Not Rice Or Noodles — For More Filling Beef Stew, Use This Ancient Grain

When looking for a way to bulk up stews, many of us turn to the usual suspects like rice or pasta. If you want a filling option that will help you stay satiated long after you're done eating, you may want to consider adding barley to soup. Research shows that barley can help you stay full for longer compared to rice- and wheat-based foods, making it a great addition when you want to create a soup that will stop hunger pangs from hitting. If you've never tried barley before, you're not alone. The ancient grain isn't exactly a staple in today's cuisine, but once you understand exactly why it's so great at helping you stay full, you may want to make it a permanent addition to your favorite beef stew recipe.

Why, exactly, does barley help people stay fuller for longer? Fiber slows the movement of food through your digestive system, which can help you feel fuller for longer, and a cup of cooked pearled barley (the kind you're most likely to come across at the supermarket) contains 6 grams of fiber — even more than lentils. Comparing equal 1-cup cooked servings, brown rice has about 3 ½ grams of fiber, white rice has less than a gram, and pasta noodles have about 2 ½ grams, making barley a satiety powerhouse. Barley isn't just great nutritionally; it's also tasty, offering a nutty flavor and a consistency similar to that of brown rice. Let's take a look at what you need to know to successfully incorporate barley into your next batch of beef stew.

Depending on where you shop, you might notice two kinds of barley at the grocery store. Pearled barley is most common, while hulled barley can be a little harder to find. Hulled barley still has its bran layer attached, while pearled barley does not. Both can be delicious in beef stew, but hulled barley will have a slightly chewier consistency. It also takes longer to cook than pearled barley.

To cook barley, you'll want to give it a quick rinse before you get started. Once your barley is rinsed, you can add it to your beef stew (there's no need to cook it first). It will thicken your stew as it cooks, so you may want to add some extra liquid to thin it out. You could also simply cook the barley separately using a 3:1 water-to-barley ratio before adding it to the stew if you'd prefer that it doesn't have a thickening effect. 

If you're adding pearled barley to your stew, you can expect that it'll take about 40 to 45 minutes to cook. Hulled barley will take a little longer, usually at least an hour. Keep this in mind when deciding when to add your veggies to the pot, as cooking them for too long is one of the most common mistakes people make when cooking beef stew. No matter what type of barley you add to your stew, it's a smart move to add both delicious flavor and digestive health benefits to the mix.