Pearl barley, bacon and leek casserole

Name: Pearl barley, bacon and leek casserole
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: British recipes
Ingredients: A knob of butter; 1 tbsp olive oil; 250g piece bacon or pork belly, cut into pieces, 2 leeks, thickly sliced; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 300g pearl barley; 300g peeled and cubed butternut squash; 3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves; 1 litre chicken stock; 175g self-raising flour; 75g butter; 75g Cheddar, grated; 2 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

Published: 31 Jan 09
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Test kitchen approved

Pearl barley is an underrated ingredient but this easy casserole recipe with bacon and leeks will put a stop to that.

Serves 4
Takes 15 minutes to make and about 1 hour to cook

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Ingredients

A knob of butter
1 tbsp olive oil
250g piece bacon or pork belly, cut into pieces, 2 leeks, thickly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
300g pearl barley
300g peeled and cubed butternut squash
3 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 litre chicken stock
175g self-raising flour
75g butter
75g Cheddar, grated
2 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley

Method

Heat a large pan over a medium heat. Add a good knob of butter and olive oil and fry the bacon or pork belly for 5 minutes, until golden.
Add leeks and garlic cloves, and fry for a few minutes.
Add pearl barley, butternut squash, fresh thyme leaves, and chicken stock. Season. Simmer for 25 minutes until the barley is nearly tender.
In a bowl, mix self-raising flour with butter, Cheddar, chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, some seasoning and a splash of water until it forms a soft dough. Roll into walnut-size dumplings, add to the casserole and cook for a further 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Recipe from February 2009 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 918kcals
Fat: 42.5g (21g saturated)
Protein: 37g
Carbohydrates: 106.9g (5.6g sugars)
Salt: 4.8g

delicious. tips

Pearl barley is really versatile so don’t just use it for stews and casseroles – use it instead of risotto rice or even just cooked in stock and cooled and stirred into salads.

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