Tomato, chickpea and barley salad

Vibrant pops of tomatoes are a sweet and juicy contrast to chickpeas and barley in this vegetarian recipe.

Serves: 6 (as a side)

Time to make: 50 mins

Hands-on time: 15 mins

Ingredients

1 cup pearl barley
juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ cup tahini
400g can chickpeagarbanzoXsgarbanzosX, drained, rinsed
400g mixed tomatoes, large ones halved or quartered
100g baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, toasted, to serve
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, toasted, to serve

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Instructions

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1 Place barley in a saucepan and cover with water. Cover pan with lid and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until just tender. Drain.

2 Meanwhile, put 2 tablespoons lemon juice, oil and garlic in a screw-top jar. Shake well and set aside. In another screw-top jar, place tahini, ¼ cup lemon juice and two tablespoons water. Shake well to combine. Consistency should be not too runny and not too thick.

3 Transfer cooked barley to a large mixing bowl. Add chickpeas, then pour over garlic dressing, tossing gently to combine. Add tomatoes and half the spinach leaves, stirring gently to combine. Spread remaining spinach over base of serving bowl. Top with barley salad, then drizzle over tahini dressing. Serve scattered with toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 316 cal

Kilojoules 1329 kJ

Protein 8.4 g

Total fat 17 g

Saturated fat 2.4 g

Carbohydrates 26 g

Sugar 11 g

Dietary fibre 13.1 g

Sodium 97 mg

Calcium 114 mg

Iron 3.3 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.

First published: Jul 2021

2 comments on Tomato, chickpea and barley salad

Angela Rosie October 2, 2021 at 11:09 pm #

Could you use rice if needing to make it gluten free? Any other suggestions?

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- Jen deMontalk November 3, 2021 at 1:58 pm #
  
  Hi Angela
  Thanks for your question. yes, rice would work fine for this recipe. I would go for brown or red rice, for better texture.
  
  Warm regards
  Jenny, editor
  
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