Warm Roasted Carrot and Barley Salad

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Updated Nov. 27, 2023

Warm Roasted Carrot and Barley Salad
Beatriz Da Costa for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich.
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
4(933)
Notes
Read community notes

There is something very exciting about transforming a simple bunch of carrots into a deeply flavorful and satisfying weeknight meal. Carrots are given a lot of love here: Leaving the skin on adds texture, slicing them into thin batons ensures that they cook quickly and evenly, and drizzling them with honey right out of the oven amplifies their natural sweetness. A sprinkle of lemon zest adds brightness. Ras el hanout, a North African spice blend, means “head of the shop” in Arabic as it was often one of the best mixes a vendor had to offer. Its fragrant blend of coriander, cumin, ginger, clove and turmeric brings warmth and richness to the tahini. The perfect chew of pearl barley is so gratifying in this dish, but for even more flavor, cook your barley in stock.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe

  • Print Options

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 1cup pearled barley
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2pounds carrots, washed, trimmed and cut into 3-inch-long, a scant ½-inch-wide batons
  • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2teaspoons runny honey, such as clover honey
  • ½teaspoon fresh lemon zest (from ½ lemon)
  • 2cups arugula
  • A handful of parsley
  • ¼cup toasted sliced almonds

    • For the Spiced Tahini

    • ¼cup tahini
    • 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from ½ lemon)
    • 1teaspoon ras el hanout
    • 1small garlic clove, grated
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

326 calories; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 510 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees and place a rack on the lowest shelf. In a medium saucepan, combine barley with 4 cups water; season with ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. If the barley hasn’t absorbed all of the water, drain off the excess.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, place the carrots on a sheet pan, drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat, spreading into an even layer. Season with salt and pepper. Place on the bottom oven rack and roast until tender and starting to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss and return to the oven for 5 to 7 minutes until completely tender.

  3. Step 3

    While the carrots roast, make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, ras el hanout, garlic and ½ teaspoon salt. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is smooth and has a pourable consistency.

  4. Step 4

    When the carrots are ready, remove them from the oven, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with lemon zest. Season with a pinch of salt and toss to coat.

  5. Step 5

    In a serving bowl, combine the carrots with the barley, arugula and parsley. Drizzle with the spiced tahini and sprinkle with almonds.

Ratings

4 out of 5
933 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

Caroline Robertson

Ras El Hanout is a Middle Eastern spice blend. If you can't obtain it, take some cumin seeds, dry fry & crush them. You'll also need a little heat; chilli flakes/powder would do, plus a little turmeric. Some R-E-H blends have rose petals in them - and I prefer those - but it's not essential. It's worth investing in a jar as it's superb rubbed onto lamb for barbecuing. Just rub the lamb with a little olive oil and then liberally sprinkle the R-E-H on. Leave to marinade before cooking.

Gigi B

Delicious added fennel seeds to the roasted carrots.Chewy, crunchy, savory and sweet.

Caroline Robertson

No Garam Masala is completely different. Ras El Hanout has a very Middle Eastern flavour. If you have any cumin seeds, dry fry them and crush them. You'll also need a bit of heat (not too much) but chilli flakes/powder would do, plus a little turmeric. Some R-E-H blends have rose petals in them - and I prefer those - but it's not essential.

Sarah in Maine

Loved this! Great use of leftover pearled barley too! I used rainbow carrots, which looked very spring-like next to the arugula and parsley.

Linda Christian-Herot

We thought this was a delicious combination of ingredients and luckily we were able to get the ras el ha out at a local market. With the nuts and the barley it made for a substantial vegetarian meal after an afternoon of gardening. The tahini dressing required a bit more water than called for but the amount of salt in the recipe was just right.

Vika

This was delicious! I made my own ras el hanout due to a nightshade allergy in my home - easy to find a recipe for it on the web. Salad holds up well for a few days in the fridge.

