Name: Barley with Eggs and Spinach
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to cooks the eggs; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I use a garlic press); 1 tablespoon tomato paste; ½ teaspoon ground coriander (or cumin, curry powder or your favorite spice); 1/4 cup water; 2 to 3 cups cooked barley; 1 to 2 large handfuls baby spinach; 2 to 4 eggs (depending on how much you like eggs); ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

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Barley with Eggs and Spinach is a quick, healthy dinner made with garlicky barley, baby spinach and soft, creamy eggs.

We all need recipes like this one, that come together quickly on the fly. Barley with eggs and spinach can be a main course or a side dish, a dish you can serve your whole family, or maybe something just for the adults when the kids are eating grilled cheese.

I love this quick dinner because it has interesting flavors and healthy ingredients that are satisfying and filling. You can also change it around, depending on what you like and what you have on hand.

Ingredients & Instructions

This recipe has just 7 ingredients

Cooked barley
Olive oil
Garlic
Coriander (or cumin, or curry powder, or your favorite spice)
Tomato paste
Baby spinach
Eggs

ingredients: barley, spinach. olive oil, tomato paste, coriander and eggs

Barley with eggs and spinach comes together in just under 10 minutes! It's something you can make with a toddler wrapped around you leg or a baby on your hip (as long as you can crack eggs with one hand).

skillet with olive oil, garlic, tomato paste and coriander — 1. Saute olive oil, garlic, tomato paste and coriander

saute pan with cooked barley and tomato paste — 1. Saute olive oil, garlic, tomato paste and coriander

Variations and Add-ins

This is also the type of meal that inspires many similar meals. You can add more flavor or change up this recipe in many different ways.

Cheese - Oh, yes! I love this dish with melted cheddar on top. Put thin slices on top (or sprinkle your favorite grated cheese ) and melt for a few minutes under the broiler. Also delicious with crumbles of feta or cotija.
More veggies - Frozen corn, leftover roasted vegetables, sauteed zucchini and onions, cooked sweet potatoes....all delicious!
Add meat - Leftover cooked chicken or pork, ground meat, sausage
Tofu - cook separately then add it to the pan (like easy weeknight tofu)
Beans - any kind, homemade or from a can
Sliced jalapeno - or other hot pepper
Fresh herbs
Your favorite condiment - harissa, kimchi, gojuchang, pesto

How to Cook Barley

The one catch with this recipe is that you'll needs a few cups of cooked barley (or farro) that are ready to go.

This guide for How to Cook Barley in your Instant Pot will make the task painless.

I've gotten into the semi-regular habit of keeping a cooked whole grain in the fridge each week. It makes it much easier to pack a quick lunch or throw a simple dinner together. I suppose you could call this meal prepping, but it feels less premeditated than that. Putting a batch of barley on to cook is a task like throwing in a load of laundry or washing dishes. You don't set aside time to do it; you just do it.

Also, I LOVE quick -cooking barley and farro. Such a convenient short-cut! It cooks in just 10 minutes in boiling water. Look for quick-cooking barley or farro at your grocery store (I find it at Trader Joe's).

raw, uncooked barley spread out on a white tabletop — Uncooked Dried Barley

More Barley & Farro Recipes

More Fast, Healthy Recipes

Barley with Eggs and Spinach

Author: Jenny Meier | Kitchen Skip blog
Prep Time: 5
Cook Time: 10
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 side dish servings 1x
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

Barley with Eggs and Spinach is a quick, healthy dinner made with garlicky barley, baby spinach and soft, creamy eggs. I also love adding cheese!

(You'll need cooked barley for this recipe)

Ingredients

Scale

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to cooks the eggs
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I use a garlic press)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon ground coriander (or cumin, curry powder or your favorite spice)
¼ cup water
2 to 3 cups cooked barley
1 to 2 large handfuls baby spinach
2 to 4 eggs (depending on how much you like eggs)
¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Instructions

Saute olive oil, garlic, tomato paste and coriander (or another spice), in a wide skillet over medium heat. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring almost constantly. You want the garlic and tomato paste to be lightly cooked without browning or sticking to the pan.
Add water and stir to blend until smooth. Simmer for 30 seconds or so.
Add cooked barley. Mix well with the tomato paste. Saute the barley for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. The color will darken and the tomato paste will thicken and stick to the barley. Add salt to taste.
Add spinach. Turn heat to medium low. Cook until the spinach is wilted to your liking.
Push the barley to one side of the skillet. Drizzle more olive oil (a tablespoon or two) on the empty side of the skillet.
Add eggs to the empty olive oil side of the skillet. Cook the eggs until done to your liking. I break the yolks, but I don’t really scramble the eggs. I cook the eggs only briefly, so the yolks are still runny. You can do this too, or completely scramble and cook the eggs. Or, you could also make fried eggs.
Combine the eggs with the barley and spinach. Read the blog post above for a list of additional toppings (liked melted cheese or fresh herbs)

Notes

This sort of combination - grain, greens and eggs - can be made with any type of cooked grain. Try farro or quinoa.

I keep a tube of tomato paste in the refrigerator, for recipes that only require a tablespoon or two.

Category: 30 Minute Meals
Method: Saute
Cuisine: American

Keywords: barley, farro, whole grains, grain bowl

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