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    Oh My Veggies » Vegetarian Recipes » Vegetarian Main Dishes

    Roast Pumpkin Barley Risotto

    Published: Apr 29, 2011 · by Nicole · Updated: Aug 22, 2023 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This Roasted Butternut Pumpkin, Spinach, & Barley Risotto is vegetarian comfort food at it's best. You won't believe how easy it is to make!

    close up of Roast Butternut Pumpkin, Spinach & Barley Risotto
    Jump to:
    • Rice vs Barley
    • My First Attempt at Pumpkin Barley Risotto
    • How to Make Roast Butternut Pumpkin, Spinach, & Barley Risotto
    • More Tasty Recipes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Risotto is a staple in our house. In fact, it's one of my favorite meals to cook, especially in the cooler months. For me it's one of those dishes I can whip up without thinking too much, and it's always delicious and comforting to eat.

    Rice vs Barley

    Instead of making the usual rice based risottos this winter I wanted to try something a little different.

    As much as I love risotto and rice, it's great to switch things up a little, and I love the challenge of using ingredients in new and unusual ways. So, I decided to try my hand at a barley risotto.

    If you've never had barley risotto before be prepared for a richer stronger flavor compared to your usual rice based risotto. 

    It almost has a nutty flavor and provides a lovely, slightly chewy texture. It's delicious on it's own, but my meat-eating husband said he thought it would be a great dish to pair with roasted duck breast.

    That's clearly not happening. So instead of pairing this risotto with duck, try serving it with a nice cucumber tomato salad, some pumpkin rolls, or a refreshing watermelon mocktail!

    Roast Butternut Pumpkin, Spinach & Barley Risotto in a bowl next to a fork

    My First Attempt at Pumpkin Barley Risotto

    I've seen barley risottos on a number of restaurant menus, usually accompanying meat dishes, but have actually never tried it before.

    So for my first attempt at making, and eating, barley risotto, I decided to pair with delicious roasted butternut pumpkin and baby spinach.

    Given this was my first attempt at making barley risotto I was prepared for it not to work out, but it did and it was delicious, and definitely something I will make again.

    Have you ever tried barley risotto before? What did you think?

    Roast Butternut Pumpkin, Spinach & Barley Risotto in a blue bowl

    How to Make Roast Butternut Pumpkin, Spinach, & Barley Risotto

    1. Preheat the oven.
    2. Place the butternut pumpkin in a baking dish. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast pumpkin until softened and slightly golden brown. This will take about an hour.
    3. Meanwhile, switch a rice cooker on to Cook mode and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, onion, and garlic. Cook until the onion is softened and golden brown.
    4. Add the barley and stir with the oil, onion, and garlic to coat before adding the white wine. Cook until the wine is almost completely absorbed before adding the stock. Stir well and cover the rice cooker with the lid. Cook barley for 45 minutes or until the stock is mostly absorbed, stirring occasionally.
    5. Add the roasted butternut pumpkin and cook for a few minutes, stirring to combine. Check seasoning and adjust to taste.
    6. Once the stock is almost absorbed, add the butter and parmesan and stir well to combine. Just before serving, add the baby spinach and cook until wilted.
    7. Top with additional grated parmesan to serve.

    More Tasty Recipes

    If you love this Pumpkin Barley Risotto, be sure to check out these other delicious ideas:

    • Best Vegetarian Pumpkin Recipes for Fall
    • Thai Pumpkin Soup
    • Pumpkin and Spinach Risotto

    Recipe

    Roasted Pumpkin Barley Risotto

    This Roasted Butternut Pumpkin, Spinach, & Barley Risotto is vegetarian comfort food at it's best. You won't believe how easy it is to make!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Email Recipe
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Keyword: barley risotto, Delicious Everyday, pumpkin risotto
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 404kcal
    Author: Oh My Veggies

    Ingredients

    • 1 ¼ lb butternut pumpkin aka butternut squash, peeled and chopped into bite sized cubes
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • 1 onion large, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic grated
    • 1 cup barley
    • 4 cups vegetable stock
    • ½ cup white wine
    • 5 oz baby spinach
    • ¼ cup grated parmesan
    • 3 teaspoons butter
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 180°C/355°F.
    • Place the butternut pumpkin in a baking dish. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast pumpkin until softened and slightly golden brown. This will take about an hour.
    • Meanwhile, switch a rice cooker on to Cook mode and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, onion, and garlic. Cook until the onion is softened and golden brown.
    • Add the barley and stir with the oil, onion, and garlic to coat before adding the white wine. Cook until the wine is almost completely absorbed before adding the stock. Stir well and cover the rice cooker with the lid. Cook barley for 45 minutes or until the stock is mostly absorbed, stirring occasionally.
    • Add the roasted butternut pumpkin and cook for a few minutes, stirring to combine. Check seasoning and adjust to taste.
    • Once the stock is almost absorbed, add the butter and parmesan and stir well to combine. Just before serving, add the baby spinach and cook until wilted.
    • Top with additional grated parmesan to serve.

