Summer Barley Grain Bowl: Your Colourful Path to Better Health
Imagine a bowl full of bright cherry tomatoes, golden nectarines, crisp mange tout, and creamy goat’s cheese, all on a cosy bed of pearl barley. It looks great and tastes even better! Even better news? This Barley Grain bowl is really good for you and doesn’t need to be boring.
Grain bowls are still popular because they mix healthy grains, vegetables, fruit and nuts all in one easy meal. This simple barley bowl uses nectarines and goat’s cheese to bring a taste of summer right to your table.
Let’s look at why this barley grain bowl is so healthy, some easy tips for making it, and a bit about what’s in it that’s good for you.

Why This Barley Grain Bowl Is So Good for You
Pearl Barley: The Secret Star
Pearl barley might not get talked about as much as things like quinoa, but it’s one of the most nourishing grains you can pick. It’s chewy and filling, with plenty of good stuff inside.
A cup of cooked pearl barley has around 6 grams of fibre. That’s about a quarter of what you need in a day! Fibre helps lower cholesterol and keeps your blood sugar steady, stopping you from feeling tired and reaching for unhealthy snacks later on.
Barley also gives you selenium (which helps your immune system) and manganese (important for your bones and nerves). Unlike white rice, barley sorts out your energy bit by bit, so you feel fuller for longer.
Fresh Ingredients That Do Good
This Barley Grain Bowl recipe is all about using fresh summer food. Cherry tomatoes add colour and lycopene, which is good for your heart. The deeper the red, the better!
Nectarines make the bowl sweet and juicy. They have vitamin C to help your immune system and beta-carotene to look after your skin and eyes.
Mange tout (or snow peas) bring a nice crunch and are packed with vitamin K, which helps your bones, and folate, which your body needs for making new cells.
The Finishing Touch: Nuts, Cheese, and Mint
Almonds give this barley grain bowl a crunch and are full of healthy fats, vitamin E and magnesium. A small handful adds protein and helps your body use some of the vitamins from the veg.
Goat’s cheese is creamy and tangy. It adds calcium and is usually easier to digest than regular cows’ cheese.
Fresh mint really wakes up the flavours, and it’s good for your stomach too.

Easy Tips for a Great Barley Grain Bowl
How to Cook Barley
Rinse the barley until the water is clear to get rid of the extra starch. Cook it in lots of salted water, almost like pasta, until it’s tender but still chewy, this usually takes about 18-20 minutes. If you use ras el hanout spice when cooking, you’ll add some lovely, warm flavours. No ras el hanout? Use a pinch of ground cloves, turmeric, and cinnamon instead for a similar flavour.
Toasting Almonds
Toasting almonds in a dry pan makes them taste nutty and crunchy. Keep the pan on medium heat, stir often, and take them out as soon as they go golden brown, don’t wander off or you might end up with burnt nuts!
Marinating the Tomatoes and Nectarines
Give the tomatoes and nectarines at least 10 minutes to sit in the salt, vinegar, and oil. This draws out their flavour and makes a tasty dressing.
Try to cut the nectarines into medium-sized pieces so they keep their shape. If they’re very ripe, add them just before serving so they don’t go mushy.
Cooking Mangetout
To get mangetout just right, use a hot pan with a little oil and leave them alone for a couple of minutes. This gives them a little colour but keeps them crunchy. Add a pinch of salt and pepper at the end.

What’s in This Bowl: Key Nutrition Facts
This barley grain bowl gives you a good mix of all the things your body needs. Here’s what you get in one serving (roughly):
- Fibre: 8-10 grams (from barley, dates, and veg)
- Protein: 12-15 grams (from barley, cheese, and almonds)
- Healthy fats: From almonds and olive oil
- Complex carbs: For energy, from the barley and fruit
- Antioxidants: From the colourful vegetables, fruit, and mint
This healthy mix in the barley grain bowl helps keep your blood sugar steady, so you stay full and don’t overeat.
Ideas for Changing It Up
This barley grain bowl is perfect for summer, but you can make it any time of year. Just swap some ingredients for what’s in season:
- Autumn: Use pears or apples instead of nectarines, and add roasted squash.
- Winter: Try dried cranberries and roasted root veg.
- Spring: Use asparagus instead of mange tout, with strawberries for a sweet twist.
If you don’t like barley then how about instead of a barley grain bowl turning it into a quinoa bowl or couscous bowl? You can prepare all the ingredients in the same way just change the barley for your preferred grain.
Handy Hints for Meal Prep
This barley grain bowl can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for up to three days. If you can, keep the marinated tomatoes apart from the barley and add the cheese and mint just before eating, so everything tastes fresh.
You can also cook a big batch of barley to use through the week or freeze it for later. Barley left over from the barley grain bowl is good for bulking out soups or stews too.
Why You’ll Love This Bowl
This barley grain bowl shows that eating well can be simple, filling, and tasty. You don’t need fancy skills or rare ingredients, just good, fresh food put together in a clever way.
Every bite has different textures and flavours, the chew of barley, sweet tomatoes, creamy cheese, and fresh mint.
Best of all, healthy eating here means plenty and variety, not missing out. Eating colourful, nourishing food like this looks after your body and helps you feel your best.
So, if you want to eat more grains, add veg, or just try a meal that leaves you feeling good, this summer barley grain bowl could be just what you need!
Recipe Creator
This Barley Grain Bowl recipe was created by Kat Judge. Kat is the co-founder and head chef of AliKats Mountain Holidays, a collection of eco-conscious chalets based in Morzine, in the heart of the French Alps. With a deep-rooted passion for food and permaculture gardening, Kat brings a mindful approach to mountain living, crafting seasonal, homegrown meals that celebrate the connection between plate and planet. From nurturing her alpine garden to designing zero-waste menus, she’s on a mission to show that sustainable living can be both delicious and deeply fulfilling.
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Summer Barley Grain Bowl Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 Portions 1x
- Category: Main meal
- Method: Hob top
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Low Fat
Description
A tasty grain bowl, perfect for any day of the week!
Ingredients
1/2 cup pearl barley
120g cherry Tomatoes
120g mangetout Peas
2 nectarines
1 bunch Mint
1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
80g goat’s cheese
50g dried dates
2 tsps roughly chopped almonds
1 tbsp ras el hanout
salt & pepper
Instructions
1. Rinse the barley well in plenty of cold water. Fill a medium pot with salted water; cover and heat to boiling. Once boiling, add the barley and ras el hanout. Cook, uncovered, 18 to 20 minutes, or until tender. Turn off the heat. Drain thoroughly and return to the pot.
2. While the barley cooks, prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Pull off and discard the tough string that runs the length of each mangetout.
Pit and roughly chop the dates.
Pick the mint leaves off the stems.
Halve the tomatoes.
Pit and medium dice the nectarines.
Peel and finely chop the shallot.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the halved tomatoes, diced nectarine, chopped shallot, vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper; stir to combine. Set aside to marinate, stirring occasionally, at least every 10 minutes. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired.
4. While the nectarine and tomatoes marinate, heat a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), until hot and then add the roughly chopped almonds. Toast them until they are a nice golden brown colour and then transfer to a bowl. Using the same pan, add a teaspoon of olive oil and add the mange tout in an even layer; season with salt and pepper. Cook, without stirring for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned and softened.
5. To the bowl of cooked barley, add the marinated nectarine and tomatoes (including any liquid), mangetout, chopped dates, and almonds. Stir to combine. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve topped with the mint and goat’s cheese (crumbling before adding).
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 507
- Sugar: 33.4 g
- Sodium: 1440.8 mg
- Fat: 11.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 88.6 g
- Protein: 19.2 g