Scrumptious Butternut Barley Bean Pilaf Dish

I sympathize with barely. It seems that barley is misunderstood! (Haha. Who doesn't have those moments?! I think we can all sympathize with barley!!) I personally love barley. I need to start cooking with it more often. (And so should you!!) I (very unfortunately) don't know many people who would scream at the top of their lungs "I LOVE BARLEY!" (However, I might just have to give it a try.) :)

Going with my Autumn theme, I wanted to give my hand at another winter squash recipe. I think you'll also find this a tasty dish- and this one's quick too!!

Butternut Barley Bean Pilaf Recipe:

(Original Recipe found here!)

Serves 7-8

Preparation 15-20 minutes

Cooking time (unsupervised) 45-60 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion chopped

21oz vegetable broth + 8 oz water

1 cup pearl barley

2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

1 can cannellini beans

1 tbsp dry cilantro

1 tbsp dry parsley

3 cloves garlic

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare vegetables. (Hint- buy pre-peeled and cubed butternut squash. Saves so much time and effort!!)

2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.

3. Add onion. Stir often until onions soften/turn translucent approximately 2-3 minutes.

4. Add broth, water, barely, beans, and squash. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until most of liquid has been absorbed approximately 45-60 minutes.

5. Add parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix gently. Turn off heat. Allow to sit a few minutes.

6. Serve and enjoy!!

Side note: The amount of vegetable broth might seem obscure. I did not use broth from a can (Noooo BPA!!); I used it from a 32oz cardboard container. Therefore, I experimented with the amounts of liquid (broth vs water) to use. Lucky for me, I had extra vegetable broth to put into another recipe!! :) Almost any variation will do! Give it a try! Happy cooking!