Name: Instant Pot Beef Barley Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 2 pounds beef (cubed); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 onion (diced); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 3 stalks celery (sliced); 4 carrots (peeled and sliced); 1 15- oz can diced tomatoes; 6 - 7 cups beef broth; 4 small waxy potatoes (diced); 3/4 cup pearl barley; salt & pepper (to taste); 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 cup frozen peas

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4.67 from 3 votes

Yield:

Ready In: 1 hr

Cook up a stick-to-your-ribs meal when the weather outside is frightful: My Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup is packed with veggies, tender beef and soft barley for your new go-to comfort food soup. Soup in the pressure cooker is one of my favorite things to make when the weather turns cooler. And believe it or not: But my kids LOVE soup, especially when it’s packed with veggies they like.

Here I’m sharing one of my go to soups. It’s in my regular instant pot soup rotation, right alongside my Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup and my Instant Pot Potato Soup.

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Recommended Equipment:

Knife
Chopping Board
a plate to set aside the browned beef
Measuring Cups
wooden cooking spoon
Instant Pot

Ingredients

2 pounds beef (cubed)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
3 stalks celery (sliced)
4 carrots (peeled and sliced)
1 15- oz can diced tomatoes
6 – 7 cups beef broth
4 small waxy potatoes (diced)
3/4 cup pearl barley
salt & pepper (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup frozen peas

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 45 mins

Ready In: 1 hr

Instructions

Brown Beef: Season beef well with salt and pepper. Set instant pot to "sauté" and heat oil in it, then brown the beef in 2-3 batches. Set aside on a plate.
Sauté vegetables: Stir onion and garlic into the instant pot and sauté until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and cook for one more minute. Switch off instant pot and add the meat and remaining ingredients (EXCEPT for the peato pot. Stir very well to release any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Pressure cook: Close the lid and set the valve to the “sealing” position. Pressure cook for 15 minutes. Do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Finish soup: Once you have opened the pot, stir the peas into the soup. Set the instant pot to "sauté" and cook for two more minutes, then serve hot.

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Nora’s Tips

INGREDIENT NOTES:

use sliced green beans in place of the celery stalks

if you have kids who are picky about bits of onion (ask me how I know…), replace it with 1/2 teaspoon dried onion powder and an extra chopped celery stalk

for a delicious flavor twist, use 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning in place of the thyme called for in the recipe

COOKING TIPS:

Patting the beef dry with paper towels before browning helps the beef caramelize better, which makes the whole dish more flavorful.

Use a good stewing meat cut into roughly 0.75 inch chunks for best results.

For a thicker/less broth-y soup, use 6 cups of beef stock and starchy potatoes instead of waxy ones. You can also blend 1-2 cups of the soup and stir it back in for a creamy base.

We buy our potatoes at the farm down the road and they come covered in soil, so I usually peel them. If you’re using small/new/clean potatoes, cut down on prep time by leaving the skin on.

Don’t skip the natural pressure releases, or your meat may turn out tough.

PAIR THIS SOUP WITH:

We like a big hunk of No Knead Bread with this soup!

Nutrition

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instant pot filled with beef barley soup

bowl of beef barley soup in front of an electric pressure cooker

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