Baked Barley Risotto With Mushrooms and Carrots

By Kay Chun

Updated Feb. 16, 2024

Baked Barley Risotto With Mushrooms and Carrots
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(1,764)
Comments
Read comments

Wholesome and nutty, barley is a superb alternative to arborio rice in this risotto, since it’s naturally plump and chewy when cooked. The grated Parmesan and butter stirred in at the end release the barley’s starches, creating a silky, creamy texture. Make sure to use pearl barley, not hulled, since it cooks much faster and is more tender. As for the mushrooms, white button, cremini and earthy shiitakes are a tasty, accessible mix, though any combination of oyster, king trumpet and maitake would raise the bar. Still, the best thing about this risotto, which is a satisfying vegetarian weeknight dinner (or side to any large roast or fish) is that it’s baked, taking away the pressure of constant stirring at the stove.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½small white or yellow onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
  • 5garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1pound mixed mushrooms, such as white button, cremini and shiitakes, halved if small, quartered if large (about 7 cups total)
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 10ounces pearl barley (about 1½ cups)
  • 1medium carrot, very thinly sliced into rounds (about 1 cup)
  • 2ounces grated Parmesan (about ½ cup), plus more for serving
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¼cup chopped chives
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

523 calories; 23 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 65 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 643 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms start to soften, about 3 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Stir in barley, carrot and 4½ cups water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, transfer to the oven and bake until barley is tender and chewy and almost all of the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in Parmesan and the butter until slightly thickened and creamy. Season with salt and pepper.

  4. Step 4

    Divide among shallow bowls. Sprinkle with chives and more Parmesan, to taste.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,764 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Nancy

I thought this would hit my hippie-recipe-loving sweet spot, but this concoction tasted like lean times at the commune when the chickens ain't layin' and there's no cash for a trip to the grocery store. Earthy and a little punitive.

Lloyd

I did a leek and a half instead of the onion, a bag of mushroom medley from Trader Joes, added some fresh thyme, red pepper flakes and a dash of smoked paprika to the mix; skipped the Parmesan and used nutritional yeast when I added the chicken broth (vs. water). Very good! Added some sautéed shrimp on top before serving.

Anne Clark

This is a family favorite from years ago. So good with grilled chicken. Substitute 1 cup of water w 1 cup of white wine dresses it up.

DK

As written, all the textures were good (assuming you like barley) but honestly pretty flavorless. So I definitely suggest doing as comments suggest and replacing a lot of the water with broth, heavily seasoning, etc.

SuzVT

Really like this. This time, I reconstituted my neighbor’s gorgeous mushrooms and used the soaking liquid in place of the 4 1/2 cups of water. I’m not an imaginative cook, but I think a lot of lovely things could be added to this if desired. Sneak in some chopped kale at the end? Maybe slow-cook my other neighbor’s venison, shred it, and add it? It’s a great chilly-weather dish.

AP

I actually really enjoyed this, but made a couple modifications. I added dried thyme, and used chicken broth in the place of water (could obviously be vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian.) I halved the butter at the end, the starch content from the barley was substantial enough that I didn’t feel all the butter was necessary. I think it would benefit from the addition of some white wine at some point, perhaps after softening the onions and garlic and before the addition of the mushrooms. I increased the number of carrots, and finished with chopped parsley, which is a nice addition to the chives the recipe calls for. Yes it’s going to taste more woody than a true risotto because if they’re barley, but I quite enjoyed it, particularly as an indulgent meal on a high fiber, low cholesterol diet.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.