I grew up eating this Baked Barley with Mushrooms and I always looked forward to it on chilly winter nights. It’s a simple dish made with pearled barley cooked in a flavorful mix of vegetable broth, butter, and mushrooms for an extra umami kick. Plus, it cooks mostly in the oven, leaving your hands and attention available to tend to other things. It’s a nice alternative to plain rice for meals like pot roast, brisket, baked pork chops, or any roasted or braised meat. Those hearty little grains are perfect for soaking up every last drop of your pan drippings!
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What Kind of Baking Dish to Use
You’ll need some sort of baking dish with a tight-fitting lid, like a Dutch oven, because if the steam from the broth is not held inside as it bakes, the barley will not cook through. I used an enameled cast-iron Dutch oven that was probably a little too big for the scale of this recipe, but it still turned out great. The recipe makes about four cups, so something in the 2-3 quart size range is probably ideal. Glass, ceramic, or cast iron will all work as long as it has a tight-fitting lid.
If your baking dish is not safe for use on the stovetop, simply use a skillet for the first couple of steps (sautéing the mushrooms), then transfer to the baking dish when adding the barley and broth.
What is Pearled Barley?
It’s very important that you use pearled barley for this recipe. Pearled barley is whole barley grains that have had the outer husk removed and are then are polished to remove some or all of the outer bran. The resulting grain is tender and chewy once cooked, and doesn’t take quite as long to cook as hulled barley. You can usually find pearled barley near the dry rice and beans in the grocery store, or near other specialty grains.
I used the Bob’s Redmill brand, which is slightly less polished than other brands that I’ve used and it resulted in a slightly more firm grain.
Add More Vegetables
This recipe is pretty flexible and you can experiment with adding more hearty vegetables, like carrot, celery, onion, turnip, or rutabega. I suggest dicing the vegetables and sautéing them briefly with the mushrooms before adding the remaining ingredients.
What to Serve with Baked Barley
This baked barley would go awesome with something like Creamy Mushroom Chicken with Crispy Onions, Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Slow Cooker Rosemary Garlic Beef Stew, or pot roast.
Baked Barley with Mushrooms
Servings 4 1 cup eachIngredients
- 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
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms
- Add the garlic, mushrooms, and butter to a Dutch oven. Sauté over medium heat until the mushrooms have softened.
- Add the barley, vegetable broth, thyme and freshly cracked pepper to the dutch oven. Stir to combine, place the lid on top, and transfer to the oven. Bake the barley for one hour.
- After baking for one hour, stir the barley to fluff it up. Give the barley a taste and adjust the salt or pepper to your liking. Top with chopped fresh parsley just before serving.
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Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Nutrition
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How to Make Baked Barley with Mushrooms – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Add 4 Tbsp butter, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 8oz. sliced mushrooms to a pot. Sauté over medium heat until the mushrooms have softened.
This is what the pearled barley looks like. As mentioned above, this is Bob’s Redmill brand, which appears to be less polished than other generic brands I’ve used in the past. Pearled barley often looks very white, so this barley still has a considerable amount of bran left intact. Because of that, the grains were a little more firm this time around. Either way, it still tasted great!
Add one cup pearled barley, ½ tsp dried thyme, a little freshly cracked black pepper (⅛ tsp), and 2 cups vegetable broth to the pot. Stir briefly to combine.
Place a lid on the pot and transfer it to the oven. Bake the barley in the 350ºF oven for one hour.
After baking it will look like this–the mushrooms will have risen to the top, fully covering the barley.
Give the barley a good stir. Taste the barley and add salt or pepper if desired.
Top with chopped parsley just before serving.
Is this quick barley?
Quick barley is pre-steamed so it cooks much faster than pearled barley, which is used here. Quick barley wouldn’t work with this recipe as written, I’m afraid!
I only have hulled barley. I plan to soak overnight and then use this recipe. Do I need to increase the cooking time as well?
If you do, it should only need maybe 5-10 more minutes! Just keep on eye on it but I think it should be fine.
