Autumn Salad Recipe - This barley salad recipe is a great way to make a perfect fall harvest salad side dish! Loaded with fall flavors, this great recipe for a healthy salad is sure to please everyone. The perfect balance of the earthy barley, creamy blue cheese, and crisp tart apples is my new favorite flavor combination.
The addition of micro greens to this delicious autumn salad is a great way to boost nutrients and add a great texture. Loaded with seasonal ingredients; toasted walnuts, chewy cranberries, crisp granny Smith apples, pearl barley, blue cheese, and fresh micro greens. It's tossed with the great flavor of our apple cider salad dressing. It's the ultimate fall salad for any holiday table!
Cooked grains and legumes aren't just for fall salad recipes. Try our Black-Eyed Pea Salad and our Mexican Quinoa Salad. Both are perfect as side dishes, dinner salads, or on their own as an easy meatless main dish.
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What You're Going to Need!
- Pearl Barley - This underrated grain is loaded with fiber and nutrients.
- Green Apple - We love the tart sweetness of granny Smith apples.
- Roasted Walnut Pieces - Roasting the walnuts really brings out their depth of flavor.
- Buttermilk Blue Cheese - The rich creamy texture and mild saltiness go really well with the tart green apple!
- Dried Cranberries - Are always a great addition to a delicious salad.
- Micro Greens Mixture - Micro greens are loaded with nutrients and add so much flavor and texture to the colorful salad.
- Grain Mustard - We love rustic French grain mustard.
- Honey - Local honey is one of our favorite ingredients if it's available.
- Fresh lemon Juice - A little squeeze of fresh lemon juice on the cut apples keeps them from turning brown.
See recipe card for quantities.
Recipe
Pearl Barley Apple and Cranberry Salad with Blue Cheese
Equipment
- 1 2-quart pot
- 1 mesh strainer
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Chef Knife
- 1 Large Bowl
- 1 cooking spoon
- 1 Set measuring spoons
- 1 Set measuring cups
- 1 baking sheet pan
- 1 citrus juicer
- 1 16 oz. Mason jar with lid for salad dressing
- 1 small bowl
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup Raw pearl barley
- 4 cups Water for cooking the barley
- 1 large Green apple
- 1 cup Roasted walnut pieces
- 4 oz Butter milk blue cheese crumbled
- 1 cup Dried cranberries
- 2 oz Micro greens
- ½ large Lemon
Apple Cider Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
- ¼ cup Apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
- 5-6 tbsps. Honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Grain mustard
Instructions
Preparing the Salad
- In a 2- quart pot bring 4 cups water to a boil. Then add the uncooked barley and cook until tender about 25 minutes.
- When the barley is cooked drain off the excess water using a mesh strainer and rinse it under cold water. Place in a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Core and cut the apple into bite size cubes. Place the cubed apple into a small bowl and squeeze the fresh lemon juice into the bowl and toss to coat the apple pieces with lemon juice. Add the apple pieces to the large mixing bowl with the cooked barley.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and place the walnut pieces onto a baking sheet pan. Place the pan in the oven for about 8 minutes or until the walnuts are lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Crumble the blue cheese and add it to the bowl containing the apple and barley.
- Measure and add the dried cranberries to the large mixing bowl.
- When the nuts have cooled off add them to the mixing bowl.
- Add the micro greens to the mixing bowl.
Apple Cider Salad Dressing
- Add the apple cider vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, mustard, honey, and salt and pepper to a 16 oz mason jar. Place the lid on the jar and shake it to combine.
- Measure out ½ cup of the prepared dressing and pour it onto the salad ingredients in the large mixing bowl.
- toss the salad to combine and enjoy!
Directions
- Place the prepared main ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
2. Measure the apple cider vinaigrette.
3. Add the dressing to the bowl.
4. Toss everything together and adjust the seasoning to taste!
Using Microgreens
For many years I used fresh Micro Greens in my Restaurant kitchen! I'm so very happy to see them available in grocery stores. These little gems are loaded with nutrients and the best flavor. They make a beautiful and delicious garnish and can be used as salad greens much like we have done in this easy fall salad.
Micro greens can be successfully grown at home, and cut when needed, or purchased at your local grocery store as living greens or cut and ready to use.
Chef Tip
Squeeze a half of a lemon onto the cut apples and toss them to coat evenly. The acid in the lemon juice will keep the apples from turning brown. This trick works with pears as well.
Substitutions & Variations
- For a gluten free version of this salad, you could substitute quinoa, wild rice, or brown rice for the pearl barley.
- For dairy free diets you could use a vegan cheese substitute or simply eliminate the cheese all together.
- The nuts can be switched with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for those with tree nut allergies.
- If you have difficulty finding micro greens, you could use peppery arugula, baby kale, baby spinach, or spring mix, (fresh greens).
- If you are not a fan of blue cheese, substitute your favorite cheddar, feta cheese, or even goat cheese.
- Pecans would make a great substitute for the walnuts.
Storage & Helpful Hints
This salad can be made 2-3 days ahead of serving it and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. However, we recommend that you add the micro greens or salad greens right before serving it. The best part about this salad is it's perfect to make ahead of time. The cooked barley soaks up all the flavor in the Apple Cider Salad Dressing, adding to the overall flavor of the salad. However, I would hold off on adding the baby greens until right before serving it. The tiny greens will wilt in the salad overnight.
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Of course you can, we do recommend that you use an apple with a tart crisp flavor profile.
Jason Miller says
Great recipe, and healthy too.