Mediterranean Barley Salad with Roast Vegetables

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We guarantee this is a salad that once you try it, will feature on regular rotation in your household. It’s just that good! The flavors that emanate from this delicious Mediterranean Barley Salad are simply magical. In my opinion the absolute best way to get flavor out of Vegetables is by roasting them. This salad is a shining example of that. Beautiful, rich, deep flavors of Mediterranean favorites like Bell Peppers, Onions, Carrots, and Celery truly set this Salad apart from anything else you’ve ever eaten. The best part, it’s so easy to make!

How to make our Mediterranean Barley Salad with Roast Vegetables

Each element in this recipe is easy to do. From start to finish you’re looking at about 1 hour to cook this beautiful dish. Rest assured, however, most of that time you don’t need to do anything! Just be patient and let the Vegetables roast away in the Oven, and let that beautiful Barley cook away on the stovetop until it’s tender and chewy

There’s probably at most about 10 minutes of ‘actual’ work involved in making this Salad. That work purely consists of preparing the Vegetables and adding a bunch of stuff into a Pot for the Barley. If effort vs. reward was a meal, this would be it!

Preparing the Pearl Barley

This is a wonderful ingredient that works great in Salad. Pearl Barley is a grain and in the same family as Farro and Couscous. Like those ingredients, it’s a very simple process of cooking it. Just combine it with some Water (or Stock if you prefer) and cook it down until the Barley has absorbed the Water and cooked through

The whole process takes about 30 – 35 minutes, where the Barley slowly absorbs the Water when combined in a Saucepan over low heat on the stovetop. You may need to skim the Barley a few times throughout that time, to remove some gunk that will float to the top

Skimming the Barley is super easy. Just get a large spoon and scoop out the layer of foamy stuff on the top of the water. Try to avoid getting too much water in your Spoon, just aim for the foamy stuff

Once the Barley is cooked it can be enjoyed as is. I like to add some additional ingredients to the Barley to give it even more taste. While it may not be a true Mediterranean ingredient, try adding some Butter to the Barley (Olive Oil would typically be the choice for folks in the Mediterranean). Along with some Salt, and some optional Lemon Juice too. These additions will create the most amazing tasting Barley, ready for eating

Roasting the Vegetables is so easy

The Vegetables really do bring all the flavor to the Mediterranean Barley Salad. You can use an assortment of your favorite Vegetables, and they will turn out great. We’ve opted for the classic Combination of Carrot, Celery, Onion, and Bell Peppers. These veggies are at their best when oven roasted

Simply place the Vegetables in a large sheet pan and give them a generous dousing of Olive Oil and Salt. This will help to get those vegetables beautiful and caramelized. Then, into the oven they go for about 1 hour at 375F. The Celery may cook a bit sooner, so just keep an eye on it and take them out earlier if need be

The best way to cut an Onion when Roasting

The trick to preparing any Onions for roasting is to ensure that it stays together during the cooking process. The last thing you want is to try and turn the Onion with some tongs and the whole thing flakes apart, layer after layer. Keeping the Onion intact will also ensure a more even cook throughout, and it will take about the same time to fully cook as the Carrots and Bell Peppers

To avoid the Onion falling apart when roasting, first peel it and then cut it in half. Be sure to make the first cut right through the middle of the bulb at the top of the Onion. This is literally the part of the Onion that connects to the stem as it grows that sticks out of the Soil. It is the strongest part of the Onion, and is where all the layers in the Onion meet, connecting them all

Provided you’re keeping all your Onion pieces connected in some way to the top of the bulb, the pieces will stay intact. We like to make two 45-degree cuts through each half of the Onion, ensuring each cut keeps a section of that bulb on each piece

This will produce 6 even sized pieces of Onion which are perfect for roasting. If you’ve got a smaller Onion you can probably get away with cutting it into quarters. If the Onion is massive, try making a few more cuts and get yourself 8 pieces to roast. Then, into the roasting pan along with the rest of the veggies they go!

Mediterranean Barley Salad with Roast Vegetables Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Pearl Barley
• 3 cups of Water
• 1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Brown Onion, cut into 6 pieces
• 1 Carrot, peeled and cut into 4 pieces
• 3 Celery Stalks, cut in halves
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• Salt
• Optional: ¼ cup Feta Cheese

Instructions

1. Prepare the Vegetables and then place them in a large sheet pan. Drizzle with Olive Oil and 1 tsp. of Salt, then roast for 1 hour at 375F, turning once halfway through. Once Caramelized, remove from the oven and allow to cool
2. While the Vegetables are roasting, add the Barley and Water into a large saucepan and bring to a Boil. Drop the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes until the Water has absorbed and the Barley is tender, but still chewy
3. Add the Butter and 1 tsp. of Salt to the cooked Barley. Mix well and taste for seasoning, adjusting if necessary. An optional step here can be to add the Juice of ½ a Lemon
4. Once the Vegetables have cooled, cut them all into bite-sized pieces. Remove the stalk, skin and seeds from the Bell Pepper before dicing. Add the chopped Vegetables to the Barley and mix well
5. To finish, serve on a large the Salad on a serving plate or in individual bowls and crumble over some Feta Cheese

Recipe Notes

• While roasting the vegetables check them periodically to gauge doneness. The Celery will likely take less time to roast than the remaining veggies. You can just take them out early and set them aside
• You may need to skim the Barley a few times throughout it’s cooking process. Do so by simply scraping the top layer of gunk off the water with a spoon and discard it

This simple and delicious Mediterranean Barley Salad with Roast Vegetables makes for the perfect Vegetarian Dinner. Or pair it with a beautiful protein like Chicken, Fish, or Pork for a hearty and tasty meal

However you enjoy this recipe, we guarantee you that you will indeed enjoy it! Here are a few more of our favorite Vegetarian recipes we’d love for you to check out:

• Tomato Mint and Couscous Salad
• Fire Roasted Cabbage with Red Pepper Yoghurt Sauce
• Heirloom Tomato and Stracciatella
• Grits and Mushroom Dinner

Happy Cooking!