Baked Barley with Shiitake Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions

This barley dish is full of woodsy flavor from the mushrooms, and sweetness from the onions.

Start by melting 1 tablespoon vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 and 1/4 cups chopped onion and 1/2 tsp. raw sugar; cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring frequently - the onions should be lightly golden by the end.

Add 1 and 1/2 cups sliced button mushrooms and 1 and 1/2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps; continue to cook for 10 minutes, still stirring frequently. (The original recipe did not specify, but I left the pot uncovered from here on out). Add 3/4 cup uncooked pearl barley and cook a final 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 and 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1/8 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. black pepper, and a dash of dried thyme. Because my Dutch oven is not ovenproof, I transferred the mixture from here to a casserole dish, but skip that step if your Dutch oven can go into the stove!

Meanwhile, bring 2 cups vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan. Pour the broth over the barley mixture. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving, then spoon about 1 and 2/3 cup into each of 3 plates. Each serving is 300 calories. This dish also doubles easily! Garnish with some fresh thyme sprigs if you like, for a pretty presentation.

Cost:
onion $2.15
button mushrooms $2.79
shiitake mushrooms $3.99
vegetable broth $3.49