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    Home » Healthy

    Roasted Vegetable Salad with Barley

    Published: Dec 8, 2017 / Updated: Aug 31, 2018 / 24 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my affiliate disclosure for more details.

    Jump to Recipe

    This roasted vegetable salad with barley doubles as a vegan meal prep idea! Topped with a delicious maple tahini dressing, it makes a healthy and satisfying light meal.

    roasted vegetable salad with barley on a plate

    I know I said that I'm going to avoid cooking new grains at home after the farro and pearl couscous recipes, but I guess I just can't help myself.

    Making barley at home is new to me, but it's another grain that I will now have in my pocket. Not literally.

    close-up of vegan roasted vegetable salad with maple tahini dressing

    I had zero intention of making this into a meal prep type recipe until I was wondering what the heck I was going to do with the leftovers. I realized that the barley, all the roasted veggies, and the dressing (that's filled with good fats) makes a pretty well-balanced vegan meal prep lunch.

    I didn't include the spinach when packing up the leftovers, but you could. It doesn't get soggy as fast as other greens like lettuce do, but I'm just fussy like that.

    roasted vegetables on a sheet pan

    I tried to use veggies that are in-season right now... sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and beets. Tomatoes are not, but roasting them this time of year makes them more appealing, and they add needed moisture to this salad.

    As always, feel free to sub what you like/have on hand to make this easier.

    close-up of roasted vegetable salad with spoon

    If you cut the veggies around the same size, they will cook at similar rates. I found 20 minutes for this combo of veggies was about right. The sweet potatoes were fully cooked, and the rest was tender-crisp (exactly the way I like my vegetables).

    So there you go. One salad, 2 ways. Or just make it as a straight up vegan meal prep recipe and avoid all the artful arranging. 😉

    glass meal prep containers filled with roasted vegetable salad

    Will you give this roasted vegetable and barley salad a try?

    Let me know in the comments below.

    This roasted vegetable salad with barley doubles as a vegan meal prep idea! Topped with a delicious maple tahini dressing, it makes a healthy and satisfying light meal.

    Winter Roasted Vegetable Salad with Barley

    This roasted vegetable salad with barley doubles as a vegan meal prep idea! Topped with a delicious maple tahini dressing, it makes a healthy and satisfying light meal.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Salad
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 cup uncooked pearl barley rinsed 
    • 3 cups water
    • 12 Brussels sprouts trimmed (and cut into halves if they're large)
    • 2 large carrots peeled and sliced
    • 1 small-medium sweet potato peeled & diced
    • 2-3 medium beets peeled & cut up
    • 4 medium tomatoes quartered
    • 3-4 tablespoons olive oil 
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder or to taste
    • 5 dashes Italian seasoning or to taste
    • Salt & pepper to taste
    • Handful of spinach optional

    Dressing:

    • 3 heaping tablespoons tahini
    • Juice of 1/2 lemon
    • 1 clove garlic minced
    • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
    • Salt & pepper to taste
    • Water to thin the dressing (3-4 tbsp)

    Instructions
     

    • Cook barley according to package directions (I cooked 1 cup barley in 3 cups of water with a pinch of salt and it took about half an hour). 
    • Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400F and move the rack to the middle position.
    • Prep your veggies (try to cut them into pieces that are about the same size (I aimed for about 1" pieces) so they cook more evenly) and add them to a baking sheet. Toss with the olive oil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt & pepper. Roast them for 20 minutes or until they're cooked. You can flip them halfway through if you wish, but I did not.
    • Add the dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk together until smooth. Adjust the lemon juice and seasonings as needed. Thin with 1 tablespoon of water at a time until your desired consistency is reached. 
    • Once everything is ready, you can either add it all to a large bowl or platter and assemble it like you would a salad, or you can portion it out into individual containers if you're going the meal prep route. 

    Notes

    • Here's a guide on how to cook barley if you want a little more explanation than I provide here. 
    • Serves 4-6.
    • This recipe makes quite a lot of food. I had some of it as a salad when I first made it (including the spinach you see in the photos), and then I had the rest as lunches (without spinach). I did not heat the lunches up... that is up to you. I think it would work hot or cold. 
    Keyword roasted vegetable and barley salad
    Author Natasha Bull

    Looking for more easy vegan meal prep recipes? Check out this roundup of vegan meal prep recipes, or you may also like my Mediterranean vegan meal prep bowls or my vegan sweet potato meal prep bowls.

    « Italian Chopped Salad Recipe
    Vegan Gingerbread Cookie Bars »

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    1. Naomi says

      December 11, 2017 at 8:56 PM

      Love the inclusion of sweet potatoes! Must make this!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 12, 2017 at 8:30 AM

        Thanks, Naomi!!

        Reply
    2. cakespy says

      December 10, 2017 at 5:34 AM

      How wonderful! I love winter salads, and this is a great one! The combination of flavors and textures is so tantalizing!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 10, 2017 at 4:23 PM

        Thanks so much!!

        Reply
    3. Lindsay Cotter says

      December 9, 2017 at 9:51 AM

      What a gorgeous salad! Love those roasted veggies!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 9, 2017 at 9:56 AM

        Thanks, friend!!

        Reply
    4. Tieghan Gerard says

      December 8, 2017 at 9:46 PM

      So pretty! Love all the colors!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 9, 2017 at 9:43 AM

        Thanks so much, Tieghan!

        Reply
    5. Leigh Ann says

      December 8, 2017 at 9:11 PM

      What a beautiful salad and a great recipe to meal prep for the upcoming week!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 9, 2017 at 9:43 AM

        Thank you 🙂

        Reply
    6. Natasha's Sister says

      December 8, 2017 at 4:26 PM

      5 stars
      I love roasted vegetables and maple syrup. You need to send some of this my way!!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 9, 2017 at 9:43 AM

        No.

        Reply
    7. Matt Robinson says

      December 8, 2017 at 3:18 PM

      Our 10 year old Cole loves salad and would go crazy for this!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 9, 2017 at 9:44 AM

        He has good taste! 😀

        Reply
    8. Marissa says

      December 8, 2017 at 3:03 PM

      5 stars
      Literally drooling over this gorgeous salad!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 9, 2017 at 9:44 AM

        Aw thanks, Marissa!

        Reply
    9. Sarah Fennel says

      December 8, 2017 at 2:35 PM

      5 stars
      The prettiest colors!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 9, 2017 at 9:44 AM

        Thank you!!

        Reply
    10. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says

      December 8, 2017 at 1:27 PM

      This salad is absolutely GORGEOUS Natasha! And something I would totally love! I can't wait to try this recipe! Happy Friday!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 9, 2017 at 9:44 AM

        Thanks, friend! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy says

      December 8, 2017 at 1:22 PM

      Love love LOVE!!!!!!!

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 8, 2017 at 1:23 PM

        Thank you!!

        Reply
    12. Steven Napier says

      December 8, 2017 at 9:47 AM

      Looks amazing and scrumptous . Thank you

      Reply
      • Natasha says

        December 8, 2017 at 1:21 PM

        Enjoy!

        Reply

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