’t have to use quite as much meat, which can sometimes be expensive.

I buy bulk bags of pearl barley from the grocery store as it always comes in handy having some in my pantry cupboard.

close up of Beef and barley stew in pot with wooden spoon

Vegetables for Beef and Pearl Barley Stew

The beauty of a stew or casserole is that you can really add in any vegetables you like, whatever you add will bulk out the meal and flavour the broth or gravy.

For this I used what I had on hand which was onions, carrots, mushrooms and then some kale right at the end. I love to add Kale as it’s rich in iron, fibre and is a super food. But cabbage would be great too if you don’t like the strong flavour of kale. 

Can I use another type of meat in this recipe?

If you want to use something other than beef, I recommend some chunks of lamb which will require a similar cooking time, while something like chicken thighs would work, they will require a lot less cooking, and will need too much of an adjustment.

I don’t ever recommend anything like chicken breasts in a stew or casserole, they really don’t take long to cook and long cooking like this will just make the meat very dry and not very appetising, plus because they are so lean, they don’t release much in natural juices which flavour a casserole or stew. 

So stewing lamb or beef is the best option for this recipe. 

Beef and barley stew in casserole pot with wooden spoon

Can this be cooking in a Slow Cooker or Instant Pot?

I haven’t yet got round to making this using my slow cooker or instant pot, it’s a recipe I always tend to make on the stove top in my Le Creuset cast iron pan.

So without testing it first I wouldn’t like to comment on how this will work, adjustments will be need in the liquid and cooking times. Watch this space though, as soon as I test it out in one of those methods I will be sure to update.

Sides for Beef and Barley Stew

I usually eat this just as it is in a bowl, because of the vegetables and pearly barley it’s filling enough on it’s own and I don’t need any sides.

But if you fancy a side to pair this with, here are some great recommendations:

  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Rustic Garlic and Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
  • Cheddar and Spring Onion Mash
  • Sweet Potato Mash
  • Crushed Roast Potatoes
  • Garlic and Herb Roast Potatoes

or if you fancy some bread, this Oat Soda Bread which uses a HEb choice is perfect. 

beef and barley stew in white bowl with wooden handled spoon, patterned napkin to the left

More Beef Stew or Casserole Recipes

  • RICH BEEF AND PRUNE STEW (INSTANT POT OR SLOW COOKER)
  • BEEF AND SWEET POTATO STEW
  • TUSCAN BEEF CASSEROLE (STOVE TOP OR INSTANT POT)
  • BEEF CELERY ORZO STEW
  • BEEF AND VEGETABLE CASSEROLE (OVEN, SLOW COOKER, INSTANT POT)

or head on over to my Full Recipe Index with over 900 delicious Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly recipes all fully searchable by meal type, ingredients, syn value and smart points etc


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Beef and Barley Stew

Beef and Barley Stew

Yield: SERVES 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Beef and Barley Stew - a comforting winter warming filling bowl of tender beef pieces, vegetables and pearl barley.

Ingredients

  • 455g (16oz) of stewing beef, uncooked
  • 200g (7oz) onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 300g (10.5oz) of carrots, finely chopped
  • 125g (4.5 oz) of mushrooms, chopped
  • 3 cups (720ml) of chicken stock
  • 3 cups (720ml) of beef stock
  • 3 tablespoon of tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon of paprika (not smoked)
  • 3 to 4 handfuls of chopped kale
  • 125g (4.5oz) of pearl barley, uncooked
  • salt and black pepper
  • cooking oil spray (I used avocado)

Instructions

  1. Spray a large pot over a medium high heat with some cooking oil spray
  2. Add the beef in batches, seasoning with salt and black pepper and fry till lightly golden, remove and set aside
  3. Add the onion, and fry to soften. Add a couple of spoonfuls of either stock just to deglaze the pan.
  4. Add the garlic, carrot, mushrooms, thyme and rosemary, paprika, splash of balsamic vinegar and tomato paste
  5. Add back in the stewing beef (including juices) and stir to coat.
  6. Add all the stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for approx 30 mins
  7. After 30 minutes, add in the pearl barley, and then continue to simmer for an additional 45 minutes until pearl barley is cooked and meat is tender. If you like more broth on your stew, you can add some more stock as needed.
  8. Add in the kale for the last 10 minutes, taste and season as needed with salt and black pepper.
  9. Serve Enjoy!!

Notes

This recipe is dairy free, Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly

  • Slimming World - syn free per serving
  • WW Green Smart Points - 7 per serving
  • WW Blue Smart Points - 7 per serving
  • WW Purple Smart Points - 4 per serving

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 242Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 795mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 16g

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© Siobhan (Slimming Eats)
Cuisine: American, British / Category: Main
Beef and Pearl Barley Stew in casserole pot with wooden spoon pin image

 

 
 

It is the responsibility of the Reader to assure the products or ingredients they use in any recipes from Slimming Eats are allergen-free (gluten-free, egg-free and/or dairy-free, for example) or Vegetarian friendly. Slimming Eats assumes no liability for inaccuracies or misstatement about products, opinions or comments on this site.

Nutritional information is an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only

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Filed Under: 4 SP, 7 SP, 7 SP, beef, Blue, by course, by ingredient, by type, dairy free, Extra Easy, Freezer Friendly, grains and legumes, Green, lunch, main course, meat, One Pot, Purple, Recipes, sugar free, Syn Free, vegetables, Weight Watchers Smart Points Recipes Tagged With: beef and barley stew, dairy free, Extra Easy, food optimising, slimming world, syn free, weight watchers

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Heather McLean

    November 4, 2017 at 5:11 pm

    Siobhan….this is absolutely delish~!! LOVE it….Have made enough for 6 servings altogether….have bottled 5 of them will eat the 6th with my supper tonight….THANKS~~

  2. Shevy (Slimming Eats)

    November 4, 2017 at 8:49 pm

    It’s yummy isn’t it? i love pearl barley, really bulks up soups/stews. Thank you for the lovely comment.

  3. Jayne

    November 3, 2020 at 4:09 am

    My other half made this after I received the recipe via SlimmingEats email – the whole family loved it. Definitely a new favourite and it is so tasty! We made double to make up for having 3 working lads at home with us and I managed to pot up 3 lunch tubs after they had all been back for second helpings. Thank you Siobhan!

  4. Kathryn Bushell

    November 11, 2020 at 10:10 am

    Lovely recipe, even my 12 year old enjoyed it. I used tinned barley as I couldn’t find it anywhere.

  5. Michelle

    January 10, 2021 at 7:09 am

    Hi Siobhan, can this be made in a slow cooker? Love your receipes x

  6. Siobhan (Slimming Eats)

    January 12, 2021 at 3:04 pm

    Hi Michelle the recipe has only been made as per the recipe, so you would have to trial it yourself, I would definitely reduce the amount of liquid if so.

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Hey! I am Siobhan, a full-time mum and food blogger. I was born in London but now live in Ontario Canada ...

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