The Witch’s kitchen

I loved this bright spring salad! I forgot the almonds, added fennel, onions and whole cloves of garlic (roasted with the carrots), and sprinkled it with dried tart cherries. I also subbed out the parsley for fresh mint and scallions, and modified the dressing slightly.

florida

Good as written, but even better if you sub freekeh for the barley, and garnish with a handful of chickpeas fried till crispy in a little olive oil, then tossed with sea salt and zatar. Gild that lily.

Megan

Delightful! I had to use some substitutions (brown rice instead of barley and pistachios instead of almonds) and it was super tasty! I cooked the carrots about 25 minutes total because I like some burnt crispy bits. I also added another healthy squeeze of lemon directly on the arugula and barley. Next time I'll slice up a shallot and roast it along with the carrots for some more depth. Wonderful meatless monday meal!

Abby

This was really good! It makes a ton. If you’re only a household of 2 and don’t want to eat the same leftovers for 5 days, cut it in half. And cut the barley even further — making the full amount, one cup of dry barley was far too much for my wife and me. Try 1/2 to 3/4 cup. I made a quick hummus and served it on the side with pita that I heated up in the oven for a bit after carrots were done. Ended up dirtying a lot of dishes, which was a bummer because it was my day to wash the dishes. :/

SG

This is so delicious. I added roasted radishes with the carrots, and did brown rice and on a bed of spinach. I also topped it with a piece of salmon. YUM. A great recipe base that you can make your own with whatever spice or flavor/ingredient tweaks that you like. I previously omitted the honey as I don't love sweet stuff, but decided to try just a little drizzle tonight and with the lemon, it was so good.

eileen

Try roasting fennel with the carrots

Julie

I made a half recipe as there are only two of us. Definitely make or buy the ras el hanout, as carrots and barley are pretty bland on their own. Ditto for all the carrot seasonings. Presentation wise, the dish is best on the first day. Taste wise, the leftovers are still yummy.

KM

Delicious! Next time I'd add a little pickled something or some feta cheese—just a bit more salty briny would go a long way.

Florrie

I absolutely love this dish and will be making it again! I substituted roasted pecans for the almonds - it worked beautifully. Only minor thing that caught me off guard - our tahini dressing was a thick paste, so it didn't "drizzle." I added some water to it and it was fine, wondering if it's because our tahini was not fresh or perhaps it depends on the brand you use? We used Trader Joe's

Mary K

Made this per the recipe except used instant barley. With the number of salads and other Christmas dinner choices, this was the favorite. Conventional wisdom says not to try new dishes when hosting company. I think it is one of the best times especially with more people than my husband and I to try a unique dish. This was a hit I'll definitely be making again.

MG

Great salad. Followed the recipe, added a can of chickpeas and small pieces of roasted tofu. It required much more lemon juice though.

Phud

Delicious. I added cucumber, quartered and cut into half-inch pieces, for a lovely texture and flavor.

Takis

Here's the Ras el hanout mix recipe I've been using for years. All amounts in teaspoons. All spices are ground. 2 nutmeg - 2 coriander - 2 cumin - 2 ginger - 2 turmeric - 2 salt - 2 cinnamon - 1.5 sugar - 1.5 paprika - 1.5 black pepper - 1 cayenne pepper - 1 cardamom powder - 1 allspice - ½ cloves Mix and store in a jar in your spice cabinet.

Kathy, Your Concierge

How do we think that this would be with Quinoa so that it's GF?

Chuck

We think it would be very good!

BJ

Any reason the barley must be pearled? I prefer whole grains whenever possible, even if they take a bit longer to cook.

Lisa B

I didn’t have Ras El Hanout so used some Rose Harissa and cumin- worked well.

hokiesunshine

Used chicken stock for the barley. Added rotisserie chicken shreds Add arugula judiciously. I would add a touch more honey to the carrots. Delicious!

Ken P

Delicious. I used short grain brown rice instead of barley to make it gluten free, turned out great.

Private notes are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.

More From Ideas for Mother’s Day Breakfast and Brunch

Trending on Cooking

Cooking Guides