Caramelized Onion, Barley and Bella Casserole
8 servings
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 medium onions thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 6 cups sliced baby portabella mushrooms three 8-oz packages
- 1½ cups uncooked pearl barley
- 1 medium red bell pepper chopped (1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ¾ cup shredded Swiss cheese 3 oz
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Spray 13×9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
- In 5-quart Dutch oven, melt butter over low heat.
- Add onions and sugar; cook about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden brown.
- Add garlic and mushrooms; cook 5 to 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
- Add barley; cook 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat; stir in bell pepper, parsley, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and thyme.
- Pour into baking dish.
- In microwavable bowl, microwave broth uncovered on High 4 minutes.
- Pour broth over onion-mushroom mixture.
- Cover with foil.
- Bake 1 hour.
- Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
- Sprinkle with cheese.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
Mushrooms add an earthy flavor to this dish. Feel free to use any variety of mushrooms, substituting them for the baby portabella mushrooms suggested in this recipe. Button mushrooms are readily available and offer a mild flavor, while wild mushrooms, such as enoki or shiitake, offer a richer flavor. In a taste panel, we thought this was reminiscent of the flavors of French Onion Soup, with the added meatiness of the mushrooms, in a delicious casserole.
Nutritional Information
Calories: 280 kcal