A quick and easy barley salad with tomatoes, cucumber and Italian dressing!

Forgive me if this barley salad is a little overdue. I made it back in August when one of my husband’s coworkers gave him a really cool Armenian cucumber. Check out the picture below - that thing is awesome! And huge. I used half in this salad and ate the other half with just a little sea salt sprinkled on it. So delicious. You can’t beat a homegrown cucumber.

Ah, but this salad. It’s got cucumbers and tomatoes and basil so of course it’s more of a summer dish. But I still get tomatoes and basil in my garden well into September and into these first few days of October. Lucky, I know. I will never forget my freshman year of college, when it snowed in Chicago in the first week of October. I was naive enough to think that was cool. Four years later, the novelty had worn off...

Back home in the South, we still get warm days this time of year. And gardens and farmer’s markets are bringing us the last of summer produce as well as the beginning of all the fall goodies. And I’m definitely buying my cucumbers these days. In our new house, my garden isn’t big enough for cucumbers - they are bullies! They get huge and spread out and take over everything. No room for that in my little plot.

Anyway, we’re still eating this salad. I know it’s October, and you know I’m all about everything pumpkin, but what can I say? We’re a little crazy over here. We even still grill out on nice nights. Gasp!

So cancel your chili or soup night this week, bust out a burger or some grilled or roasted chicken or fish and make this easy, tasty barley salad. It's pretty much a year-round thing. But bonus points if you can find a crazy cucumber.

Enjoy!

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Yield: 4 servings

Barley salad with tomatoes

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A quick and easy barley salad with tomatoes, cucumbers and Italian dressing!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 8.8 oz. bag of barley (I use the quick-cooking kind)
• 1 cup chopped cucumber (from about 1 small)
• 1 pint halved cherry or grape tomatoes
• ½ cup Italian dressing (homemade or store-bought)
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil

Instructions

1. Cook barley according to package directions. Drain and let cool.
   
2. Meanwhile, prep your veggies and mix up your dressing.
   
3. Once cooled, combine barley, cucumber, tomatoes and Italian dressing. Stir well to get everything evenly coated.
   
4. When ready to serve, add chopped fresh basil and stir to combine.

Notes

Leftovers make a lovely light lunch!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 207Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 295mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 5gSugar: 13gProtein: 3g