Cheesy Barley With Swiss Chard Recipe (With Step Images)

Prep Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

50 mins

Servings:

4

This comforting dish is like a risotto made with barley. The leaves and stems of Swiss chard are sliced and stirred into the barley, along with shiitake mushrooms, garlic, diced tomatoes, and Parmesan that bring plenty of flavor. It all cooks in one pan, and you don’t need to add any stock. And because this is also a vegetarian comfort food, we add Swiss or Gruyère cheese, which gives a wonderfully creamy texture to this well-rounded meal.

Buying Barley

Be sure to use pearled barley for this dish. Barley is a hearty grain that is most often available in its pearled form, but also sold as hulled barley. The difference between these two types of barley is how they are processed: Pearled barley has its outer husk and bran layer removed and cooks much more quickly than hulled barley. Hulled barley is darker in color than pearled barley and only has its outer husk removed, so it contains more fiber—and takes longer to cook. Note that barley is not gluten-free.

Shopping for and Storing Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is in season during late summer and is harvested into the fall, but many grocery stores carry chard year round. You'll typically find three types of chard, and any of the three work for this recipe:

Rainbow chard has colorful red, pink, yellow, or white stalks
Fordhook giant is identifiable by crinkly leaves and thick but tender white stalks
Red (or Rhubarb) chard has thin, red stalks and a slightly stronger flavor.

Regardless of type, look for crisp, vibrant green leaves with no yellow or brown marks. Avoid leaves with small holes.

Store chard in the refrigerator in a plastic bag with moistened paper towel for two or three days.

Directions

Barely and Swiss Chard ingredients — Rachel Marek

Cook mushrooms and chard stems:

Heat oil in a large straight-sided skillet or braiser over medium-high. Add mushrooms and chard stems; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden, 5 to 6 minutes.

Rachel Marek
Add garlic, then barley:

Stir in garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add barley and cook, stirring, until toasted, about 1 minute.

Rachel Marek
Add tomatoes and cook:

Stir in tomatoes and 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until barley is tender and creamy, 25 to 30 minutes.

Rachel Marek
Add chard leaves, Parmesan, and lemon juice:

Stir in chard leaves, Parmigiano, and lemon juice; cover and cook, stirring once, until chard is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.

Rachel Marek
Add Gruyère and heat, then serve:

Season, top with Gruyère, cover, and heat until melted, 2 minutes. Serve with basil.

Rachel Marek

Frequently Asked Questions

What part of Swiss chard is edible?

Both the leaves and the stalks of Swiss chard are edible. This sets the leafy green apart from kale and collard greens, whose stalks are not eaten. As the stalks are tougher than the leaves, they are generally added earlier in a recipe because they require longer cooking.
How do you cook Swiss chard so it is not bitter?

Some people find Swiss chard bitter, but most people do not. To balance the flavor of Swiss chard, lemon juice can be added toward the end of cooking and this should mask the flavor that some people consider bitter.
What is the best way to cook Swiss chard?

There are many good ways to cook Swiss chard. It’s a versatile leafy green. It can be sauteed, stir fried, cooked in soups or stews, or added to casseroles, quiches, or frittatas.