Barley Salad

Barley is one of the oldest grains cultivated by humans; it has a satisfying chewy texture and slightly nutty flavor that works wonderfully in salads in combination with most vegetables.

Also, barley is a nutrition powerhouse with plenty of fiber, protein, minerals, and vitamins.

Our barley salad is a delicious and satisfying recipe to enjoy this wonderful grain.

It’s easy to make, colorful, vibrant, and has a combination of flavors and textures that will remind you of the Mediterranean.

It’s perfect as a standalone meal, and you can meal prep it in advance as it keeps well for days.

As usual, use our recipe as a guideline, and feel free to experiment with different veggies, herbs, and condiments depending on what you have available where you live.

Barley

There are two main types of barley you can find in stores. Whole grain barley, sometimes called hulled barley and pearled barley.

You can use both. Whole grain barley takes longer to cook (45 to 60 minutes), and it’s more nutritious. Pearled barley is a little less nutritious but still very healthy and cooks faster in about 30 minutes.

Follow the cooking instructions on your package and cook it al dente.

You can substitute wild or brown rice (a good option for gluten-free), farro, buckwheat, couscous, quinoa, and amaranth for barley.

Vegetables

We use zucchini, eggplant, onion, mushrooms, and carrots. We roast these veggies in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt for 30 minutes or until tender and slightly caramelized.

Other vegetables that work well for roasting are cherry tomatoes, fennel, beets, shallots, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, cauliflower, and parsnip.

Fresh herbs

We recommend fresh parsley and fresh basil.

Other good options are dill, chives, mint, fresh cilantro, thyme, and even finely chopped scallions, although not technically a herb.

Sun-dried tomatoes

Sun-dried tomatoes are so tasty and fit perfectly in this salad. Get sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drain them, and chop them in the salad.

You can substitute kalamata olives, capers, marinated artichoke hearts, and pickled cucumber for sun-dried tomatoes.

Condiments

Season the barley salad with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, grated lemon zest, sea salt, and black pepper.

You can substitute red wine vinegar for fresh lemon juice.

Feta cheese

Optionally, you can garnish the barley salad with some crumbled non-dairy feta or Greek feta cheese on top. It’s delicious with roasted vegetables and chewy barley.

You can substitute crushed pistachios, almonds, or pine nuts for the feta.

Cook the barley

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and season with a half tablespoon of sea salt.

Add barley, reduce heat to a low, and let simmer as per package instructions.

When the barley is tender and chewy, drain it and spread it on a baking sheet to help it cool down without overcooking.

Roast the veggies

While the barley cooks, preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Cut the vegetables into bite-size pieces, add them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and toss them with olive oil, salt, and black pepper.

Arrange them on a single layer and bake them at 400°F (200°C) for 30 minutes or until tender and slightly charred.

Mix the barley salad

When the barley has cooled down, transfer it to a large bowl.

Add finely chopped parsley, basil, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper, and toss to combine.

Add the roasted veggies, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and give it a final toss.

Taste and adjust for salt before serving on a platter.

Optionally you can add crumbled feta cheese or non-dairy feta on top and a pinch of za’atar.

Barley salad is excellent as a standalone meal because it’s nutritious and fulfilling, but you can also serve it as a starter or side dish in smaller portions.

The recipe is excellent for meal prep, picnics, cookouts, barbeques, and potlucks, as it keeps well for days.

Hummus platter with barley salad

Our favorite way of enjoying this salad for lunch or dinner (actually, Louise just had it for breakfast as I am writing this) is on a bed of homemade hummus.

The flavor and texture of blended chickpeas and tahini perfectly complement the barley and roasted veggies.

Also, from a nutrition standpoint, adding a legume like chickpeas makes this recipe even more nutritionally complete.

You can substitute hummus with whole chickpeas and even with fried tofu cubes.

Barley salad with raw vegetables

Suppose you want to make this barley salad even easier without roasting the vegetables.

In that case, you can choose a combination of raw bell pepper, arugula, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, avocado, and red onion.

Chop the veggies into bite-size pieces, add them to the barley, then season with our Dijon mustard dressing to add a pleasant tang and sweetness that make the veggies pop.

Mediterranean farro salad

Farro is another wholesome and nutritious whole grain perfect for salads and grain bowls. Its texture is similar to barley, so you can easily swap the two.

Check out our Mediterranean farro salad with cumin dressing.

Vegetable couscous salad

Couscous with vegetables is a delicious way of enjoying couscous. You can make This easy recipe in less than 30 minutes with seasonal veggies and herbs.

Serve this dish warm, or make it ahead and serve it cold for a quick lunch.

Check out our couscous with vegetables.

• Add salt to the cooking water: when cooking barley, the rule of thumb is to salt the boiling water with a small handful of sea salt. Salt will add flavor to the grain, and you’ll need less dressing later.
  
• Cool down on a sheet pan: avoid cooling the barley under cold running water. That will remove a lot of the flavor and texture. Instead, spread it out on a cold baking tray to help it cool down fast.

Questions

Make ahead: barley salad is an excellent recipe to make ahead and for meal prep as it keeps well for days, and the flavor melds as the salad sits in the fridge.

Refrigerator: keep the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Take it from the refrigerator 15 minutes before eating it, as the flavors are best at room temperature.

Freezing: we don’t recommend freezing this recipe. However, you can freeze cooked barley for up to 3 months. To do so, let the barley cool down completely, then transfer it to a freezer-friendly bag and freeze it.

If you liked this veggie-packed barley salad, you might also enjoy our other salad recipes. Serve them for lunch, dinner, and cookouts:

• Quinoa salad
• Couscous salad
• Italian rice salad
• Vegan pasta salad
• Farro salad

For many more salad ideas, check out our salads category page.