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slow cooker beef & barley stew

Slow Cooker Beef & Barley Stew

Adapted from Cooking Light

Hearty slow-cooking stew; freezes well & reheats beautifully.

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 25 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Author Rosemary Stelmach

Ingredients

  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 5.5 ounces)
  • 1 cup hull-less whole-grain barley (or hulled)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sliced celery (about 4 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 large thyme sprigs (plus leaves for garnish, if desired)
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 pounds chuck beef cubes, divided
  • 2 1/2 cups carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 16 ounces)
  • fresh chopped parsley, for garnish (if desired)

Instructions

  1. Stir together first 8 ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add thyme sprigs and bay leaves; dollop the tomato paste on top.

  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add half of the beef cubes; cook until well browned, about 6 minutes, turning once. Add the first batch of browned beef cubes to the slow cooker. Repeat with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and beef cubes. Scatter the carrot pieces over the beef. 

  3. Cover and cook on LOW until meat and grains are tender, about 8 hours. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Ladle the stew into 8 bowls; sprinkle with thyme leaves and/or chopped parsley, if desired.