Thursday, February 11, 2010

Barley, Lentils and Roasted Root Vegetables


When I saw this recipe pop up in my google reader last week, I was immediately drawn to it. I love roasted vegetables, and I also had half a bag of barley on hand. I love making salads like this, the kind that can be served hot or cold, and can have interchangable ingredients depending on what's on hand. The only addition I really made to this recipe was lentils for protein.
I was on the fence about parsnips in the past, but this recipe changed my mind about them, and I now can say I enjoy parsnips!

Barley, Lentils and Roasted Root Vegetables
adapted from Cate, based on a recipe by David Lebovitz


1 cup pearled barley
1 cup lentils
5 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
2 lbs mixed root vegetables, cut into 1/2″ dice
(I used 1 medium butternut squash, 4 parsnips, 4 carrots, 1 large turnip, 1 medium rhutabega)
1 red onion, diced
2 tbsp. olive oil
A few sprigs fresh thyme
Zest and juice from a grapefruit (or orange, lemon, etc.)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup dried cranberries


Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Bring water to a boil in a stock pot, add the salt, bay leaf, barley and lentils.
Simmer, until the barley and lentils are tender, about 35 minutes.
Toss the vegetables, onion, 1 tbsp. olive oil, thyme, a few pinches of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and spread on a sheet pan (I used 2 sheet pans).
Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, rotating pans from top to bottom, if using two.
Drain the barley and lentils, if there is residual water, remove bay leaf.
Whisk together the zest, juice, vinegar and another tbsp. of olive oil.
Add the barley, lentils, cranberries and vegetables.
Toss gently to mix.
Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Serve at room temperature, garnished with a few sprigs of fresh thyme.

*Cate's recipe also called for walnuts, which would have been a delicious addition, but I did not have any on hand, next time I would add them for a bit of crunch and texture.

9 comments:

Sophie @ yumventures said...

My favorite way to eat parsnips is tossing them in some flour and parm cheese and roasting them -- you'll never go back!

Cate said...

I love the idea of adding lentils! I had this as a side dish because of the lack of protein, but that would make it a meal in itself. I'm glad you liked it!

NKP said...

Yum, I love roasted veggies - this looks healthy and delicious.

dining room table said...

This is way too healthy for me. LOL I just like the sound of roasted vegetables. It makes me want to try this.

Joanne said...

Moan. This looks delicious! I love all root veggies...especially roasted!

Robyn said...

This looks so good and roasted root veggies are my fave.

Large Wall Mirrors Gal said...

Wow awesome with the color if this veggie dish. It's really colorful. Different dish and it would be a healthy to our health.

Large Wall Mirrors Gal said...

Wow awesome with the color of this veggie dish. It's really colorful. Different dish and it would be a healthy to our health.

Dining Table Sets Gal said...

This is fulfilled with some nutritious vegetable's and beside if you were wondering what kind of meal will make you healthy and guess what you are in the correct blog