This was an easy dish to put together. Threw it in the oven while I prepped the rest of the meal. Left it covered on the stovetop while the fish was cooking in the oven. It was still warm when I fluffed and served. Very tasty.
I want to try this as an adaptation of my riff on “church lady rice/stick of butter rice” using barley instead of rice.
Using my solar oven I have to start with about half the broth to fill the solar oven tray, then after 20 minutes or so add the rest of the broth. Other than that minor inconvenience, it works very well.
Can this be done in an Instant Pot? Directions for cooking?
Hi JD, you probably can do something like this in an Instant Pot, but without testing it I wouldn’t be able to provide concrete instructions.
This was a very tasty and I will make it again. Though I will probably add another cup of broth as while the barley was all cooked it was very stuck to the pot in places and a little dry.
This is such a great recipe, I make it regularly, in a much lazier way though… I either put uncooked mushrooms or shredded cabbage mix (and skip the butter) and add (uncooked) chicken sausages on top, follow all the other instructions and it’s the best comfort meal ever!
Hi, team —
I’m fairly certain this same recipe could be made with equal success using pearled farro, rather than barley (the farro is what I have in the pantry at present). My question is, how much more cooking time would this ingredient switch require?
Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated, and thank you for your hard work and all of the great recipes. Happy holidays!
This was great. I didn’t want too many leftovers, so I cut the broth and barley in half, but kept the mushrooms the same. Turned out wonderfully. Nice and ‘meaty’. Wonderful side dish.
On the recommendation of several comments I added some additional vegetables to the double recipe I decided on – half an onion sautéed with the garlic, and then one large parsnip and three large carrots cubed and pan-fried until softened. I will admit to being concerned about this since it turned out to be a large volume of food that I hoped wouldn’t be screwed up (I fitted everything into a 9×13 pan with tightly-wrapped foil over the top, and the pan was mostly full), but my trust was validated once again. I definitely needed to add some salt at the end during the fluffing stage, but it was delicious. I paired this with the creamy mushroom chicken and got many compliments.
Sounds like a dish I made from the Women’s Day magazine when I first got married and then I lost the recipe. Do you think this would freeze well?
Yes, I think this would freeze pretty good. :)
Absolutely delicious! I used a 3-qt Le Crueset small dutch oven, perfect. Diced small onion and sauteed with garlic. Definitely making this again.
Delicious! I halved the butter to make it a little healthier and used farro instead of barley. Next time, I’ll double the mushrooms and double the recipe – it’s a lot of oven time for ~4 cups of food.
I am planning to make this for Christmas Eve because we have vegan family members . I am hoping substituting olive oil for butter will work. Can I make this the night before and reheat for my buffet dinner?
Thanks!
This one does reheat pretty well. I would suggest trying to find vegan butter to substitute instead of just oil, though. The cream in the butter really adds a ton of flavor that you won’t get with oil.
AMAZING! I doubled the amount of mushrooms, might add even more next time, because there will definitely be a next time. Also added maybe 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes to the mushroom saute. So simple, great earthy heartiness. This one is a winner, Beth. Thanks!
Hi Beth! This sounds tummy-warming! Do you think it would be TOO mushroomy if made with mushroom stock?
Ultimately I think that’s just going to be a matter of personal preference, but it sounds like something I’d definitely try if I had mushroom stock on hand!
I have used a pack of dried mushrooms and made stock. I then took out the mushrooms and fried them with the onions and a green pepper before adding the barley. It works out very nicely.
Nice!!
Would this work with the white corning ware and the glass lid? My dutch oven cannot go in the oven. Has anyone tried this in the Instant Pot? Could this recipe be made on the stove? Thanks!
The Corningware with a glass lid should work well. :)
Could you give me ideas on alternative grains to do this with? I am gluten sensitive and barley is a gluten containing grain.
You might be able to do something similar with brown rice, but I’d need to test it first to find out if it would need a different amount of liquid or if that cooking time is adequate.
This was so easy to make and turned out wonderfully! I used medium pearled barley and subbed dried basil for thyme. I added a diced onion and some diced rutabaga (thank you for that suggestion!) and also added some more salt at the end. Even my vegetable-skeptic guest was a fan!
