• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About
    • Work with me
    • Contact
  • Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
Smart Nutrition with Jessica Penner, RD

Smart Nutrition with Jessica Penner, RD

Making food Fun again!

  • Recipes
  • Wellness
  • Meal Planning
  • raspberry pretzel salad
    Raspberry Pretzel Salad with Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

    A healthy raspberry pretzel salad that's worthy to be called a meal! Contains heart healthy…

  • orange sesame dressing
    Orange Sesame Salad Dressing (with lentils)

    The idea for this recipe came to me in the middle of the night.  Earlier that evening…

  • healthy broccoli salad with berries
    Healthy Broccoli Salad with Berries

    This healthy broccoli salad has a yogurt and almond butter dressing for a healthier fat…

  • salad dressings
    3 Salad Dressings With Less Than 6 Ingredients

    My mom always made a lot of food from scratch. She made her own versions of…

  • Sundried Tomato and Feta Salad with Chicken
    Sundried Tomato and Feta Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken

    Photography fails galore with this post.  Jeremy was home during the day so I tried…

Home / Recipes / Barley Salad with a Garlic Lemon Dressing

Barley Salad with a Garlic Lemon Dressing

Meatless, Recipes, Salad

Barley Salad with a Lemon Garlic Dressing
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This barley salad has a delightfully unique texture, and when drizzled with its garlic lemon dressing, snaps you into spring with a fresh finish of crispy veggies.

What makes the best chocolate chips cookies?

You might think of having high quality ingredients or the right mix of ingredients, but the real answer is…

Texture!

A crisp, overbaked crumbly cookie is worthless, in my opinion.

A soft and chew chocolate chip cookie? Divine!

So… what do cookies and salads have in common?

Texture!

I used to make this salad with couscous, but I realized I could make it even better by using barley instead!

Have you ever cooked barley? It has the most incredible texture! It’s soft, yet chewy at the same time… just like chocolate chip cookies! (I know you came here for a salad recipe, but in case I have you craving cookies by now, I do have a recipe for the BEST chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever tasted! They’re gluten free to boot!)

LEARN HOW TO MAKE THIS BARLEY SALAD:

more about this barley salad

This barley salad SCREAMS spring time! At least that’s what anything with radishes is telling me! And with all the fresh veggies, herbs, and the light zippy dressing, it has me dancing around the room, all excited about the snow melting and the thermometer rising… such a wonderful prelude to the real fun when summer begins!

why this barley salad is a smart choice

Barley is one of my favourite high fibre swaps. It has 2.6 times the fibre of couscous (pasta)! That extra fibre is important. Many people do not eat enough fibre. Fibre helps to slowdown the speed at which your body breaks down and absorbs carbs. The slower the speed of digestion, the longer lasting the energy and satiety of a meal!

Compounding this effect, the dressing has vinegar! Vinegar also helps to slowdown the breakdown and absorption of carbs.

Then, of course, there are all the veggies! Each serving of this salad will give you nearly one serving of vegetables.

Barley Salad with a Lemon Garlic Dressing

If you give this recipe a go, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram!  I’d love to see your creations! Knowing someone has enjoyed one of my recipes always makes my day brighter.  

Barley Salad with a Lemon Garlic Dressing
5 from 3 votes

barley salad with a garlic lemon dressing

Print Recipe
An easy summer salad using fresh garden veggies and herbs
12

Ingredients

Salad

  • 2 cups uncooked pot barley
  • 2 carrots shredded
  • ½ cucumber chopped
  • 3 stalks celery chopped
  • 3 large radishes chopped
  • ½ cup chopped red onion
  • 1 bunch of parsley chopped
  • ½ cup feta crumbled

Dressing

  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp vinegar
  • 4 large cloves garlic crushed or minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp sugar

Instructions

  • Cook the barley according to your package’s directions.
  • Meanwhile, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
  • Pour the dressing over the barley once it has finished cooking. Stir to combine.
  • Place in fridge to cool.
  • Prepare the rest of the salad ingredients and add to the barley once it has cooled.
Servings: 12
Calories:
Author: Jessica Penner, RD

Calories:  271| Fat: 16g | Carbs: 28g | Fibre: 6.5g | Sugar: 2g | Protein: 5.5g

[share title=”Share This Article” facebook=”true” twitter=”true” google_plus=”true” linkedin=”true” pinterest=”true” reddit=”true” email=”true”]

April 25, 2018 · 6 Comments

Previous Post: « Sprouted Bread Recipe – herbed lentil sourdough bread
Next Post: Breakfast Banana Split – healthy, decadent, easy! »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Ashley Hosier says

    June 14, 2022 at 8:44 pm

    5 stars
    So, so good. I tried this with Faro, as I wanted to use it up, and it was delicious. Barley would be great too. Love the mix of veggies and the dressing. Will be on our regular rotation.

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      January 10, 2023 at 10:51 am

      Sounds like a great way to use the farro! Glad you’re enjoying the recipe!

      Reply
  2. Cheryl says

    January 2, 2020 at 10:53 pm

    5 stars
    Very tasty. I love a crunchy lemony and light salad.

    Reply
  3. Keira says

    August 27, 2019 at 8:42 pm

    I normally omit raw onions and raw radishes from any salad but this is an exception! I don’t know if it’s the combo of flavours and textures but we love this salad WITH those ingredients! Also this time (third time) I threw in a little minced fennel bulb since I got some in a CSA and didn’t know what to do with it. It’s lovely too!

    Reply
  4. Jocelyn Shott says

    June 30, 2018 at 9:03 pm

    5 stars
    This salad is sooo good. I wasn’t sure how my husband would feel about it but we both love it so much! We’ve made it several times and taken it to different potlucks, with many people raving about it. Thanks for another great recipe Jessica!!

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      July 5, 2018 at 9:03 am

      Thanks for the review! Glad to hear it’s been received so well by your family and friends!

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

  • Recipes
  • Wellness
  • Meal Planning
Smart Nutrition with Jessica Penner, RD

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Categories

  • Recipes
  • Privacy and Disclosure Policies