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The beauty of the recipe is in not just its delciousness, although it is amply delicious, but in its simplicity. You can cook barley with just a only a tad bit of stirring and it cooks up in a creamy, risotto-like fashion without all the work.
I ushered the barley risotto out of winter and into spring by adding asparagus and brightening the flavors with lemon. The result is a comforting, yet light and healthy dish.
My in-laws are in town this week and I knew this one was a winner when my picky father-in-law Jack wanted seconds. My picky three-year-old wasn’t as interested, but if Jack liked it, I know there’s hope for her, too.
Maybe the picky eater in your life will enjoy this as much as the adventurous eaters!
Barley risotto with asparagus
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A perfect dish as a side or main course
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon diced garlic
- 8 ounces thin asparagus, woody ends removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup barley
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- juice and zest from 1/2 lemon
Instructions
- In a medium or large sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it is starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the asparagus and cook another 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the barley and stir so it is coated with the oil and allow to cook 2-3 minutes. Next, add the vegetable broth, thyme, salt, and pepper and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow to cook for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove the lid and stir the mixture well. Put the lid back on and allow to cook another 15 minutes, stirring one more time during that period. Stir in the lemon juice and zest and serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: main meal / side dish
- Cuisine: Italian / American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 211
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 302mg
- Fat: 4.5g
- Carbohydrates: 37.8g
- Protein: 12g
This time I served this as a side dish, but if served with salad and maybe some bread, it makes a nice main dish as well. If your husband is anything like mine, you can add some cooked chicken to his portion like I did last time I made this. Tim gave it a thumbs up with and without the chicken, but as a main course liked it with the chicken. How ever you serve it, enjoy!
Such a great risotto recipe, a must try!
Thanks, Marla!
YUM. Barley is so delicious, I love the nuttiness it gives to such dishes. I’ll have to check out Vegan Yum Yum 🙂
It’s a great cookbook–you’ll love it!
I like the idea of adding chicken to this to make it a hearty main course….for lunch, too!
You and my husband think alike! 😉