Barley Salad - A Colorful, Elegant Side Dish!

We love hearty, fresh, grain-based salads, and this barley salad is no exception!

This superfood grain is crunchy, colorful, and nutritious and jam-packed with fresh vegetables and a zesty dressing!

Barley is easy to find, affordable, and has a mild nutty flavor. It goes great with all kinds of ingredients and can be served hot or cold.

Ingredients

VEGGIES This barley salad is a play on our favorite Greek salad recipe with, juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and sweet red onions.

OLIVES We add tangy kalamata olives for a punch of flavor, but sub out black olives if you prefer.

CHEESE Feta cheese adds a nice salty flavor in this recipe.

Variations

One batch of this Mediterranean-style barley salad can last a whole week! Don’t be afraid to mix and match ingredients in your fridge.

Olive oil, vinegar, and lemon are perfect on this salad or toss it with a simple Greek salad dressing. It’s great with almost any vinaigrette.

How to Make Barley Salad?

Healthy, delicious barley salad is super easy to make!

1. Cook barley in salted water according to the recipe below.
2. Chop vegetables.
3. Drain and cool barley completely. PRO TIP: To quickly cool barley, spread it out on a sheet pan, and place it in the freezer for a few minutes.
4. Place chopped vegetables in a large bowl, add barley and dressing.
5. Garnish with feta cheese and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Storage Tips for Barley

• Store uncooked barley in a sealed bag or container and keep it in a cool, dry place like a pantry.
• To store barley salad, keep the salad in a container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator and it should last up to 7 days.

Great Grains

• Vegetable Barley Soup – slow cooker version
• Harvest Farro Salad
• Beef Barley Soup – 5 star recipe
• Black Bean Quinoa Salad
• Mushroom Barley Risotto – easy & savory
• Homemade Lentil Soup
• Chicken Barley Soup – healthy and hearty

Did you make this Barley Salad? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below! 

Barley Salad

This Barley Salad is a colorful, fun twist on Greek salad!

Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Greek

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Chill Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours

Servings 4

Calories 559

Author Holly Nilsson

Ingredients

• 1 cup pearl barley
• 3 cups water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
• 1 cup cucumber diced
• 1 bell pepper diced, any color
• ¼ cup red onion diced
• ⅓ cup kalamata olives or black olives
• ¼ cup feta cheese
• 1 cup Greek salad dressing or Italian dressing
• fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

• Bring salted water to a boil. Add barley, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook 25 minutes or until barley is tender. Drain any liquid and cool completely.
• While barley is cooking, chop vegetables and place in a large bowl.
• Add cooled barley and dressing. Toss well to combine.
• Garnish with feta cheese and parsley. Chill 1 hour before serving.

Notes

A few tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, and squeeze of lemon, salt & pepper are perfect on this salad if you don't have Greek salad dressing.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 559 | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 1298mg | Potassium: 368mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1369IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 2mg

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