    Notes

    1. I made this risotto in the rice cooker. (In fact, I make all my risottos in my rice cooker!) This makes the risotto-making process much easier as you don't need to stand at the stove the entire time to stir it. You do, however, need to stir the risotto occasionally, so make sure you check on it every so often and give it a good stir.
    2. If you want a softer risotto, you can add up to an additional 1 cup of vegetable stock.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 404kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 11gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 1106mgPotassium: 1021mgFiber: 12gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 20121IUVitamin C: 45mgCalcium: 206mgIron: 4mg
    Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!

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    Delicious Everyday, Vegetarian Main Dishes, Vegetarian Recipes DE

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. CC11 says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      I have never tried barley in a risotto before, will have to put it on my huge list of things to try!

      Reply
    2. Wendi says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Barley risotto is fantastic. And now that you mention it, I have both a butternut squash and barley that need to be use. I see Barley Butternut Risotto in my future!

      Reply
    3. Dzenana says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Delicious! I've never been brave enough to attempt barely risotto, mostly because I used to hate barley as a child. That said, I recently went to Mondo Organics in West End and had theirs and ...YUM! And now that you've posted such a lovely looking recipe, well, I suppose I'll have to give it a try! My recent post Maple Mousse and Salted Pecan Dulce de Leche in Chocolate Cupcake Patties

      Reply
    4. Maria@Scandi Foodie says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Roasted pumpkin and barley risotto is one of my favourite recipes! I like the addition of spinach, it brings this dish more colour and flavour!

      Reply
    5. Joyti says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      I've never had barley risotto. It sounds healthy and delicious - especially with butternut squash.

      Reply
    6. kankana says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      I tried butternut quash for the first time and even though I like the taste I doubt how much I am going to eat those .. IT SO TOUGH TO CUT THEM 🙁 I have tini tiny hands !!! gggrrrr This dish is looking so delicious .. and i like the spinach you added .. perfect !

      Reply
    7. Food Obsessed says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      I love love love barley risotto. And butternut squash! What a lovely combination. This looks super yummy. I think I will be serving this one to my family in the very near future! My recent post Grilled Cheese Sandwich – Kicked Up A Notch!

      Reply
    8. Not Quite Nigella says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      I've eaten a barley risotto but never cooked one! I wonder how this would go in my slow cooker? It would be similar to the rice cooker method (and I'm with you stirring risotto is the pits). It sounds delicious! 🙂 My recent post Win A Donna Hay Cookbook Pack With A Signed Copy of “A Cook’s Guide”!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Hi Lorriane 😀 I assume it would work in the slow cooker too. If you try it, let me know how you go 😀

        Reply
    9. 6bittersweets says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Oh gosh I just realized I've never had a proper risotto much less barley risotto. Looks so yummy and healthy too! My recent post A Lotta Chocolate Part 2- Snickers Macarons

      Reply
    10. Stephanie says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      I don't make risotto nearly often enough. Yours sounds wonderful, what a fantastic combination of flavors. I will have to try it soon!

      Reply
    11. Lisa says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Just tried this as an apres-ski recipe ... yummmmy! Creamy and flavorful, yet easy to make and low-mess with easy clean-up. The spinach adds a nice boost of vitamins. I cheated and bought pre-cut squash (conveniently packaged at 650 grams), which made prep even easier. Because we're at 10,000' altitude, everything took longer to cook. Squash took almost 45 mins. to bake before it softened, and the barley took over an hour in the rice cooker. Our rice cooker was too small (6 cups), which was enough to cook the barley, but i had to take half out near the end, before adding the squash and spinach in two separate rounds of final cooking. Hubby was pleasantly surprised at how easy this recipe was (he knows how much i hate to cook), and his only constructive criticism was "needs more pepper". All in all, a huge success, thanks very much for sharing the recipe! 🙂

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

        Hi Lisa,I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed the risotto 😀 It's a deliciously simple dish. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback. Best wishes for 2012 😀

        Reply
    12. Kulsum at JourneyKitchen says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      I actually love barley risotto. My Mother in law makes a mean Indian version of it!

      Reply
    13. Louise says

      November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

      Thank you for this recipe, it is delicious! You really don’t miss the meat (and I’m South African- a country known for eating lots of red meat!)

      Reply

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    Nicole is a life long vegetarian and the author of the popular vegan cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. She loves sharing her recipes and showing the world just how easy and delicious meatless meals can be!
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