BEST BAKED BARLEY WITH MUSHROOMS RECIPE

This is a simple dish made with pearl barley cooked in a delicious blend of vegetable broth, butter, and mushrooms for an extra umami kick. In addition, it is mostly cooked in the oven, leaving your hands and attention free to take care of other things. It is a good alternative to regular rice for meals such as roast beef, brisket, roast pork, or any roasted or braised meat. These hearty little pills are perfect for soaking up every last drip!

WHAT TYPE OF BAKING DISH SHOULD I USE?

You'll need some kind of baking dish with a tight-fitting lid, like a Dutch oven, because if steam isn't retained from the broth during cooking, Joe won't cook. I used an enameled cast iron dutch oven which was probably a little bigger than the size for this recipe, but it still looks great. The recipe makes about four cups, so something in the 2-3 quart volume range is probably ideal. Glass, ceramic, or cast iron will work as long as the lid is tight.

If your baking dish isn't stovetop safe, use a frying pan for the first two steps (frying mushrooms), then transfer them to the baking dish while adding the barley and broth.

WHAT IS PEARLED BARLEY?

It is very important that you use pearl barley for this recipe. Pearl barley is whole barley that has had the outer husk removed and then refined to remove some or all of the outer bran. The resulting beans are tender and compact once cooked, and they don't take long to ripen. You can usually find pearl barley near dry rice, beans, or other specialty grains in the grocery store.

I used Bob's Redmill brand, which is less polished than other brands I've used and produces slightly stronger beans.

ADD MORE VEGETABLES.

This recipe is very flexible and you can experiment with adding more creamy vegetables, such as carrots, celery, onions, turnips, or turnips. I recommend chopping the vegetables and sauteing them briefly with the mushrooms before adding the rest of the ingredients.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH BAKED BARLEY

This baked would be great with something like creamy mushroom chicken with crunchy onions, herb roasted pork, a slow cooker of rosemary and garlic beef, or pot roast.

MUSHROOM-BAKED BARLEY

Baked Barley with Mushroom is a hearty side dish perfect for fall and winter nights that goes perfectly with grilled meats or stews.

 Prep Time: 5 mins

 Cook Time: 1 hr 5 mins

 Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins

INGREDIENTS

2 cloves garlic ($0.16)

8 oz. mushrooms ($1.49)

4 Tbsp butter ($0.40)

1 cup pearled barley ($0.57)

2 cups vegetable broth ($0.26)

1/2 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)

1/8 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)

1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional) ($0.10)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Finely chop the garlic and chop the mushrooms.

Add garlic, mushrooms and butter to Dutch oven. Fry over medium heat until mushrooms are soft.

Add the barley, vegetable broth, thyme and fresh pepper to the Dutch oven. Stir the mixture, put the lid on and put in the oven. Cook the barley for an hour.

After baking for an hour, stir in the oats to stir. Taste the barley and adjust salt or pepper to taste. Cover with chopped fresh parsley before serving.

HOW TO MAKE MUSHROOM BAKED BARLEY - STEP BY STEP GUIDE

Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add 4 tablespoons butter, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 8 oz. Add mushroom slices to the pot. Fry over medium heat until mushrooms are soft.

It looks like pearl barley. As mentioned above, this is Bob's Radmil brand, which looks a lot less polished than other popular brands used in the past. Pearl barley often looks very white, because it still contains a lot of bran. Because of this, the pills were a little stronger this time. Either way, it still tastes great!

Add 1 cup pearl barley, ½ pinch of dried thyme, a pinch of fresh black pepper (? 1 teaspoon), and 2 cups of vegetable broth to the saucepan. Stir briefly until smooth.

Put a lid on the pot and transfer it to the oven. Bake the barley in a 350°F oven for an hour.

After cooking it will look like this - the mushrooms will rise to the top and completely cover the barley.

Stir the barley well. Taste the barley and add salt or pepper to taste.

Top with chopped parsley before serving.