30-Minute Beef, Mushroom, and Farro Soup

updated Dec 14, 2020
Rollover Dinners
small bowl of beef and barley soup with uno cards and roll near it
Credit: Photo: Meghan Splawn

Turn Pot Roast leftovers into a one-pot beef, barley, and farro soup that's packed with flavor and depth.

Serves4 to 6

Prep10 minutes

Cook35 minutes

Jump to Recipe
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small bowl of beef and barley soup with uno cards and roll near it
Credit: Photo: Meghan Splawn

Welcome to Rollover Dinnersa series to help you make smart use of leftovers. In this post, we’re using leftovers from this Dutch oven pot roast to make easy work of this rich beef and farro soup. Read the intro here.

Soup is one of our favorite ways to use up leftovers, because almost anything can be simmered in broth and served with bread. Here, we’re using leftovers from an easy homemade pot roast to create a one-pot beef and farro soup (inspired by the classic Beef and Barley), that’s packed with flavor and depth. We’ve also swapped the long-cooking barley with toothsome farro and bolstered the richness of the beef with caramelized mushrooms. Here’s how to make this hearty winter soup in just 30 minutes.

Credit: Photo: Meghan Splawn

Caramelized Mushrooms Are the Ultimate Soup Upgrade

Deeply browning cremini mushrooms creates a savory base for this soup, and prevents it from tasting just like leftover pot roast. To do so, you’ll simply heat a generous amount of olive oil in the soup pot, then cook the mushrooms undisturbed until they’re caramelized.

To build the rest of this soup, you’ll add farro, lots of garlic, and beef broth as well as the leftover pot roast and vegetables you saved from the previous dinner. No leftovers? Grab some pre-cooked pot roast — found near the meat section of the supermarket — and a bag of frozen roasted potatoes to make this soup in a flash.

Beef, Mushroom, and Farro Soup

Turn Pot Roast leftovers into a one-pot beef, barley, and farro soup that's packed with flavor and depth.

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 35 minutes

Serves 4 to 6

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 1 pound

    cremini mushrooms

  • 4 cloves

    garlic

  • 1/4 cup

    olive oil

  • 11/2 cups

    pearled farro

  • 6 cups

    low-sodium beef broth

  • 8 ounces

    leftover pot roast (about 2 cups)

  • 2 cups

    cooked potato and carrot chunks

Instructions

  1. Clean and quarter 1 pound cremini mushrooms and mince 4 garlic cloves.

  2. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and cook undisturbed until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and 1 1/2 cups farro and cook until the garlic is fragrant. Add 6 cups beef broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil.

  3. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until the farro is tender, about 20 minutes. Add 2 cups shredded beef, 2 cups potato and carrot chunks, and stir to combine. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days.