Barley with Mushrooms

Barley with Mushrooms is a unique and delicious vegetarian side dish, and barley is a delicious whole grain that’s easy to cook. And this is probably lower in carbs than you might think.

PIN Barley with Mushrooms to try it later!

After I got a huge jar of dried mushrooms from Costco, it seemed like a good time to update the photos for this Barley with Mushrooms that’s such a tasty idea for a whole grain side dish. I loved this barley pilaf recipe where the barley is browned in butter or olive oil and then cooked in hot stock.

Adding both dried and fresh mushrooms and using some of the the soaking liquid from the dried mushrooms to cook the barley gave this extra mushroom flavor. And this was so, so delicious!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• dried mushrooms
• sliced mushrooms
• pearl barley (affiliate link), not instant barley
• canned vegetable broth
• boiling water for mushroom soaking liquid
• Dried Thyme (affiliate link)
• Onion Powder (affiliate link)
• butter

What is Barley?

Many people don’t think much about barley, but actually barley is a major food crop, fourth in the world of cereal crops, according to Wikipedia. Barley is used as a grain, and is an ingredient in several hot drinks used as a coffee substitute, especially in Europe. It’s also delicious in soups and salads.

What mushrooms should you use for Barley with Mushrooms?

The inspiring recipe used dried Porcini mushrooms, but if those aren’t in the budget any type of dried mushrooms will work. I love brown Cremini Mushrooms for the fresh mushrooms, but regular white mushrooms will also be good.

Can this recipe be vegan?

If you want a vegan version of this recipe for Barley with Mushrooms, just switch out the butter for olive oil.

How to make Barley with Mushrooms:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Start with one ounce of dried mushrooms. The original recipe used Porcini mushrooms which are great if you have them, but since I have that huge jar of dried mushrooms I just used what I had. Break the mushrooms apart if they’re large.
2. Soak the dried mushrooms in boiling water for 30 minutes. Then drain the mushrooms and simmer to reduce the liquid to 1/2 cup.
3. Heat the butter or olive oil in a pan with a tight-fitting lid; then add barley and saute for 3-5 minutes.  (Oops, forgot to take a photo of that step!)
4. Then add the stock and mushroom liquid, thyme, and onion powder, lower heat, and simmer covered until the barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. (Photo shows this before I covered the pan.)
5. When the barley is done, saute the fresh mushrooms in butter or margarine and olive oil until they’re soft and the liquid has evaporated.
6. Add the dried mushrooms to the fresh mushrooms and cook about 2 minutes more.
7. Then stir in the cooked barley and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.  Serve hot, garnished with chopped fresh parsley if desired.

Make it a Meal:

Barley with Mushrooms would be delicious to serve with something like Peanut Butter Tofu, Cheesy Zucchini and Basil Strata, or Cauliflower Gratin for a meatless meal. Or for people who really love mushrooms, pair it with Tofu and Mushrooms.

More Vegetarian Dishes with Mushrooms:

• Lentil and Barley Greek-Style Salad
• Roasted Zucchini and Mushrooms with Feta
• Mushroom Lover’s Egg Skillet with Spinach
• Air Fryer Roasted Mushrooms
• Balsamic Spinach Salad with Mushrooms and Feta

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 6 servings

Barley with Mushrooms

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

This delicious recipe for Barley with Mushrooms is a barley pilaf with dried and fresh mushrooms. This is a unique and delicious side dish, and barley is a delicious whole grain that's probably lower in carbs than you might think!

Ingredients

• 1 ounce (or more) dried mushrooms (see notes)
• 8 ounces sliced white or brown mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups pearl barley (not instant)
• 3 cups canned vegetable broth
• 1 cup boiling water for mushroom soaking liquid
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme (or more)
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder (or more)
• 4 T butter (see notes)

Instructions

1. Put dried mushrooms on cutting board and coarsely chop with chef’s knife, then place them in bowl and pour 1 cup boiling water over. Let stand 30 minutes.
2. After 30 minutes, strain mushrooms (a coffee filter or a piece of cheesecloth would work for this) catching liquid. Boil mushroom liquid to reduce to 1/2 cup.
3. Heat 2 T butter in dutch oven type pan. (If you’re using a non-stick pan you can use a bit less.)  Add barley and saute 3-5 minutes, until barley is slightly toasted and well coated with oil.
4. Add stock, reduced mushroom juice, thyme, and onion powder, bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover, and simmer until all liquid is absorbed and barley is tender, about 30-35 minutes. Add more liquid and cook longer if needed to get the barley to the degree of tenderness you want.
5. When barley is tender and all liquid is absorbed, turn off heat.
6. In very large deep frying pan, heat remaining 2 T butter. Saute fresh mushrooms 3-5 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated and mushrooms are softened. Add dried mushrooms and saute 2-3 minutes more, then stir in barley and heat through.
7. Serve hot, garnished with fresh chopped parsley.

Notes

Porcini mushrooms are great for this recipe if you have them. For a vegan version of this recipe just substitute olive oil for the butter.

Recipe was adapted from The Best Recipes in the World (affiliate link).

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 135Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 20mgSodium 398mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Barley with Mushrooms would be a great side dish for the original South Beach phase 2 or 3. It might be a bit high in carbs for traditional low-carb diet plans, but check the nutritional information because this is probably lower in carbs than you think!

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Side Dishes to find more recipes like this one! Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe
This recipe for barley pilaf with mushrooms was posted in 2006! It was last updated with more information in 2023.

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