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Grilled Vegetable and Barley Salad is a refreshing salad recipe that is ideal for your summer days. When cooked, barley is a cereal grain that is tender but chewy. It is a whole grain that is high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It can be found at grocery stores near dried beans and rice.
In Egypt, barley is typically consumed as a breakfast or dessert pudding, but in this recipe, it is transformed into a hearty salad with grilled vegetables, feta, and pistachios.
Health Benefits of Barley
Barley is a wonderful ancient grain that has long been used in Mediterranean cooking, both savory and sweet.
It has numerous health benefits. Barley contains a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Barley is also a great ingredient to use if you want to add volume to a meal because it is high in fiber.
What To Serve With Grilled Vegetable and Barley Salad
After prepping this tasty salad, you can add your favorite protein, such as lemon chicken, pan-seared salmon, or baked salmon.
Grilled Vegetable and Barley Salad
Ingredients
- 2 1 ⁄4 cups pearl barley
- 2 large zucchini cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 1 medium eggplant cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 2 red bell peppers stemmed, seeded, and halved
- 1 ⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 ⁄2 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 clove garlic clove finely chopped
- 2 oz. feta cheese cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 cup loosely packed arugula
- 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
- 1 cup cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
- 1 ⁄4 cup pistachios
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- 1 long red chile stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl, soak the barley in water for 1 hour and then drain. Meanwhile, light a grill. Brush the zucchini, eggplant, and peppers with 1⁄4 cup of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables, turning occasionally, until tender and charred, 10 minutes. Transfer to a board and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces.
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and add the barley. Turn the heat down to medium and cook until the grains are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain the barley and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, whisk the remaining olive oil with the lemon juice, cumin, coriander, and garlic, and then stir in the reserved barley; season with salt and pepper, and transfer to a platter. Arrange the grilled vegetables, the feta, arugula, cilantro, parsley, pistachios, scallions, and chile over the barley, and serve at room temperature.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
