Easy Vegetable Barley Pilaf
Unique and tasty barley pilaf is truly a simple dish - sauté a few vegetables, throw in barley and liquid, let it cook unattended, and you've got a wonderful side dish with only 10-15 minutes hands-on time.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 182kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1/2 large red sweet pepper chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ cups pearl barley can use hulled*
- 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup white wine or more chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- fresh parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, peppers, and garlic; cook for about 5 minutes until vegetables have softened.
- Add barley, salt and pepper, and cook for about a minute before pouring in broth and wine (if using).
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 45 to 50 minutes until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed.
- Garnish with parsley before serving.
Notes
*To use hulled barley, simply cook pilaf 30 minutes longer, or until tender.
To Cook in Oven: You can cook this in the oven if you wish: after bringing to a boil, cover the pot and place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes. I like this option if I'm baking chicken- it's easy to put it all in the oven and forget about it for an hour.
Additional Vegetable Variations:
- Sauté mushrooms along with onions.
- Add diced carrots, parsnips, or turnips along with onions.
- Add chopped kale with the liquid, before boiling.
- Stir in chopped spinach at the end of cooking.
Nutrition
Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 536mg | Potassium: 198mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 329IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg