Mediterranean Barley Salad
This Mediterranean Barley Salad makes a perfect side for nearly any summer dish. There's nothing like fresh, delicious Mediterranean flavors and ingredients. With feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, and olives, your taste buds will be thanking you and your stomach won't blame you later. The cooked barley adds a little extra weight to this dish, meaning you can also enjoy it as a light meal if you like. Cooking the barley will take a little bit of time, but the flavor payoff is excellent and the recipe makes more than enough salad to be worth the effort. You'll have plenty to serve to a group or to keep leftovers and enjoy them throughout your week.
Notes"Try peeling the cucumber in strips, leaving some of the peel behind to create stripes before dicing."
Serves12
Preparation Time15 min
Cooking Time45 min
Total TimeUnder 3 Hours
Ingredients
- 3 cups Swanson® Vegetable Broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried oregano leaves, crushed
- 1 cup Uncooked pearl barley
- 1/4 cup Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Grated lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 Seedless (English) cucumber, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 Large red bell pepper, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup Crumbled feta cheese(about 4 ounces)
- 1/2 cup Pitted or Kalamata oil-cured olives cut in half
- 2 Green onion, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
- 3 tablespoons Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
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Heat the broth and oregano in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Stir in the barley. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 45 minutes or until the barley is tender but still chewy. Spread the barley in a thin layer on a large plate and let cool for 15 minutes.
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Beat the lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil in a small bowl with a fork or whisk.
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Stir the barley, cucumber, red pepper, cheese, olives and green onions in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Season to taste. Sprinkle with the parsley before serving, if desired.
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