Barley with eggs and spinach is a quick, healthy barley recipe made with garlicky barley, baby spinach and soft, creamy eggs.
Barley with eggs and spinach can be a main course or it can be served as a side dish. This simple recipe is a flavorful way to use up leftover grains (if not barley, then try farro or quinoa).
I love serving barley and eggs as a quick dinner because it has interesting flavors and healthy ingredients that are satisfying and filling. It's also great for breakfast!
Ingredients & Variations
You can add more flavor to this dish or change up this recipe to use up leftovers in your kitchen.
- Cheese - I love this dish with melted cheddar on top. Sprinkle grated cheese over the finished dish and let it melt for a few minutes with a lid. Also delicious with crumbles of feta!
- More veggies - Frozen corn, leftover roasted vegetables or sauteed zucchini...all delicious!
- Add meat - Warm up leftover cooked chicken or pork, ground meat or sausage in the pan with the barley.
- Tofu - Cook tofu separately then add it to the pan (like easy weeknight tofu)
- Beans - Add any kind of canned bean, like chickpeas or white beans.
- Sliced jalapeno - Or other hot peppers for heat.
- Fresh herbs - Try parsley, basil or cilantro.
How to Cook Barley
The one catch with this recipe is that you'll need a few cups of cooked barley that are ready to go. This guide for How to Cook Barley in your Instant Pot will make the task painless. You can also make this recipe with Instant Pot farro or Instant Pot quinoa.
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).
Uncooked barley
Cooked barley
Step-by-Step Photos
For detailed instructions & ingredient amounts, see the recipe card at the end of the post.
Step 1: Saute garlic, tomato paste and coriander in olive oil for about 2 minutes.
Step 2: Add water, then add cooked barley and warm up the barley for about 3 minutes.
Step 3: Add baby spinach. Cook until just wilted.
Step 4: Push the barley and spinach to one side of the pan, then add eggs and cook to your liking.
More Barley & Farro Recipes
📖 Recipe
Barley with Eggs and Spinach
Barley with Eggs and Spinach is a quick, healthy dinner made with garlicky barley, baby spinach and soft, creamy eggs.
Note: You'll need cooked barley for this recipe. Follow this barley recipe to make barley in your Instant Pot or on the stove top.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 side dish servings or 2 main dish servings 1x
- Category: Quick and Easy
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 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)
- 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 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 ¼ cup water and stir to blend until smooth. Simmer for 30 seconds or so.
- Add the cooked barley. Mix well with the tomato paste. Warm the barley for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste.
- Add spinach. Turn heat to medium low. Cook until the spinach is wilted to your liking.
- Push the barley and spinach to one side of the skillet. Drizzle more olive oil (a tablespoon or two) on the empty side of the skillet.
- Cook the eggs in the olive oil on the empty side of the skillet. I like to break the yolks, but not scramble the eggs, so they turn out like soft, runny fried eggs. You can choose to follow my method, or make scrambled eggs or fried eggs - your choice!
- Serve the eggs with the barley and spinach.
Notes
This sort of combination - grain, spinach and eggs - can be made with any type of cooked grain. Try farro or quinoa instead of barley.
I keep a tube of tomato paste in the refrigerator, for recipes that only require a tablespoon or two.
You can substitute cumin or curry powder for the coriander.
DriftlessWI
Thanks for my new fav breakfast. The barley really keeps you full. I upped the spinach quite a bit. Love it.
Jen
Easy and healthy!