Step 1

Heat a large Dutch oven pot on high heat. Add the olive oil and beef. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the liquids evaporate and the beef cubes start to brown.

Step 2

Reduce heat to medium and add onion, carrots, and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Step 3

Add the tomato paste, thyme, salt, and pepper and mix everything well scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the barley and beef (or chicken) broth. Reduce the heat to medium low, and cook until the beef is very tender, for about 1 ½ hours.Note: add extra broth if you'd like to thin out the soup a bit more.