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Barley Salad with Lemon

This barley salad is irresistibly fresh and tasty! Pair the whole grain with crunchy veggies and cover in a lemon and olive oil dressing.

Here’s a unique grain salad that you won’t be able to resist: try Barley Salad! To be fair, barley isn’t often the star in a salad; typically trendier grains like quinoa and farro rein supreme. But this whole grain is absolutely ideal: its chewy texture and nutty flavor are the perfect contrast to crunchy veggies, garlic, herbs, and lemon olive oil dressing. On first bite, we were both smitten…and a bit surprised, honestly: it’s weirdly delicious! It’s our new favorite for cookouts, picnics, and make-ahead lunches.

Ingredients for barley salad

This barley salad is a Mediterranean-style salad featuring crunchy veggies, herbs, feta cheese, lemon and olive oil. It’s quick and simple to put together, with the formula: make the grain, chop the veggies, and add the dressing. You’ll need about 30 minutes and these ingredients to put it together:

Pearl barley: see below for more about types of barley
Garlic
Shallot
Cherry tomatoes
Bell pepper
Fresh herbs: we used parsley and basil
Feta cheese crumbles
Lemon juice and lemon zest
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Types of barley

There are two types of barley you can use for this barley salad: hulled and pearl. The difference is similar to white rice vs brown rice: like brown rice, hulled barley has less of the grain removed. We like using pearl here because it cooks faster, but some people prefer the nutritional profile of hulled. However, the nutritional differences between the two aren’t very significant! Pearl barley is still a great source of protein and fiber.

Hulled barley has just the outer husk of the grain removed, so it has more fiber than the pearl variety. It’s darker in color and takes about 1 hour to cook.
Pearled or pearl barley is the more common form that has the outer husk and bran layers removed. It takes less time to cook, about 30 minutes. It’s still very nutritious.

How to make barley salad: a few tips

This barley salad is quick and easy to mix up! There are just a few things to know:

Spread the cooked barley onto a baking sheet to cool. Spreading out the grains in a single layer makes them cool faster. To speed up the process, you can pop the sheet in the freezer for a few minutes to get the grains to come to room temperature.
You can also cook the barley in advance. Simply refrigerate 1 to 2 days until you’re ready to make the salad.
Use fresh herbs like parsley, basil or other. The easiest is to use all parsley: but you can also use a mix! We used parsley and basil. Other good options are dill or mint.

Storage info

This barley salad keeps well, so it’s perfect for make-ahead lunches or picnics! Store it refrigerated for up to 5 days. The flavor is best right away but tastes great after refrigeration; you may need to revive the flavors with a pinch or two of salt.

More grain salad recipes

Love a good grain salad? Here are a few more ways to make a tasty salad with whole grains:

Grab our Go-To Quinoa Salad
Try a Hearty Farro Salad
Go for a Black Bean & Rice Salad
Opt for Couscous Salad: technically pasta but it acts like a grain!

Go-To Quinoa Salad

Hearty Farro Salad

Black Bean Salad

Couscous Salad

This barley salad recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.

Barley Salad with Lemon

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Author: Sonja Overhiser
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6 side dish servings

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Description

This barley salad is irresistibly fresh and tasty! Pair the whole grain with crunchy veggies and cover in a lemon and olive oil dressing.

Ingredients

1 cup pearl barley
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced into quarters
1 bell pepper, diced (or 1/2 yellow and 1/2 red)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or mix of herbs (we used parsley and basil)
½ cup feta cheese crumbles (omit for vegan and add more salt to taste)
2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus zest of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
Fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

Place the barley in a saucepan or pot with 3 cups water and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 25 to 30 minutes (or 45 to 1 hour if using hulled barley; you can add more water if the pan becomes dry).
Drain any excess water. Place the barley in a single layer on a baking sheet and allow to cool for a few minutes (pop it in the freezer for 2 minutes to speed up the process and get the grains to room temperature).
Meanwhile, mince the garlic and slice the shallot. Slice the cherry tomatoes in quarters. Dice the bell pepper. Chop the dill and mint.
When the barley is done resting, place it in a large bowl with the chopped vegetables and herbs. Add the feta cheese crumbles, lemon juice and zest, the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Mix gently to combine.
Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 5 days (flavor is best right away but tastes great after refrigeration; you may need to revive the flavors with a pinch or two of salt).