I had forgotten how much we like this side dish. I usually pair it with a big pile of roasted veggies–typically onion, bell pepper, winter squash, and broccoli–for a meatless meal, and the two dishes share the oven. My husband likes it with pork chops, too, so when that’s the menu, I add about half a cup of diced onion to the barley and mushrooms. My lemon thyme plant is going strong despite the nightly freezes, so that’s what I’ll use for seasoning when we enjoy it tomorrow. Rosemary added to the roasted veggies is also very good with this, and when I use that, I don’t double it up with the barley. Thanks, Beth, for reposting this terrific recipe.
Thanks for sharing what you normally pair this with for meals! I was looking for something simple and with easy cleanup that could maybe share the oven. A big sheet pan of roasted veggies sounds like a winner!
And I normally do my boneless pork chops in the oven at a higher temperature, but I’m betting I could find a recipe that cooks them at the same temp as this dish so that can be a nice meat pairing option. Thanks!
I love this ., instead of vegetable broth I used mushroom broth which It enhanced the mushroom flavor as I love mushrooms will make this again and again I also added some chopped onion to the garlic and mushroom sauté
Trying this with pot barley (I bought the wrong kind) and cauliflower because it needs using up and I don’t have any mushrooms :) Personally, I think it’ll work with any softish vegetable as a base, we’ll see! I can’t wait to try it (and I will buy pearled barley next time!)
How would I adjust for quick cooking barley. It is what I have in the cupboard?
Unfortunately I haven’t tested this with quick cooking barley, so I’m not sure if you’d need to change the amount of liquid in addition to the cooking time.
MMM, this was so tasty! We’re moving soon, and so I’m cleaning out the pantry. This, paired with a couple of fried eggs, a generous grating of Parmesan, and a few gloops of hot sauce created a great ultra-frugal dinner for 3 nights!
Oh man that sounds delicious!
Love this! I use it as the basis for a winter salad, with roast pumpkin, toasted walnuts, blue cheese and some greens (usually spinach, but also sometimes rocket/arugula). Delicious!
Thanks so much for your blog. This was great! I had barley in the cupboard but no idea how to make it. I had no mushrooms at home but used an onion, carrot and pepper instead. It was perfect.
This is the best side dish I have ever made. It was so simple to do. I didn’t have a Dutch oven so followed the alternate way in my Corning ware dish and it turned out perfect beyond imagination. It tastes like a mushroom risotto without there cheese and cream etc. The barley cooked up perfectly. Follow the measurements as outlined in this recipe and you fsnt go wrong. I used Italian parsley and stired it in at the end. I also Browned the butter garlic mixture slightly and added salt pepper and onion powder before adding the mushrooms. Beyond!! Can’t wait to make it again. Thank you!!! Ps. I never write reviews lol.
This has become one of our favorites! But we don’t find it quite as filling as you do. Even when served with salad and bread, we usually most of it between 2 people (and we’re not normally big eaters). So I plan on it making 3 servings as a main course, and sometimes we finish off the whole thing.
I made this dish to take to a church potluck. I had some pearl barley & mushrooms & couldn’t decide what to make. Then I remembered that I had recipe but couldn’t find it, so I searched the Internet & found your version. Instead of vegetable broth I made two cups of broth using McKay’s beef seasoning – a vegan product that makes a beef flavored broth. I also used a vegan butter & threw some dried parsley in with the thyme because I didn’t have fresh. I didn’t see the dish as I got my food & thought that it had either been eaten or forgotten in the oven. I found it in the microwave, but someone wanted to try it, then two more tried some, & it got great reviews. I shared your website with a friend who’s planning on making it next weekend. I plan on making this often. It’s so easy & delicious! Thank you!
My family has pretty much the same recipe but i couldnt figure out the spice in it so i used thtme like this one said it made the whole thing taste musty and old it was terrible…. my family does dried basil much better of a flavour.
