If you are looking for a satisfying soup for chilly winter days that is both simple and satisfying, look no further! This soup is so easy that you’ll wonder how you’ve survived winters without it! The combination of barley, mushrooms, and steak meld perfectly with the thyme and garlic, giving you a delicious soup that will have you making this in large batches just to ensure leftovers!
While this soup is amazing with just white mushrooms, I like to add a little character and depth to the soup by using both white mushrooms and a mixture of other varieties. If you want to use just white mushrooms, simple increase the quantity to 16 oz and ignore the mixed mushroom ingredient in the recipe. I like to have a container of dried mixed mushrooms in my pantry at all times to use just for occasions like this. I just re-hydrate them and I’m good to go (plus the mushroom liquid can be used in the soup for a little extra flavor, just reduce the beef stock an equal amount)! I like using portobello, oyster, slippery jack, and black trumpets for my mushroom mixture but it’s completely up to your personal preference. Have fun and experiment with different varieties to see what you like!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 lb flank or skirt steak fat trimmed off and cut in small cubes
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 8 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lg shallot minced
- 8 oz yellow onion finely diced
- 4 oz mushroom mixed variety, chopped or thinly sliced
- 12 oz white mushroom thinly sliced
- 8 cups beef stock
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 cup medium pearled barley uncooked
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large stock pan over medium high heat. Add beef, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper, allowing beef to brown for about 4 minutes.
- Add in garlic, onions, and shallots and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, until the onions just start to soften. Add both white and mixed mushrooms and remaining olive oil cook for 4 minutes.
- Add beef stock and thyme to stock pan and bring to a boil. Add barley, stir once, and cover, reducing heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 45-50 minutes, until barley is tender. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Enjoy!