Category: Salad
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Barley salad

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Easy Zucchini Boats

This stuffed zucchini boats recipe has a hearty filling topped with gooey cheese. It’s a tasty dinner idea that pleases everyone!

Got zucchini? Let’s make stuffed Zucchini Boats! We’ll be honest: we’re not huge fans of this green vegetable. But this recipe? This one made us true converts. Hollow out zucchini into shells, then stuff it with sausage, tomatoes, garlic, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Top with some crispy breadcrumbs, bake until golden brown, and wow! These are packed with intensely savory flavor. This recipe makes a zucchini lover out of anyone! You can use either plant-based sausage or regular, depending on your diet (we used plant-based).

Ingredients for zucchini boats

This stuffed zucchini boats recipe is a fun and easy way to turn zucchini into a main dish. It’s loads easier than Zucchini Lasagna with similar flavors, and works for gluten-free and vegetarian diets. Here we used plant-based sausage, which has come a long way in the last few years. It’s not something we eat often, but it’s a great option here: or you can use a homemade version. More on that below! Here’s what you’ll need for zucchini boats:

Zucchini
Sausage: plant-based sausage, crumbles, or standard Italian sausage (or substitute Vegan Taco Meat)
Garlic
Fire roasted tomatoes
Dried oregano, fennel seeks, salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese (whole milk)
Italian panko (or breadcrumbs)
Fresh basil or parsley, to garnish

For the sausage: plant-based or regular

The plant-based sausage and crumbles on the market these days are higher quality than in the past. We used to be solidly against the stuff because it felt too processed, but now we eat it occasionally. It’s made of pea protein and has a texture and flavor that’s remarkably similar to meat. Here are a few notes on the sausage component of this recipe:

Use any plant-based crumbles or sausage. We like the brands Impossible and Beyond. Sausage is harder to find so you can use any type of crumbles or ground beef. We used Impossible Sausage.
Try homemade Vegan Taco Meat. This homemade mixture of mushrooms, walnuts and savory spices remarkably tastes like meat. Omit the cumin and substitute ½ tablespoon dried oregano.
Or, go for regular Italian sausage. If you’re a meat eater, regular sausage works beautifully. Make sure to drain any extra fat before adding the sauce ingredients.

Tips for making this stuffed zucchini boats recipe

Making stuffed zucchini boats is pretty straightforward, but we’ve got a few tips to help the process. Here’s what to know:

Use medium to medium-small zucchini. You don’t want those massive garden zucchini here: they’re much too large.
Only cut off the stem end! Don’t cut off both ends or you don’t get the boat shape! I accidentally when on autopilot when preparing this recipe and chopped off both ends. (It still works, it just doesn’t look as nice and filling may drip out then end while baking.)
Use fire roasted tomatoes. Fire roasted tomatoes add the best flavor here: they taste sweet and smoky right out of the can. If you can’t find them, substitute best quality tomatoes with 1 teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika. Or, use 1 ½ cups best quality marinara sauce.
Whole milk mozzarella cheese makes a difference. It melts much better than part skim and has a richer flavor. It also melts better when reheating.

Diet variations

This stuffed zucchini boats recipe fits a few different diets: it’s a perfect gluten-free dinner idea with a minor tweak. Here’s what to know:

Gluten free: Omit the breadcrumbs or use gluten-free breadcrumbs or panko. (It tastes just as good without the crunchy topping!)
Vegetarian: Use plant based sausage, crumbles, or 2 cups Vegan Taco Meat.

Zucchini boats make-ahead & leftovers info

This zucchini boats recipe takes about 45 minutes to make in total, which can make it tricky for a weeknight meal. Here are a few ideas for advanced prep:

Make the entire recipe in advance. Make the entire recipe in advance and refrigerate. The day of serving, top with breadcrumbs and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until warmed through and the cheese is melted.
Make the filling and hollow out the boats in advance: You can make the entire filling and hollow out the boats 1 day in advance and refrigerate. Then just bake following the instructions below.

More zucchini recipes

Love this oblong green veggie? Here are a few more zucchini recipes to enjoy:

Try Perfect Zucchini Lasagna
Opt for Squash and Zucchini Casserole
Go simple with Perfect Sauteed Zucchini or Grilled Zucchini
Bake up Easy Zucchini Bread, Zucchini Muffins or Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Perfect Zucchini Lasagna

Squash and Zucchini Casserole

Perfect Sauteed Zucchini

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This zucchini boats recipe is…

Gluten-free (sans breadcrumbs) and vegetarian.