Barley Risotto with Caramelized Onions, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Mushrooms

I’ve eaten a lot of food that can fairly be categorized as good for you, but that was not actually satisfying, like it was just missing any sort of depth. I’ve also eaten a lot of food that was incredibly tasty, but was also not really, genuinely satisfying, like it was all fluff and no real substance.

Once in a while, I eat something that gave my body proper nutrition while also giving my soul something to rejoice. I realized this past week that foods like this, the ones that I know are good for me but also feel elated to be eating are genuinely, truly nourishing. And that’s what I want to eat more of…genuinely, truly nourishing meals, like this Barley Risotto with Caramelized Onions, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Mushrooms, which, if you serve it up with an arugula salad topped with Lemon, Manuka Honey and Fresh Herb Salad Dressing will leave you feeling deeply nourished.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried pearled barley
• 3 cups broth or water with bullion
• 1 tbs grass fed ghee or butter (use extra virgin olive oil if you want to go vegan)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
• 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 15 ounce can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
• 8 ounces baby spinach
• 1/4-1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese (optional, so if you want to go vegan you can skip it and add in some nooch)

1. Bring the broth/water and bullion to a boil in a medium saucepan, stir in barley, reduce to a low simmer, cover, and cook until done, about 50 minutes. I started checking mine at about 40 minutes to make sure I didn’t burn it. When it’s done, cover, turn the heat off, and set it aside. (If you’ve got another way you prefer to cook the barley, like in an instant pot or rice cooker, have at. I’m not the boss of you.)
2. Heat the ghee, butter, or oil in a large skillet. When it’s warm (and melted for the ghee or butter), add the onion and caramelized them. If you don’t know how that’s done: Cook them slowly over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until golden. You can add a 1-2 tablespoons of water once in a while if the onions are sticking to the pan. This not only helps unstick the onions, but it also deglazes the pan, getting those browned bits of goodness off the pan and into your dish. This process should take 5-10 minutes.
3. When the onions are caramelized, turn the heat up to medium-high, add the garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds…just until you can start to smell the garlic.
4. Add in the sliced mushrooms and thyme. At this point, I hit them with a little salt and pepper, which helps those mushrooms cook. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are cooked through.
5. Add in the sun-dried tomatoes and cooked barley, stirring until heated well through.
6. When that’s all nice and hot, stir in the beans carefully because we don’t want mushy broken up beans, and give it about a minute to get hot again, and then add in the spinach. We want to stir that spinach in gently and cook it just until it’s wilted, but still bright green.
7. Remove from heat, stir in the cheese, and serve with a salad.