Recipe: Barley and roasted tomato risotto

Dietitian's tip: When cooked slowly, barley takes on a creamy texture like that of the short-grain arborio rice used in Italian risottos — but with a lot more fiber. Serve as a hearty side dish or light vegetarian main course.

 

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Arrange the tomatoes on a nonstick baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Toss gently to mix. Roast until the tomatoes are softened and beginning to brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Set aside 16 tomato wedges to use for a garnish.

In a saucepan, combine the vegetable stock and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and keep at a simmer.

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped shallots and saute until soft and translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the white wine, if using, and cook until most of the liquid evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the barley and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup of the stock mixture and cook until the liquid is completely absorbed, stirring occasionally. Continue stirring in the stock mixture in 1/2 cup increments, cooking each time until the liquid is absorbed before adding more, until the barley is tender, 45 to 50 minutes total. Remove from the heat and fold in the tomatoes, chopped basil, parsley, thyme and grated cheese. Add the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and stir to combine.

Divide the risotto among warmed individual shallow bowls. Garnish with the reserved roasted tomato wedges and the whole basil leaves. Using a vegetable peeler, cut a curl or two of Parmesan cheese for topping each serving.

Nutritional Analysis

(per serving)

Calories	285	Monounsaturated fat	4 g
Protein	9 g	Cholesterol	6 mg
Carbohydrate	46 g	Sodium	480 mg
Total fat	8 g	Fiber	9 g
Saturated fat	2 g

MAYO CLINIC HEALTHY WEIGHT PYRAMID SERVINGS

Vegetables	2
Carbohydrates	1
Protein and dairy	1
Fats	1

• Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid tool
• Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid: A sample menu

DIABETES MEAL PLAN EXCHANGES

Starches	2
Milk and milk products	1/2
Nonstarchy vegetables	3
Fats	1

• Your diabetes diet: Exchange lists

DASH EATING PLAN SERVINGS

Grains and grain products	2
Vegetables	1
Dairy foods (low-fat or fat-free)	1
Fats and oils	1

• DASH diet: Guide to recommended servings
• Sample menus for the DASH eating plan

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