Sure, you can cook up some barley, toss it in a big bowl with the rest of the ingredients, and call that a salad. Or, you can bake it all together as a casserole and then it actually tastes like something.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup pearled barley
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup kalamata (or other black) olives, pitted, halved
- 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 0 cup basil leaves, roughly chopped
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a microwave, kettle, or on the stovetop, boil the water. In a skillet or baking dish, stir together barley, salt, pepper, tomatoes, olives, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Pour in boiling water and stir to combine.
- Either wrap tightly with foil or place the lid on the vessel; transfer to the oven. Bake for 60 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the cover, drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with basil, and serve.
