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Mushroom Barley Risotto (vegetarian)

by - edited

Happy 1st Day of Fall!

I had reached out on Facebook for recipe ideas to cook without a kitchen and my friend Holly came up with this one. She used a skillet for the first part of the recipe, but I am going to try it in the microwave. The rest of the recipe is in a crockpot so that is easy! Yummy and perfect for the fall cooler weather. Keep the recipe ideas coming.. I won’t have a working kitchen for a few more weeks!

Mushroom Barley Risotto Pic 2.jpg

Mushroom Barley Risotto (vegetarian)

2-1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
1-1/2 cups pearl barley
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
8 ounces carrots, finely chopped
4 cups vegetable broth (divided – 3 cups for cooking, 1 cup to add after cooking)
1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (2/3 cup)
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
Dried parsley for garnish

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned (about 5 minutes). Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until just a bit brown, but not shrunken completely, about 2 minutes. Stir in the barley and thyme leaves and cook, stirring, until the barley is just golden, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker and add the carrots, broth, 1 1/2 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook on high, about 3 hours. All the liquid will be absorbed.

Stir in the Parmesan and vinegar. Thin out the risotto with rest of broth (1 cup) and stir well. Top with dried parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Barley Risotto Pic 1.jpg