{"id":8017,"date":"2020-10-26T16:00:10","date_gmt":"2020-10-26T21:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slimmingeats.com\/blog\/?p=8017"},"modified":"2026-05-20T12:52:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T17:52:12","slug":"beef-and-barley-stew","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slimmingeats.com\/blog\/beef-and-barley-stew","title":{"rendered":"Beef and Barley Stew"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Beef and Barley Stew - a comforting winter warming filling bowl of tender beef pieces, vegetables and pearl barley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Beef<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beef and Pearl Barley Stew<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pearl Barley in Stews and Casseroles<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I buy bulk bags of pearl barley from the grocery store as it always comes in handy having some in my pantry cupboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vegetables for Beef and Pearl Barley Stew<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can I use another type of meat in this recipe?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So stewing lamb or beef is the best option for this recipe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Beef<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Can this be cooking in a Slow Cooker or Instant Pot?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sides for Beef and Barley Stew<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you fancy a side to pair this with, here are some great recommendations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n