It has been a few years since I’ve made this, and I’ve acquired an Instant Pot in the interim. Tonight I made it in my IP , no real adapting needed to the recipe, other than to cook 25 minutes at high pressure and allow a 10 minute natural pressure release instead of over an hour in the oven. So good and faster than in the oven!
This is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever had. I’ve never cooked with barley outside of beef and barley soup, and my boyfriend still thinks that any grain that isn’t rice is hippie, but it turned out wonderfully and he keeps asking me about it over a month later. Can’t wait to make it again!
I don’t know what I did wrong but it is like soup. I followed all the directions even bought the pearled barley. Any advice? I was super excited and it smells terrific!
Hmm, it sounds like it didn’t heat properly for some reason. It should be simmering while it’s in the oven, at which point the barley will start to absorb the liquid (kind of like when you cook rice).
Some days I really “hate/love” you. I made this today and can’t stop eating it. It is so yummy. Definitely going to be a new staple in our home. Happy 2015!
Hahahah that comment made me chuckle. :)
I could only find 10-minute barley (“pre-cooked”). Any ideas on how to adjust the recipe so that I can use this?
With quick cooking barley you probably won’t even need to bake it. You can do the whole thing on the stove top (quickly!). Sauté the garlic and mushrooms in butter just as I did here (but in a sauce pot), then cook the barley in that pot according to the package directions. Substitute broth for the water listed on the package instructions. I’ve never had quick cooking barley, so hopefully it’s good like the regular kind!
I didn’t see this comment until now, but I actually followed your recipe with the 10-minute barley and it turned out great! I did cook it for about half the time, though. So so yummy, and it makes tons so I munch on the leftovers throughout the week :)
Thanks for the recipe! I might even try the way you advised next time to see if I can make it a bit quicker.
Awesome! Good to know it works. :)
I really enjoyed this. I’ve only had barley in soups before. Only used 1T EVOO, as I am watching my cholesterol. Very nice, I would make again.
FYI Olive oil does not have cholesterol in it, cholesterol is only in animal products. EVOO actually reduces your bad cholesterol, and helps raise the good cholesterol. If you’re watching calories you should limit your EVOO, but it can’t affect your cholesterol.
This is really good, filling and so easy to make. I doubled the recipe a added onions, carrots and celery. I also used fresh thyme and it was pretty good! Will try to freeze leftovers see how it turns out. Thanks for this easy and simple but so satisfying recipe!
Can you freeze this in serving sizes? Sounds delicious!
Yes, definitely!
Just wanted to drop a line and say how great this dish is! I make a very similar barley risotto with mushrooms and white beans, and though this was a little bit less creamy, I didn’t have to stand at the stove for 45 minutes and got to snuggle with my toddler instead.
I didn’t really change much…probably added more garlic, 16oz of mushrooms and a can of drained, rinsed cannellini beans, and Herbs de Provence for the seasoning (because it’s what I had on hand tonight). Fantastic! My toddler (who has been so picky lately!) had seconds!
Do you think this would work with wheat berries or rye berries? I have a 5 gallon bucket of each from my parents farm!
You know, I’m not sure. I think wheat berries and rye berries still have the hull on them, which makes them take longer to cook (just like brown rice as opposed to white rice), but pearled barley has no hull. So, I’m sure at the very least the cooking time (and maybe liquid amount) would be different.
I am totally making this tonight in preparation of ICEMAGEDON 2014!! lol. None of my casseroles have a lid, so do you think foil would be okay?
Yep, just make sure it’s tight around the edges. If too much steam escapes the barley will not get soft enough.
I made this with a broiled flank steak and Parmesan baked asparagus for my dad and his girlfriend when they came to visit. They both loved it, even my dad’s girlfriend who doesn’t like mushrooms, so it’s my new “fancy, for guests” meal. My husband also absolutely loves this dish. It has a very hearty, “earthy” flavor that goes really well with red meats.
I think this is the first thing from your website I have made and haven’t liked :( it came out rather bland. Oh well!
