Egyptian Barley Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
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Inspired by the flavors of Egypt, this gorgeous barley salad is adorned with feta, scallions, pistachios, raisins and pomegranate seeds.
Modestly adapted from The Complete Make-Ahead Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen, this Middle Eastern barley salad incorporates crunchy pistachios, tangy pomegranate molasses, earthy spices, and sweet golden raisins. Salty feta, scallions, and juicy pomegranate seeds adorn the top of the dish, making a gorgeous composed salad with lively flavors and textures. It’s a wonderful dish to keep in the fridge for healthy lunches, and it also makes a festive-looking potluck dish for the holidays.
What You’ll Need To Make Egyptian Barley Salad
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by cooking the barley. In order for the grains to remain distinct, rather than cohesive as in a pilaf, America’s Test Kitchen uses the “pasta method” to boil the barley.
Drain the barley, then spread it on a rimmed baking sheet to cool.
Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, cumin, and salt. (Note that pomegranate molasses is sold at some large grocers, Whole Foods, or Middle Eastern markets. You can also buy it online.)
Toss with the cooled barley, cilantro, raisins, and pistachios.
Spread the barley salad evenly onto a serving platter and arrange feta, scallions, and pomegranate seeds in diagonal rows on top. Drizzle with extra olive oil and serve.
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Egyptian Barley Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
Inspired by the flavors of Egypt, this gorgeous barley salad is adorned with feta, scallions, pistachios, raisins and pomegranate seeds.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups pearl barley (do not substitute hulled barley or hull-less barley)
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 2½ tablespoons pomegranate molasses (see note)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (parsley may be substituted)
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup unsalted shelled pistachios or walnuts, chopped coarse
- 4 oz feta cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
- ½ cup scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced (you'll need 4 to 6 scallions)
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add barley and 1 tablespoon salt, return to boil, and cook until tender, about 45 minutes, or according to package instructions. Drain barley, spread onto rimmed baking sheet, and let cool completely, about 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, cumin, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Add the barley, cilantro, raisins, and pistachios (or walnuts) and gently toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread barley salad evenly on serving platter and arrange feta, scallions, and pomegranate seeds in separate diagonal rows on top. Drizzle with extra oil and serve.
- Make Ahead: The cooked barley and vinaigrette can be refrigerated separately for up to 3 days. To serve, bring barley and vinaigrette to room temperature, whisk vinaigrette to recombine, and continue with step 3, seasoning to taste as necessary. Dressed salad can be held up to 2 hours at room temperature before serving.
- Note: Pomegranate molasses is sold at some large grocers, Whole Foods or Middle Eastern markets. You can also buy it online.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 326
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Sugar: 15 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Sodium: 212 mg
- Cholesterol: 13 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I’ll make this over and over again, Yummy!
Just made barley as part of my Thanksgiving contribution instead of stuffing. Great recipe. Thanks
What would you pair this with?
Hi Lee Ann, In staying with the Middle Eastern theme, this would be nice paired with my Falafel or these Zucchini Fritters.
Amazing! Slam dunk as usual. I used balsamic reduction and it worked out just fine. Thanks!!
I love your website. I get so many wonderful recipes… I made this tonight but I made a few exchanges. I used Farro instead of barley and goat cheese instead of feta. I also added one more tablespoon of oil as well as a teaspoon of honey. The results were delicious.
Thank you, Susan! 💜 So glad you loved the salad.
This salad is amazing. I forgot to pick up cilantro so just added more coriander. I could eat it for three meals a day! So nutritious as well!
Amazing middle eastern medley meal! The pomegranate molasses adds so much flavor to the well-balanced dressing. The bits of raisin and pomegranate seeds burst with flavor as you eat one spoonful after another. I personally don’t do dairy or oil and was easily able to convert this recipe to that by using a vegetable stock instead of oil and used tofu cubes baked with nutritional yeast and onion salt for the feta. But I actually preferred to skip the tofu/feta and just eat the grain. I like to add a bean, so considered french lentils for my next attempt at this recipe. The pomegranate molasses was not available in my neighborhood, but it was easy to make by reducing pomegranate juice on the stove top. I also thought of adding dried barberries or red currents instead of the raisins. This is going to be one of my stables with many expressions depending what is in the fridge. Very elegant for Christmas with the red/green combo. Thank you so much Jenn for this amazing recipe and sharing your inspirations with all of us. Happy Holiday cooking!
Hello! This recipe looks fabulous, but I really don’t want to buy pomegranate molasses just to try it. Is there a adequate substitution, or should I leave it out?
You could try a balsamic glaze but you might need to reduce the sugar in the recipe. Please lmk how it turns out if you try it!
I’m allergic to gluten. Could this be done with a gluten free grain like rice or quinoa? What would you recommend?
Sure, Lisa. I’d probably go with a wild rice blend. Please LMK how it turns out!
I eat a vegan diet. Would you recommend just leaving the feta out, or is there something else you might add as a substitute?
Hi, you could replace the feta with a combination of chickpeas (for their creaminess) and either olives or capers (or both!) for their salty/briny flavor. I’d love to hear how it turns out!