Italian Barley Salad

This colorful and flavorful Italian Barley Salad is a great make-ahead dish and is perfect for your next potluck, picnic, BBQ or any other occasion!

I did something I never thought I’d do.

I never, ever thought I’d replicate, or even want to replicate, airplane food.  But I did and here it is!

On a recent trip back home from Europe we were served a barley salad as the side dish and it was actually very good.  So much so that our 6 year-old daughter asked if she could have ours too!  Fortunately for me our 8 year-old son didn’t want his :)  As our daughter was eating it she asked me if I could make it “as soon as” we got back home.  So the next day she got her wish.

This salad is a great make-ahead salad as the flavor is even better the next day.

Let’s get started!

Make a batch of Homemade Italian Dressing.

Place all the veggies and parsley in a large bowl and add the cooled, cooked barley.  Stir to combine.

Add the Homemade Italian Dressing and stir to thoroughly combine.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Italian Barley Salad

Kimberly Killebrew

This colorful and flavorful salad is a great make-ahead dish and is perfect for you next potluck, picnic, BBQ or any occasion!

Print Recipe

5 from 12 votes

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 8 servings

Calories 212 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 1/4 cup uncooked pearl barley (for GF version use quinoa, millet or GF grain of choice)
• 1 cucumber, chopped
• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3/4 cup Homemade Italian Dressing (click link for recipe)

Instructions

 

• Cook the barley in salted water for about 45 minutes or until the barley is tender but still chewy.  Drain and cool completely.
• Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the Homemade Italian Dressing and stir to thoroughly combine.  Chill in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours before serving.  Can be made a day ahead.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2.8g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 267mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 500IU | Vitamin C: 9.6mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg

Keyword barley salad

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