This is very good. I made a double batch last night cooked in beef broth. I also added diced caramelized onions and carrots. I don’t have a dutch oven or covered casserole dish so I used a 9×13 baking dish covered with foil and it worked out very well. Thank you for the recipe.
I’ve made this twice now and it’s amazing both how delicious it is and how easy it is to prep and make. This will be a great vegetarian dish to make at Thanksgiving!
Just tried this- it’s really amazing! Thanks for giving me an alternative to always having pasta or rice. It was pretty easy to make, too.
With a few adjustments I give this recipe 5 stars – added caramelized onions and a couple thinly sliced carrots; Used mushroom base (Better then Bouillon) instead of veggie; would add a little salt and pepper next time. SO GOOD! My guests went for seconds.
I made this last night and it’s so good! I added some carmelized onions and accidentally forgot the thyme but the depth of flavor is surprising for something that was so simple to make. Thanks Beth!
So… I made this tonight, but made a few changes. I threw in the shredded carrots, and also added half a can of corn and some diced chicken, and subbed chicken broth for the vegetable broth. Oh my gosh… my whole house smells yummy and the food tastes even yummier!
I don’t like Barley so much and should only have whole grains..but I’ll give it a try! After all, it has been a decade since I last tasted it. I’ll sub whole Barley but soak it first in hot water and then once in the oven I’ll check on it after an hour. Will sure be a change from our usual pasta-pizza-risotto-potatos-quinoa rotation!!
Tnxxx healthy and yum
Beth,
I detest mushrooms, but adore barley…what veggie would work as a sub? I’d like to try in the slow cooker.
You could try adding some onions and carrots. That would be yummy! Also, someone just commented that they made it in the slow cooker and it only took a couple of hours, so make sure to check on it early.
We had this last night…very good indeed!
I’m going to try this with lentils instead of barley.
I’m making this tomorrow as a surprise for my younger kid — he adores mushrooms, so this is right up his alley. I’m looking forward to trying it!
What are the chances I good do this in the crockpot. It sounds really good and I would love to make it yom
Silly smart phone…I wasn’t done. Sorry…. As I was saying, I’d love to make it for dinner tomorrow night but I will be getting home later than n
I think this would work in a slow cooker, now that you mention it! If I can cook beans in a slow cooker, barley will definitely work!
How would you modify it for the slow cooker? Saute the mushrooms and then slow cook it at step 3, on low for all day?
I’m pretty sure you could just throw everything into the slow cooker at once and then cook on low for 8 hrs… that’s my best guess – haven’t actually tried it, though.
I just made this in my slow cooker. It only took a couple of hours on slow.
I just popped this out of the oven!
I used chicken broth and canned mushrooms. I know, canned mushrooms are sad but I didn’t have any fresh mushrooms on hand and just couldn’t wait to try out this dish! It turned out fantastic! I will definitely be making this many more times in the future.
So, my oven has been a bit on the fritz lately. Is it possible to do this all on the stovetop by just letting it all simmer until the barley is done? I know it probably won’t be quite as tasty, but would it work?
Yes, I do think it will work. It will be very much like cooking rice, but will require more time. Just bring it up to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 45 minutes or so.
Thanks!
I had this once at a restaurant years ago and have been hooked on making it at home ever since. It’s great with beef broth, too.
What do you serve as a side dish with this? A green salad?
Yes, this also makes a great side dish to roasted meats. I think a melange of roasted vegetables would go great next to this, and since you already have the oven on, you can roast them at the same time. :)
Looks wonderful! Were trying to stick with a Mediterranean diet and this should work out well! I was looking for something using barley!
And I am with you on canned mushrooms… They are sad.
How did you know I just bought a box of barley and two cartons of mushrooms because they were on mega sale? I know what I’m making for dinner tomorrow!
Wow, this looks so hearty! Perfect for the fall season.
Making your Vegan Red Lentil Stew tonight (for the second time) and am subbing in a sweet potato. Should be delicious! :)
I have been making a version of this from The Joy of Cooking forever. It is an incredible dish. The texture of barley, the earthiness of the mushrooms, the deep flavor from baking it. It’s one of my all time favorites!