Effortless Barley & Mushroom Whole Grain Risotto

Barley makes a delicious, satisfying whole-grain risotto, and the slow cooker makes it effortless. Store-bought vegetable broth is usually flavoured with onions and tomato, which add depth. If your slow cooker has a sauté function, use it for the mushrooms.

Photo Credit: Ryan Szulc

Servings	Prep Time	Cook Time
6servings	20minutes	4 1/2hours

Servings	Prep Time
6servings	20minutes

Cook Time

4 1/2hours

• Course Dinner, Lunch
• Cuisine Side Dishes, Vegetables

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 6 cups cremini mushrooms sliced
• 1 1/2 cups pot barley
• 900 ml vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese freshly grated
• 2 to 4 tbsp 35% cream (optional)

Servings: servings

Units:MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients 2 tbsp butter 6 cups cremini mushrooms sliced 1 1/2 cups pot barley 900 ml vegetable broth 1/2 cup white wine 1 cup water 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp dried thyme 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese freshly grated 2 to 4 tbsp 35% cream (optional) Servings: servings Units:MetricUS Imperial

Course Dinner, Lunch Cuisine Side Dishes, Vegetables

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a slow cooker, reserving ⅓ of the mushrooms for garnish.  
2. Add barley, broth, wine, water, salt and thyme to slow cooker. Stir well for about 1 minute; cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours.  
3. Stir in cheese, cream and reserved mushrooms.

Recipe Notes

Nutrients per serving (not including cream): 209 calories, 8 g protein, 6 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 30 g carbs (6 g fibre), 13 mg cholesterol, 511 mg sodium

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