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Pearl barley and tomato risotto recipe

Pearl barley and tomato risotto recipe

50 ratings

Try a new twist on a classic risotto recipe by using budget-friendly pearl barley. With tangy sundried tomatoes, garlic and parsley, this easy veggie dinner is full of Italian flavour and, what's more, it's healthy too. Finish with crumbly cheese, or freeze for another day. See method

  • Serves 4
  • 10 mins to prepare and 40 mins to cook
  • 492 calories / serving
  • Freezable
  • Healthy
  • Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 100g sundried tomatoes (drained weight), finely chopped, plus 1 tbsp oil from the jar
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 15g fresh parsley, stems finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped
  • 350g pearl barley
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 reduced-salt vegetable stock cube, made up to 600ml
  • 100g Greek-style salad cheese, crumbled
If you don't have any pears, try using apples

Each serving contains

  • Energy

    2080kj
    492kcal     25%

  • Fat

    13g 19%

  • Saturates

    5g 23%

  • Sugars

    8g 9%

  • Salt

    1.7g 29%

of the reference intake
Carbohydrate 83.5g Protein 14.1g Fibre 3.7g

Method

  1. Heat the 1 tbsp oil from the tomato jar in a large, lidded saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic and parsley stems and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 mins until soft and translucent. Stir in the pearl barley, sundried tomatoes, chopped tomatoes and stock.
  2. Bring to the boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 30-40 mins, stirring occasionally, until the barley is just cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed.
  3. Give the barley a good stir until it’s released its starch and the risotto is creamy; season with pepper. Stir in the cheese and parsley leaves to serve.

Tip: To make it vegan, use a stock pot instead of a cube and swap the feta for 2 tbsp nutritional yeast.

Freezing and defrosting guidelines

In order to enjoy optimum flavour and quality, frozen items are best used within 3 months of their freezing date. For more tips on freezing and defrosting food, read our article Love Your Freezer.

See more Family dinner ideas

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