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Hearty Beef Soup: a family favorite

This Hearty Beef Soup is a family favorite! The depth of flavor results from mushrooms and browned beef shanks, in addition to the stew meat. If you are looking for a hearty, nourishing, and delicious soup, then this is your recipe!

Is it cool where you are?  If so, this Hearty Beef Soup needs to be on your menu and in your tummy!  I have a hard time making and serving soups when it’s 95° and 95% humidity outside, but as soon as the cool and crisp weather of fall arrives, you can find soup on our table at least once a week.

“Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living.  For soup can do more to lift the spirits and stimulate the appetite than any other one dish.”
by Louis P. De Gouy

This nourishing hearty beef soup is full of the rich flavor that is often lacking when just using beef broth.  Searing the stew meat as well as some beef shanks really ups the flavor and heartiness of this outstanding and nourishing beef soup.  Adding dried porcini mushrooms gives it the earthiness that I look for in a bowl of beef soup.

I cut the stew meat into small, half-inch to one-inch pieces for two reasons: more surface area to sear thereby adding extra flavor and the smaller pieces ensure that they’ll cook enough to be tender.

Hearty Beef Soup

Nourish and Nestle
A hearty and nourishing Beef Soup recipe
4.67 from 6 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Course Soups, Stocks, Broths + Chili
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings
Calories 1034 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat cut into 1/2 to 1-inch pieces
  • 2-3 pounds beef shanks excess fat cut off
  • 8 cups beef broth or water or a combination
  • 15 ounces tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 2 onions diced
  • 2 stalks of celery diced
  • 2 carrots diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms chopped by hand or in food processor
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp marjoram
  • 2 can of kidney beans.
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Olive oil to brown meat
  • Cooked barley optional

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in heavy pan, I used my large cast iron skillet.
  • With heat at medium high to high, working in batches sear your cubes of stew meat until browned on all sides, adding oil as necessary.
  • Put stew meat in your slowcooker or in a heavy pot if you are using your stove top.
  • Adding oil if necessary, brown your shanks on all sides.
  • Place shanks in slowcooker or pot
  • Add remaining ingredients and cook in slowcooker on LOW for 8-9 hours or on the stovetop on simmer for 2-3 hours.
  • If cooking on stovetop, you may need to add some additional liquid if it evaporates.
  • If gluten is not an issue, add some to your soup as desired. I try to avoid unnecesarry gluten and it is plenty hearty without the barley.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 1034kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 151gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 381mgSodium: 1916mgFiber: 6gSugar: 5g
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Serve this delicious, filling and nourishing hearty beef soup with a salad and bread (for the bread eaters out there) for a complete meal.  

beef-barley-soup-1-2

Bookmark this page or pin the following image to refer back to this recipe for Hearty Beef Soup.

bowl of hearty beef soup

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22 Comments

    1. Rachel, it is cold and rainy here too. In fact notice you’re in the Triangle…I’m in Wilmington, so our weather is not too different. Up in your neck of the woods often with my daughter at Chapel Hill. Love it up there. Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoy the soup.
      Lynn

  1. Hi Lynn!
    I have been looking at your blog tonight and I LOVE it! You have some awesome DIY’s and recipes. Thank you for sharing them and your life with us! I would love to receive your emails but I’m unable to subscribe. I only have my phone, right now, to use online and your subscription box is not showing up. If you could sign me up using my email addy that I provided here I would really appreciate it. If you cannot do this, please contact me and let me know how I can, if I can subscribe. Thank you for a fantabulous blog and for your help! Paula

    1. Good Morning Paula, I will gladly sign you up and thanks for pointing out that my mobile site is not allowing for that…Hmmm….need to figure that out. I really appreciate your very kind message and encouraging words and hope that you will continue to find enjoyment from them. Wishing you a great day!?

      1. Thank you so much for all your help Lynn. I really appreciate it!

        I can hardly wait to make this soup. Normally I do not like shopping at all, especially grocery shopping! This week, I find myself looking forward to it, I have so many new things to try!? Thank you for the delicious recipes AND I love that you are also sharing crafting and recycling/upcycling ideas with us!? I hope you have an awesome evening! Paula

  2. Now you’re talking my language! I love my slow-cooker and get so excited finding new recipes. This looks and sounds delicious! If I try it, I’ll share my pics with you. 🙂

  3. Lynn this looks delicious! We finally have snow here in the mitten and this looks like the perfect dish to warm me up! Thanks for your tips on making the broth more rich.

    1. Hi Chellie, I hope you enjoy it. We’re actually having leftover Beef Soup tonight, and you know soup is always better the second night.

  4. This is right up my alley. I love to warm up from the inside out and this would also satisfy my husbands love for beef, while I sneak in as many veggies as I can! LOL I am pinning this so I can pull it up at the grocery! Thanks for sharing the recipe it’s going into our soup rotation!

    1. Hey Nikki, I just made it again this past week and while still delish, think it’s really best if made in a slow cooker if possible. Enjoy it! It really is hearty, nourishing and satisfying…one of those dishes that you know is doing your body good. Have a great rest of your weekend.

      Lynn

    1. Hi Marie, winter FINALLY arrived here in the US Southeast, and it came with a vengeance. This soup is just perfect for a cold winter night. It is just so hearty and nourishing. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
      Happy New Year, Lynn

  5. Hi Lynn,
    Making this beautiful soup this afternoon. Smells divine so far! Can’t wait to try it. 💜

    1. Oh, we have been enjoying it lately too. Like all soups, it does get better a day or two later. I make a big batch and keep it in the freezer. ENJOY!!

  6. I love your recipes Lynn and your newsletter in general! Thanks for the hard work it takes to create all of the content and keep us all full of your good tips! I would like to ask for your help- I signed early for the declutter challenge but did not get the first check list on week one. I signed up again today to help. Would you be able to send me week one please and maybe check that I’m on the list for week 2? Thanks so much for all you do for all of us!! Lucia

    1. Hello Lucia,

      Thanks for your kind words! I really do love this job, but it so much more enjoyable and rewarding with readers like you!

      I am so glad you said something about the Declutter Checklists. This email is not subscribed to them! I’m sure you did sign up, so I need to do some research to figure out why. But not to fear, I’ve gone ahead and added you, so you should receive the first checklist immediately and then the second one in a week. Good luck with your decluttering and I’d love to hear how you are progressing!

      Hugs, Lynn

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