Baked Barley and Mushrooms

Baked Barley and Mushrooms

Adapted from And Baby Cakes Three

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup barley
• 2 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth, simmering
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese (optional)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the butter and olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Once the butter has melted, saute the onions and mushrooms until tender, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.  Add the barley and salt and stir so that it gets coated with the oil in the pot.  Cook the barley for a few minutes, until it gets a bit toasty, before stirring in the simmering broth.

Stir to combine, cover with a lid (or aluminum foil if your pot doesn’t have a lid) and bake for 1 hour.

After an hour, carefully remove the pot to check for doneness.  Most of the liquid should be absorbed and the barley should be just tender.  If the barley is still too hard, add additional liquid and continue to cook, covered, checking every 15 to 20 minutes.  Once the barley is done, you can cook for 10 or 15 minutes with the lid off if you have too much liquid left in your pot.

Carefully remove from the oven and stir in the grated cheese, if using, before serving.