Barley with Green Beans Parmesan. Vegetarian delight. Less than an hour to make this filling, scrumptious meal.
Barley Green Beans Parmesan, tasty & diabetic friendly
Barley with Green Beans Parmesan, a diabetic-friendly meal.
Hi. It's Lois at Recipe Idea Shop. letting you in on a little secret while also giving you a delicious recipe for Barley with Green Beans Parmesan.
I am a Type 2 Diabetic. I've discovered that if I eat mostly vegetarian meals, I can better maintain my blood sugar. Who knew? Over the weekend I did some research into the Eat Right for Your Blood Type diet (affiliate link). I am blood type A (which should eat mostly vegetarian meals); my husband is blood type O (and he needs to eat beef).
The recommendations for my blood type do not often overlap with Don's blood type recommendations. But since he is very healthy and has no health issues, my needs supersede his. 🙂 Type O should not eat barley, but Type A can eat barley, and this is a grain that I really like.
So sometimes I make Barley with Green Beans Parmesan to accompany grilled salmon. I am not supposed to eat cheese, but I put it in anyway. I use Pecorino Romano, which is a stronger flavored, sheep's cheese similar to Parmesan. The meal was very tasty and satisfying.
Recipe Development
This recipe is from my Superfoods cookbook (affiliate link) by Dolores Riccio. I love this cookbook. The recipes in it are always delicious. This one was no exception. Barley with Green Beans Parmesan is a Blood Type A recipe only if you eliminate the cheese, though. And that would make it vegan.
FYI barley is not gluten free. However, although I am sensitive to gluten, I am able to eat barley without any problems. Can you eat it if you are highly sensitive to gluten? I don't recommend it. Check with your doctor or nutritionist.
What You Need
For this recipe, you need knives, a cutting board, measuring cups and spoons, and a set of good pots. Buy the best you can afford and you'll never be sorry. If you can include the cheese, I highly recommend Pecorino Romano cheese. Yum!
Barley with Green Beans Parmesan Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup pearl barley rinsed and drained
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 10 ounces fresh or frozen green beans trimmed, sliced and steamed to tender crisp
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts toasted
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add 1 quart of water and the salt.
- Bring the water to a boil and add the barley.
- Reduce the heat to medium high and continue to boil the barley until the grains are tender but not mushy (about 35 minutes).
- Drain, but reserve a few tablespoons of the liquid in case you need to add it at the end to reheat the dish.
- Heat the oil in a skillet or saucepan.
- Sauté the onion in the oil until softened.
- Add the spices (oregano, basil, pepper) and stir.
- Add the green beans and barley and stir to combine.
- Toast the pine nuts under your broiler or in a dry skillet on the stove. Watch them carefully and remove them when they first start to turn a little brown. They burn easily!
- Add the parsley, toasted pine nuts and cheese to the casserole and stir to combine.
- Heat over medium heat a minute or two and serve hot immediately.[
Kristin
This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe 🙂
Lois
Thanks, Kristin. It was delicious. I hope you try it.
Kristin
This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing your recipe 🙂
Lois
Thanks, Kristin. It was delicious. I hope you try it.
Alicia J.
I want to make this for dinner tonight. But I'd like to add leftover rotisserie chicken to make it more of a casserole/one dish meal. Has anyone tried that yet? Would love your help. Thanks.
Lois
Alicia,
I have not tried it, but I think you would have to add the chicken at the end, mixing it in just before serving. Otherwise your chicken, which has already been cooked, would end up being dry. Personally, I would serve the chicken warmed up alongside the barley dish. What do you think of that idea?
Jj
Perfect combination of flavors and textures