Beet Berries Barley Salad

looking down into a white bowl filled with a colorful salad and a fork on the right side.

5 from 1 vote

Beet Berries Barley Salad

This Beet Berries Barley Salad is a hearty salad that can be served as a main dish or a salad course. It’s filled with barley, earthy beets, peppery arugula, bright strawberries, and balsamic vinegar, plus plenty of omega-3s from a full serving of walnuts per salad. The tiny bit of goat cheese goes a long way.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword barley, beets, strawberries

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 0

Total Time 15

Servings servings

Calories 459kcal

Author Debi

Ingredients

1 cup drained sliced canned beets chopped
2 teaspoons lemon juice divided use
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar divided use
2 pinches Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 cup cooked barley
2 cups packed baby arugula
½ cup strawberries trimmed and sliced
½ cup walnuts chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons soft goat cheese
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper divided, to taste

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the beets, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, and salt. Toss to coat and set aside.
Place cooked barley in a medium bowl, cover with a large plate, and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and repeat one more time if needed to warm through. Alternatively, make ½ cup dry barley according to package directions to get 1 cup cooked.
In a large bowl, combine baby arugula and warm barley, tossing until greens are slightly softened. Gently stir in beets, strawberries, and walnuts.
Divide the salad between two medium bowls. Drizzle over each bowl, the olive oil, remaining lemon juice, and remaining balsamic vinegar equally between the two bowls.
Add a teaspoon of goat cheese to each bowl, breaking off pieces between your fingers to dot the salad.
Finally, add a few grinds of fresh black pepper over each salad to taste.

Notes

You can use canned beets, precooked beets from the produce section (my choice), or steam or roast your own beets.

Always rinse and look through the barley before cooking it. Cook barley according to package directions.

Use Diamond Crystal kosher salt or substitute with half the amount of salt called for if using table salt or Morton's kosher salt. Diamond's has less sodium for the same volume of salt.

This salad holds up really well to being make ahead and storing leftovers, which makes it great for meal prep. Just keep it in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Nutrition