
A creamy risotto - made with barley rather than rice and topped with a variety of mushrooms.
Serves
4
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
40 minutes
Each 246g serving contains
KCal
317
Carbs
56.9g
Fibre
2.4g
Protein
8.7g
Fat
5.5g
Saturates
0.70g
Sugars
5.0g
Salt
0.21g
Portion Fruit & Veg
2
Ingredients
Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
400g mixed mushrooms, sliced
1 onion (140g), chopped
1 red pepper (160g), chopped
250g pearl barley
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 heaped tsp dried oregano
2 good pinches white pepper
1 low-salt vegetable stock cube in 700ml boiling water
I heaped tbsp chopped fresh basil and more to serve
4 tbsp oat/soya-based cream alternative
good grind black pepper
Method
- Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan, add the onion and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the red pepper and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Reserve a few mushrooms and set aside to garnish the dish.
- Stir in the barley, add the stock, oregano and pepper, then mix well. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, add a lid and simmer, stirring regularly.
- After about 25 minutes, remove the lid and continue simmering for around 10 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and any excess is boiled off.
- The barley should be cooked but still firm ('al dente').
- Stir through the cream alternative and the fresh basil, then serve with freshly ground black pepper, sprinkled with the reserved basil and mushrooms.
Chefs tips
- Any mushrooms work for this dish but a combination of different types is ideal. You can buy mixed packs of wild mushrooms at most supermarkets, then bulk them up with a pack of basic mushrooms.
- Suitable for freezing once cooked. Chill quickly. Defrost in the fridge and reheat thoroughly until piping-hot throughout.
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