Leftover Brisket Barley Soup
on Jan 09, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This hearty, satisfying, stick-to-your-ribs, beefy soup is the best reason to make extra brisket!
My family likes this soup as much as the brisket itself! Whenever I make beef brisket, I intentionally make more than I need for a meal just to have enough to make this chunky, soul-soothing soup. When you are planning your next brisket meal, make a note to buy a too-large brisket, so you have leftovers to make this soup.
This is a super flexible recipe, so feel free to play around with the proportions and the ingredients. This assumes you’re starting with a fairly traditional brisket recipe, saucy and punctuated with some braised vegetables, like carrots and onions, like my Jewish Brisket recipe or Oven-Baked Brisket. This basic soup template will work with all kinds of brisket.
And then, voila! Two cups of leftover brisket have magically transformed themselves into a soup that will feed 4 or more. Such a great way to stretch those tender pieces of meat into a different dish to serve a bigger group.
You can serve this with a salad and some crusty bread for a perfect meal. Try pairing it with Arugula and Cucumber Salad with Tzatziki Dressing, Autumn Salad with Cranberries and Goat Cheese, or Classic Caesar Salad.
Table of Contents
If you remember the scene from The Breakfast Club where the nerdy kid, Brian Johnson (played by Anthony Michael Hall), finishes his detention essay for the principal…he is very pleased with himself as he re-reads it and gives himself a congratulatory punch on his own arm. I think that’s pretty much the feeling you should have when you finish making this soup.
Ingredients
- Carrots
- Onions
- Pearl barley – The amount of barley may seem small, but as it cooks, it really expands into a large amount of the toasty, chewy grain and bulks up the soup very nicely.
- Beef broth
- Brisket sauce – Use 2 cups sauce from cooking a brisket (or 1 cup sauce and 1 extra cup beef broth).
- Cooked brisket – Chopped leftover brisket, plus any chopped cooked vegetables from the brisket
- Chopped fresh parsley – Optional, but makes a nice garnish.
How to Make Leftover Brisket Barley Soup
- Cook the veggies and barley: Sauté the carrots and onions. Add the barley and sauté for 2 more minutes until the barley is nicely coated with the oil and toasty looking.
- Simmer the soup base: Add the beef broth, brisket sauce, and 2 cups of water. Partially cover and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, until the barley is pretty tender.
- Add brisket and serve: Add the chopped brisket. Return the heat to medium-low and let it bubble gently away for 10 more minutes. If you want, add some fresh chopped parsley. Now you have soup.
Variations
- You can add some chopped celery or peppers when you are sautéing up the carrots and onions.
- Other grains like spelt or farro in place of the barley would also be very good.
- If you don’t have enough sauce from the brisket, add up to 2 cups of extra beef broth — or maybe add in a cup of tomato sauce and even a splash of red wine if you’ve got a bottle open.
Tips
- Add any chopped cooked carrots or other vegetables that were in the brisket braising sauce.
Make Ahead and Storage
You can make this soup up to 4 days ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat the soup in the microwave or over low heat in a pot on the stovetop.
What to Serve With Brisket Barley Soup
More Hearty Soup Recipes
- Mushroom Barley Soup
- Simple Homemade Vegetable Soup
- Chicken and Rice Soup
- Leftover Turkey Split Pea Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Red Lentil Soup with Fennel
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Leftover Brisket Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped carrots
- ½ cup pearl barley
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 cups sauce from cooking the brisket (or 1 cup sauce and 1 extra cup beef broth)
- 2 cups chopped leftover brisket (plus any chopped cooked vegetables from the brisket)
- Chopped fresh parsley (for garnish; optional)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan and sauté the onion and carrots for 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the barley and sauté for 2 more minutes until the barley is nicely coated with the oil and toasty looking.
- Add 2 cups of beef broth, 2 cups of brisket sauce (or 1 cup of sauce and 1 additional cup of beef broth), and 2 cups of water. Partially cover and bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, until the barley is pretty tender.
- Turn the heat to high, add the chopped brisket and any chopped cooked carrots or other vegetables that were swimming around in the sauce, and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Return the heat to medium-low and let it bubble gently away for 10 more minutes.
- Serve, and if you want, add some fresh chopped parsley.
