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Beef Barley Soup with Collards and Cannellini Beans
This soup is one of my all-time favorites. It's so rich and warming, and the addition of collard greens and cannellini beans makes it incredibly hearty. I add some jalapeño as well to give the soup a little heat. It's a perfect meal with a piece of toasted ciabatta or other rustic bread. This recipe is super versatile, too. Feel free to sub the collards for kale or spinach, and use whatever kind of beans you have on hand, such as pinto beans or chick peas. I've also added instructions for making this soup with ground beef when you want to speed up the process (although slow-simmered, shredded beef is my personal favorite).
Start by dicing a large white onion, three ribs of celery, and four large carrots. Mince a jalapeño, leaving out the seeds and white pith, and mince a few cloves of garlic. Keep the garlic separate from the other vegetables.
Prep the collard greens by washing them and removing the stems, then chiffonade them into thick strips, and cut the strips in half. To do this, start by laying the leaves on top of each other, with the larger leaves at the bottom and smaller leaves on top...
Then roll the whole pile up like a cigar...
Slice through, making 1/2-inch thick strips...
Then, so the strips aren't too long, cut them all in half like this.
Once the vegetables are prepped, it's time to prepare the beef. I like to use beef sirloin tips as they aren't too lean, but don't have an excessive amount of fat either. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel.
Season the steaks generously with salt, black pepper, and minced fresh rosemary.
Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over high heat in a large pot or dutch oven, and then gently lay the steaks in the oil. Make sure not to overcrowd the pot.
Sear the steaks for 6-8 minutes per side until they are very browned, then remove them from the pot and set aside. Lower the heat to medium-high.
Add another tablespoon or so of oil, then add the onion, celery, carrot, and jalapeño to the pot along with a big pinch of salt.
Sauté for about 5-6 minutes until the vegetables start to soften, then add the garlic and a bay leaf and cook for one minute more.
Scoop in four heaping tablespoons of tomato paste and stir everything together, allowing the tomato paste to cook for about 3-4 minutes.
Pour in four cups each of beef stock and chicken stock, as well as a tablespoon of soy sauce. I prefer to use a combination of beef and chicken stock so that the soup isn't overly heavy or rich - a half and half combination provides the perfect balance. Return the steaks to the pot along with any juices, and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for one hour.
After an hour, remove the steaks from the broth and shred them with a fork. Add the shredded beef back to the pot along with the collard greens, cannellini beans, and a half cup of barley, rinsed.
Simmer the soup for another 30 minutes, then taste for seasoning. Depending on what kind of broth or stock you use, it may need a different amount of salt. I use completely unsalted stock so I add in two teaspoons of salt and a teaspoon of pepper.
Serve hot with toasted, rustic bread for dipping. Pro-tip: Drizzle the bread with olive oil, then season it with salt and pepper before popping it under the broiler for a minute to toast. It makes a world of difference when you actually season the bread!
Recipe:
Total Time: 2 hours | Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
3 tbs olive oil, divided
1 sprig fresh rosemary, minced
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1.5-2 lbs. beef sirloin tips***
1 large white onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
4 large carrots, diced
1 jalapeño, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
4 heaping tablespoons of tomato paste
4 cups unsalted beef stock
4 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 tbs soy sauce
1 bunch collard greens, chiffonade
1/2 cup barley, rinsed
1 15.5 oz can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over high heat. Pat the beef dry, then season with 2 teaspoons of salt, a teaspoon of pepper, and the minced fresh rosemary. Gently place the beef in the pot and sear for 6-8 minutes on each side until very browned. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside.
2. Lower the heat to medium-high and add the onion, celery, carrots, and jalapeño with a teaspoon of salt. Sauté for another 6 minutes until the vegetables start to become tender. Add the garlic and bay leaf and sauté for one minute more.
3. Add the tomato paste and stir into the vegetables, cooking for another 3-4 minutes.
4. Pour in the beef stock, chicken stock, and soy sauce. Return the seared beef to the pan along with any juices that have collected. Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered for an hour.
5. After an hour, remove the beef from the pot and shred with two forks. It will be very tender and should shred easily. Return the shredded beef to the pot along with the collards, beans, and barley. Simmer for another 25-30 minutes until the barley is cooked. Taste for seasoning and add another 2 teaspoons of salt and a teaspoon of pepper (use less salt if you used salted or low-sodium stock).
6. Serve with toasted rustic bread.**
**Pro-tip: Season the bread with olive oil, salt and pepper before popping it under the broiler for a few minutes. Seasoning the bread makes a world of difference!
***You can replace the beef sirloin tips with ground beef if you don't have the time to let the beef simmer for an hour. Simply sauté the ground beef with the same olive oil and seasonings in step one, then follow steps 2-3 as instructed. When you add the broths, add the ground beef back in along with the barley, collards, beans, and seasoning and simmer for 30 minutes until the barley and collards are cooked through.