Weight Watchers Barley With Butternut Squash, Apples and Onions

Vraklis's Note:

This recipe comes from the Weight Watchers website but I had to share it here because it's absolutely fabulous. The combination might seem a little strange but it was an instant hit with my family and is one of my favorite dishes. The garlic and thyme blend with the sweet and savory flavors to perfection--you will not believe your mouth! You can serve this with salmon or chicken or do like I do and make it your main course!

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 4.0 cups

• ¾ teaspoon salt , divided
• ½ cup uncooked barley
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups butternut squash , peeled & diced
• 1 cup onion , chopped
• ½ cup sweet red pepper , diced
• 1 medium apple , peeled, cored, diced
• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic , minced
• ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1⁄3; cup fat-free chicken broth

Directions:

1. Bring 3 cups of water and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to a boil in a medium saucepan; add barley. Cover saucepan and simmer barley until tender, about 30 to 35 minutes; drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add squash and cook, stirring often, until it's starting to soften--about five minutes. Add the onion and red pepper and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
3. Stir in apple, garlic, thyme, black pepper and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring, until apple is almost tender, about 2 minutes; stir in broth, scraping bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Stir in cooked barley; toss over low heat to mix and coat. Remove from heat and serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.
4. *To make this vegetarian, use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.

Reviews

[TeLh63]

I love this recipe. I made a couple of changes however. When I was sauteing the squash I added a chopped up apple chicken sausage. And at the last I added some dried cranberry. I know this changes the calories...but I didn't want it to be meatless...This combo was awesome !!

[LAFFY TAFFY]

Our entire family loved this dish! Really tasty and filling.

[Dominique353]

This was just good. I did have 2 helpings. I made some minor changes. I didn't have any onion, red pepper, or thyme. I used a bit of basil, and sliced a zucchini into chunks as I found it frozen in my veggie drawer! I also added some lemon juice (I figure this will stop the apples from turning brown in the leftovers). I also cooked my barley in vegetable stock as mentioned by another reviewer. Mine turned out much more mushy than the pictures here, but the taste of it was pretty good. I like squash, so that helps. Not sure if I'll make this again.