Here’s an easy side dish that is a nice alternative to rice. I found the original recipe on All Recipes and the only change I made was to swap vegetable bouillon for beef bouillon.
Onion Barley Casserole
Serves 2
1/2 cup barley
1 tbsp oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp bouillon (I used veggie)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 4oz can sliced mushrooms
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In an oven proof skillet (I used cast iron), saute barley in oil until golden brown.
Stir in water, bouillon and salt; bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add onions and mushrooms.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 – 50 minutes or until barley is tender.
When I made this dish I had a little trouble with it sticking to the cast iron pan when it was all done. It wasn’t a huge deal as I was able to un-stick most of it pretty easily. Not sure if that was because of the pan, or if i didn’t have enough water or if I baked it too long or what.
Other than that I really liked this dish. It had nice flavor and was a great alternative to the usual rice side dish. Barley is a whole grain and it’s very nutritious. It has fiber, protein and iron. It’s also low in fat. Click here for the nutrition facts on cooked pearled barley. If you haven’t tried barley before, I encourage you to give it a shot.
I served this lovely side dish with green beans from the freezer (from the garden last summer) and a celebration Field Roast.
I’ve posted about Field Roast before, but in case you missed it last time, Field Roast is a grain “meat”. It’s plant-based meat alternative made out of wheat gluten. And it tastes amazing! I’m not even kidding. You don’t need to be following a plant-based diet to love this stuff. This gem in the picture above is a little roast. All you do is heat it up and then slice and serve. It’s packed with protein. You can even eat it cold if you want.
This turned out to be a great meal. There was enough Field Roast for both our lunches the next day, but we polished off all the barley casserole that night. I’ll have to make a double batch next time!
Do you have any good recipes for barley?
Everything Is Homemade 
I don’t have any barley recipes, but I’ve been seeing them on blogs lately and I want to try it!
I don’t think I have ever even had barley! 😦 I’ve never cooked with it! Your dish looks really good.
I have always liked the texture of barley. For the most part, I use it similar to brown rice in that I sometimes put it in stuffed peppers or soups. This recipe makes barley the star (rather than filler that I use it for). I’m looking forward to trying it.
Thanks for the comments everyone. A really easy way to try barley if you’ve never had it before is to add it to a boxed or canned soup. Imagine and Pacific (I think those are the names) are great brands and come in boxes. I will cook up some barley and then add it to the soup to make it more hearty and filling. I usually cook barley like pasta. Bring a pot of water to a boil, throw in the barley and simmer for about 20-30 minutes or so. Then just add it to heated up soup.
I like the butternut squash and the roasted red pepper kinds that come in a box. Yum!