This barley salad is hearty enough to have for dinner, packed full of abundant summer squash, with the lemon and dill adding a bright fresh note.
Another salad that will travel well to your summer picnic, BBQ or pot luck and is perfect for weekday lunches.
While this barley salad is substantial enough to have as a meal, you may also serve this salad with a variety of roasted or barbecued meats. Try it with…
More on pearl barley
Pearl barley is whole grain barley with the outer husk and bran layers removed and then polished. This makes it faster to cook and less chewy than other forms of barley.
It is a great wheat-free substitute for rice or pasta in a salad, while wheat-free it is not gluten-free, it does contain a different type of gluten.
1Cook your barley
Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Line a baking tray.
Rinse your pearl barley in a strainer under cold running water to remove any grit. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to boil then add your pearl barley and cook until al dente (approximately 30 minutes). If scum forms in the water while the pearl barley is cooking remove with a slotted spoon.
Once the barley is cooked rinse well under cold running water.
2Prepare your veg
Wash all the vegetables and remove the tops, ends and any brown bits from the squash, remove the membranes and seeds from the capsicum and the papery skin and tops and ends from the onion. Then chop all the vegetables into small dice.
Put all your chopped vegetables on your baking tray, sprinkle the fennel seeds on top, drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and mix until the vegetables are well coated with the oil. Place in the middle section of your oven and roast until golden brown (approximately 20 minutes). Add a squeeze of lemon when they are cooked.
Wash the parsley and dill leaves, shake to remove excess water, then roughly chop.
DICE PATTYPAN SQUASH 
DICE ZUCCHINI 
DICE RED CAPSICUM (PEPPER) 
DICE RED ONION 
CHOP PARSLEY 
CHOP YOUR DILL FINELY 
PLACE REMAINING VEG IN A SEPARATE TRAY 
ADD LEMON WHILST VEG IS STILL HOT
3Assemble your salad
In a large mixing bowl, add your cooked pearl barley, roasted vegetables and herbs. Add the oil and lemon juice, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper, then toss until everything is well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your taste.
Arrange in a salad bowl, scatter the seeds on top then chill until you are ready to serve. The longer it stands the tastier it is!
Some tips on making barley salad
- It is important you take the time to rinse your barley to remove any dust, dirt and debris.
- Make sure that you boil your pearl barley in plenty of water as it will double in size.
- Pearl barley releases starch into its cooking water so you must rinse it before adding the rest of your salad ingredients.
- It is important to add a squeeze of lemon juice while your vegetables are hot as they will absorb it quickly and add a delightful tang to this salad.
- This salad can be made a day or two in advance, in fact, it truly just becomes tastier if you allow the flavours to develop.
- You can also boil your barley a week ahead, and keep it covered in your fridge until you are ready to assemble it. Just bring it to room temperature beforehand.
- Stores well in your fridge for 4-5 days.
To meal prep this barley salad for your lunches
- An ideal salad to make for your weekday lunches, as there are no delicate herbs that will brown.
- Make the salad and divide it into containers, you can also add some additional protein such as crumbled feta, grilled halloumi, grilled chicken, flaked salmon or meatballs.
Some more salad recipes for you to try:
(Times are an estimate and will depend on your skill level)
Ingredients
- 200 grams patty pan squash (approximatel 4-5)
- 200 grams zucchini (courgette) (approximately 2 medium)
- ½ red capsicum (bell pepper)
- ½ red onion
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 tbsps fennel seeds
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
- 1½ cups pearl barley
- 2 tbsps dill leaves
- 2 tbsps parsley leaves
- 1 tbsps olive oil
- 3 tbsps lemon juice
- 2 tbsps mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, poppy, linseeds)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Line a baking tray.
- Rinse your pearl barley in a strainer under cold running water to remove any grit.
- Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to boil then add your pearl barley and cook until al dente (approximately 30 minutes). If scum forms in the water while the pearl barley is cooking remove with a slotted spoon.
- Once the barley is cooked rinse well under cold running water.
- Wash and trim all your vegetables, then chop them into small dice.
- Put all your chopped vegetables on your baking tray, sprinkle the fennel seeds on top, drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and mix until the vegetables are well coated with the oil.
- Place in the middle section of your oven and roast until golden brown (approximately 20 minutes). Add a squeeze of lemon juice when they are done.
- Wash the parsley and dill leaves, shake to remove excess water, then roughly chop.
- Put everything in a large mixing bowl – pearl barley, vegetables, herbs, oil and lemon juice, season and toss until well combined
- Arrange in a salad bowl, scatter the seeds on top then chill until you are ready to serve. The longer it stands the tastier it is!
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