058 / 75 · Beans, Vegetables and New Traditions
Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Barley Bake
One 8×12 in (20×30 cm) dish, at least 3 qt/2.8 L;4 grain-and-vegetable main portions · Active 35 min · Total 1 hr 55 min
Print recipe · PDFSmall roasted beet cubes color pearled barley a deep rosy red. A little goat cheese melts into the warm stock while the rest stays in small surface pockets. White beans add substance without obscuring the grain, and spinach is wilted before assembly so it does not leave a puddle beneath the cheese.
Peel, cut and roast before mixing
Start with raw beets and take the prepared weight after peeling and trimming. Similar small cubes cook more evenly than a mixture of tiny pieces and thick wedges. Roast them in one layer until nearly tender, turning once. A knife should enter with only slight resistance before the beet joins the barley. Commercial vacuum-packed cooked beets could be useful for another meal, but they would skip this browned-edge stage and are not the starting ingredient written here. Beet juice stains cloth and boards, so set up a washable work area.
Barley should be chewy, not hard
Pearled barley is simmered separately until tender with some chew. Drain it well and save no unmeasured cooking water for the pan. The listed stock is then enough to loosen the filling without making soup. A dry grain center needs more saucepan time; the short oven finish is not intended to repair it. Stir the spinach into softened onion so the leaves wilt and their released water evaporates before the grains and beans enter. The components should already be pleasant to eat before assembly.
Small cheese pockets keep the contrast
Half the goat cheese is stirred into the hot stock and grain mixture. Crumble the remainder over the dish in small pieces, not one large cold log. Some white cheese will remain visible beside the rosy barley, while a few edges may color. The beet juice naturally tints nearby beans and spinach. Serve with a broad spoon through the whole pan rather than scraping off only the cheese. This is a soft, spooned grain bake; it does not need to set into a neat square.
Ingredients
- 1 lb 2 oz raw beets, peeled and cut in 3/4-in/2-cm cubes (500 g prepared)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (30 ml), divided
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g), divided
- 3/4 cup dry pearled barley, rinsed (150 g)
- 4 cups water (960 ml), for barley; more only if needed to keep covered
- 1 medium onion, chopped (150 g)
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped (3 g)
- 3 1/2 oz baby spinach (100 g), washed and dried or label-ready-to-eat
- 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed (8 1/2 oz/240 g drained)
- 2/3 cup low-sodium vegetable stock (160 ml)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (15 ml)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 1/2 oz pasteurized soft goat cheese (100 g), divided
Set out
Oven, 8×12 in (20×30 cm) baking dish, at least 3 qt/2.8 L, Rimmed baking sheet, Saucepan, Fine sieve, 12-in/30-cm skillet, Broad spoon, Food thermometer
Allergens
Milk, Barley: contains gluten; check stock labels. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Toss beet cubes with 15 ml oil and half the salt on the sheet. Roast 30–40 minutes, turning once, until nearly tender to a knife.
- Meanwhile bring barley and its 960 ml water to a boil in the saucepan. Simmer 35–45 minutes or per packet until tender with a little chew, adding water if needed to keep covered. Drain thoroughly.
- Heat remaining 15 ml oil in the skillet over medium-low heat. Soften onion 7–9 minutes, add garlic 30 seconds, then spinach. Cook 2–3 minutes until wilted and loose water has evaporated. Add beans, drained barley, stock, vinegar, remaining salt and pepper. Stir gently 3 minutes until hot. Take off heat and stir in 50 g goat cheese, then fold in roasted beets.
- Lower oven to 400°F (205°C). Spread hot mixture in the baking dish and put it on the rimmed sheet. Crumble remaining 50 g goat cheese in small pockets over the surface. Bake 20–25 minutes until the center and several other spots reach 165°F (74°C). Rest 5 minutes and serve four portions.
Color transfer is part of this dish
Rosy barley and pink-tinted beans are expected with red beets. The white goat-cheese pockets give contrast without requiring a fresh garnish not present in the recipe.
A useful detail
The 115-minute total includes peeling and cubing beets, overlapping roasting and barley simmering, the onion-spinach stage, assembly, baking and rest. Follow a longer barley packet time if needed rather than transferring hard-centered grain to the oven.
Another way
- Use 500 g prepared golden beets instead of red beets. The pan will stay more golden, but the cube size, roast-to-nearly-tender step and full grain cooking remain the same.
Keep it well
Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 3 days or an earlier cheese deadline. Reheat to 165°F (74°C), adding a small splash of water if barley has absorbed the sauce. Freeze promptly cooled portions for up to 2 months for quality; thaw in the refrigerator. Cheese texture may change.