Juicy and sweet roasted beetroots, earthy barley, salty feta, robust arugula, and aromatic balsamic vinegar combined in this Roasted Beetroot Barley Feta Salad.
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Roasted Beetroot Barley Feta Salad
The original post was published in April 2015 and then updated in 2018. I have uploaded new photos again, but the recipe and blogpost remain unchanged.
It may hard to believe, but we generally eat quite healthy. Most of our meals are salads as the main course. We don’t eat that much meat. We often have poultry, once in a while beef, and almost never pork. We’ve substituted regular bacon for chicken one.
We eat lots of veggies too.
We don’t eat out basically because it’s difficult to control what do you consume. And because being quite an experienced home chef, it’s extremely difficult to be pleased with the food you are served. We are kind of picky guys.
However, we’ve got a real issue preventing us from saying we eat healthily. We both got a sweet tooth. I mean that. I may not cook anything for a dessert, but during our weekend grocery shopping we will definitely end up buying a gigantic box of ice cream and probably something else like chocolate.
Yes, chocolate and ice cream are out weaknesses.
Plus, almost all desserts are awesome too cook, and usually, they are super photogenic. Real food is fine too, but it’s often kind of routine.
On the other hand, for the last 1,5 years, we’ve been going to the gym which helps us to balance this out. Indeed, what’s the point of going to the gym if you are not able to pamper yourself with something outrageously unhealthy, right?
Roasted Beetroot Barley Feta Salad
That’s why this blog is about lots of desserts, but I am trying to do my best introducing the healthy content as well. So, today this post is about a salad, healthy and delicious.
Since our salads most of the time are the main courses, I often add some nutritious ingredients such as poultry, beans, quinoa, couscous, cheese, nuts, and many others. This time I incorporated barley – it worked great with the beets! By the way, I used to cook beets in boiling water, but for the last few years, I’ve only been roasting them. This way is perfect. It keeps beets delicious and juicy and preserves their gorgeous color. In addition, it’s a fast way too.
Great! While writing this post, I’ve got hungry again…:)
What about you guys? What do you usually add to your salads?
Roasted Beetroot Barley Feta Salad
Course: Salads, Main2-4
servings10
minutes40
minutes1
hourJuicy and sweet roasted beetroots, earthy barley, salty feta, robust arugula, and aromatic balsamic vinegar combined in this Roasted Beetroot Barley Feta Salad.
Ingredients
3 medium beets, washed, dried and unpeeled
olive oil, for roasting beets
salt and pepper, for roasting beets
1/3 cup (65-70 g) uncooked pot barley or pearl barley
1/3 cup (50 g) feta, crumbled
2 large handfuls of arugula
1 tbsp. (15 ml.) extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tsp. (5-10 g.) balsamic vinegar
a pinch of salt
black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Place each beet on a piece of foil. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the beets in the foil, preferably in a double layer. Place the beets on a baking sheet, and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, or until fork-tender. The timing will depend on the size and freshness of the beets.
- Remove the beets from the oven, remove the foil, and set aside to cool. Then peel and slice or cube.
- In the meanwhile, cook the barley in salted water as recommended on the package. The cooking time depends on the type of barley. It usually takes about 25-30 minutes to cook pearl barley and about 10-15 minutes to cook pot barley. Once ready, drain and cool for 10-15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, prepare the simple dressing by whisking the vinegar with the oil, salt and pepper.
- In a larger bowl, combine the barley, beets, arugula, and dressing. Try and season more, if needed.
- Sprinkle with the feta and serve.
Notes
- Pot barley and pearl barley are both equally delicious, but pot barley is less process and is slightly more nutritious. It takes 10 to 15 minutes longer to cook the pot barley.
Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.
I’m glad you reposted this one, Ben. I’ve been really craving salad lately. And while I love a good ‘classic’ salad topped with blue cheese (and bacon!), I love to mix things up and go with different toppings. The beets + feta sound tasty, and I would never have thought about putting barley on a salad. Great idea, my friend!
You’re combine a whole lot of my favorites in this salad! Yes, I actually have been known to eat veggies rather than cake every so often :). Beets, barley, and feta are three of my very favorite ingredients so I just know I’d adore this!
Ben – I’m so with you on the “eat your veggies” + “sweet tooth” mentality. I love a great salad, but usually it should be followed by something sweet. I love to put sweet potatoes in a salad, they add some sweet and savory and OOOMMPPHHH! Also I’ve discovered farro is a great grain to serve in a bowl with salad! Love a good roasted beet, too!