A fresh, vibrant vegetarian salad with summer Mediterranean flavors - This Greek barley salad is super quick, great on its own or as a side!
This easy barley tomato salad is loaded with summer flavors and healthy goodness, and will give you endless menu combinations.
Being Italian with Greek origins, summertime is when I crave Mediterranean flavors the most, and this Greek pearl barley salad has quickly become one of my favorite summer salad recipes.
The whole family loves it, and it's a fantastic option to bring to summer BBQs or picnics. As an added bonus, it comes together in a blink!
Simple Mediterranean Ingredients
For this light and easy vegetarian Greek salad with barley I used the most basic ingredients:
- cooked pearl barley
- heritage mini tomatoes (cherry tomatoes or regular tomatoes work great too)
- cucumber,
- spring onions (or red onion)
- feta cheese
- fresh herbs (I used basil and lemony thyme, but mint or oregano make also a vibrant addition)
I skipped out on the olives, but feel free to throw in some Kalamata olives.
To add a bit of heartiness and make it a well-balanced meal, I've also included barley, but couscous, farro or quinoa will work just as great.
Barley is a fabulous grain to use, is one of the cheapest ingredients around and a nutrition powerhouse.
Pearl Barley Salad In 5 Minutes
This simple Greek barley salad comes together in literally 5 minutes if you have already cooked the barley the night before.
Simply chop all the veggies and herbs, add cubed feta cheese and cooked barley, and mix until combined.
Drizzle the delicious dressing all over, and serve straight away, or store in the fridge until ready to serve. That's it!
Add a delicious 2-Minute Dressing
Don't skip the delicious and zingy lemon & honey dressing - it's so good and pairs super well with this salad.
All you need is juicy organic lemons, a drop of good-quality honey, some fruity high-quality extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and pepper.
Simply throw all ingredients into a jar and shake shake shake.
What to serve it with
Super versatile, it's perfect with any grilled or pan-seared entrees, or as a delicious meal on its own for a light lunch on-the-go.
For a balanced Mediterranean-style menu, pair it with lemon chicken skewers with yogurt dip
And finish off with a spoon or two of blueberry ricotta cheesecake!
Storage Tips
This refreshing vegetarian salad keeps super well in the fridge, I usually make a big batch that lasts about 3-4 days. Store in an airtight container to retain its freshness.
More Summer Salad Recipes To Try:
- Burrata Pasta Salad with Basil Oil
- Tuscan Panzanella Salad with Parma Ham
- Barley Pea Pesto Salad with Grana Padano and Prosciutto
- Black Rice Salad with Shrimp & Mango Salsa
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thepetitecook! Looking at your pictures always makes me smile *and super hungry*!
Barley Greek Salad
Ingredients
- 250 g pearl barley, rinsed
- 1 cucumber, peeled
- 150 g feta cheese
- 250 g mini tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes
- 3 spring onions
- a bunch of basil and thyme leaves
- sea salt & pepper, to taste
For the Lemon & Honey dressing:
- 2 tablespoon fruity extra-virgin olive oil
- juice and zest of 1 unwaxed organic lemon
- 1 teaspoon high-quality honey
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Boil the barley for about 15-20 mins in a pot of lightly salted water until tender, but still al dente.
- Transfer into a colander and cool under fresh running water, then drain well.
- While the barley cooks, prepare the remaining ingredients: chop the cucumber and feta into cubes, halve the tomatoes, slice the spring onions and mince the fresh herbs.
- For the honey & lemon dressing: simply put all the ingredients into a jar, close the lid and shake until well combined.
- Combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl and season with extra salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
Storage Tips
This refreshing vegetarian salad keeps super well in the fridge, I usually make a big batch that lasts about 3-4 days. Store in an airtight container to retain its freshness.Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This post was originally published in August 2016 and update with more helpful info.
manjirichitnis says
My mum loves barley, I must start eating more of this fabulous grain,your salad looks so summery and fresh!
Andrea says
Thank you so much Manjiri, I can only recommend barley, it's packed with nutrients and very full-filling 🙂
Natasha (@saltandlavender) says
Italian and Greek food = the best. This looks delicious and so fresh!
Andrea says
One of my favorite combos for sure! Thank you 🙂
fabfood4all says
Love your salad Andrea and don't think I've ever used barley in this way so really must:-)
Andrea says
Thank you Camilla! Give it a try, it's really tasty!
Elizabeth says
Such a great idea to use barley in a classic Greek salad like this! Love it!
cheskaaanels says
Oh yum! This looks and sounds delicious!! I make something similar with couscous!
Andrea says
Oh yes I love making the exactly same salad with couscous too,! By using a different grain you make it gluten-free in a snap!
tjlowndes says
Oh my word! That looks amazing - I will most certainly be trying it!
Andrea says
Thank you so much! It's one of my favorite things to do when I have cheesecake cravings and not feeling like being in the kitchen too much 🙂
Tamara says
I love Greek flavors too, and barley is such a great way to make a salad more filling... Great idea!
Andrea says
Thank you Tamara 🙂 It really is fullfilling and hearty, I'm totally in love with barley lately!
Tara says
Such a wonderful summer salad! Love the combination of flavors and it looks so refreshing.
Andrea says
Thank you so much Tara! It's so refreshing I could eat it for days when it's super hot out there!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Greek salad is my favourite salad ever - love the idea of bulking it out with barley! I need to use barley more often, it's so good.
Andrea says
I actually never blogged about Greek salad until now, but I eat it something like twice a week on summertime, so it was about time I shared it 😀 Hope you give it a try xx
Boastful Food says
Beautiful salad, too bad I'm allergic to barley:( I still do eat it from time to time because it's just so delicious and good for you. This looks like something I'd totally love to enjoy for lunch.
Sue/theviewfromgreatisland says
I love barley, and it's so under-used in recipes, I will definitely try this salad!