Description
A cozy, hearty, and easy slow cooker stew made with just five main ingredients. This recipe features tender beef chuck, chewy pearl barley, and rich beef broth, requiring minimal prep time for a perfect weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
- Optional: 2 stalks celery, chopped
- Optional: 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Cut the beef chuck roast into 1-inch cubes and pat them dry with a paper towel.
- Add the beef, diced onion, chopped carrots, pearl barley, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, dried thyme, salt, and pepper into the slow cooker.
- Stir briefly to distribute the tomato paste.
- Pour the beef broth over the ingredients, ensuring the barley is submerged. Add a little water or extra broth if needed.
- Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Do not cook on high for best texture.
- After 7 hours, check the barley for tenderness. If needed, cook for another 30 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt or pepper if desired. If the stew is too thin, leave the lid off for the last 30 minutes to reduce.
- Remove the bay leaf if used. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Serve with crusty bread or biscuits.
Notes
Do not use hulled barley as it takes much longer to cook and remains too chewy; pearl barley is preferred. If cooking on high, reduce time to 4-5 hours but texture may suffer. For a thicker stew, use a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp cold water) in the last 30 minutes. This recipe freezes well for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 7-8 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 600
- Fat: 12
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Carbohydrates: 35
- Fiber: 6
- Protein: 30
Keywords: slow cooker, beef stew, barley stew, easy dinner, weeknight meals, comfort food, freezer friendly, 5-ingredient recipe