Slow Cooker Barley & Chickpea Risotto
When you make this Slow Cooker Barley & Chickpea Risotto, your crock pot does all the work for you! Slow cooked whole grains packed with chickpeas and vegetables.
“One of my personal favorites for fall – and all year round!”
—Crystal
After many years of experimenting and discovering that the risotto cooking method works for not just arborio rice (hello, coconut risotto) but just about any grain, I make whole grain risottos for dinner quite often.
Especially in the winter, when nothing is more comforting than a big, hearty bowl of grains. I’ve conquered a savory oatmeal recipe and farro and kale risotto.
The time has come to let my slow cooker do some of the work with this Slow Cooker Barley & Chickpea Risotto.
Of course, since the “risotto method” refers to stirring small amounts of hot stock into rice or grains gradually, this recipe isn’t a true risotto. I know that.
But I’ve found that using a slow cooker allows the barley to slowly simmer in broth, and the end product is very similar to barley cooked using the traditional risotto method.
About this Slow Cooker Barley & Chickpea Risotto:
This isn’t a traditional slow-cooker recipe that you can set and forget for eight hours.
Barley only takes about two hours to cook using this method. If you try to cook it for eight hours, it will sadly be very overcooked.
So, while you can’t leave for work all day, you can leave for a few errands. Or clean your house.
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Or relax on the couch and drink a glass of wine. No judgement, friends.
If you’re somebody who eats dinner kind of late on weeknights, feel free to just stir the ingredients into your slow cooker bowl as soon as you get home from work, and in two hours, a big pot of barley, carrot, cauliflower and chickpea risotto will be waiting for you!
Or, save this recipe for a weekend meal. Get the Parmesan cheese out of the fridge, pour yourself [another] glass of wine, find some forks, and you’re ready for dinner.
What kind of barley do I use for barley risotto? What is the difference between barley and pearl barley?
This particular barley recipe calls for pearl barley (sometimes called pearled barley), which is barley that has been processed to remove the outer hull and some of the bran layer.
This means that it cooks faster and is less chewy than traditional unprocessed barley. I also love pearl barley in my beet tomato salad.
What are the ingredients in slow cooker barley risotto?
- olive oil
- carrots
- garlic
- cauliflower
- onion
- thyme
- pearl barley
- garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- chicken or vegetable broth
- salt and pepper
- lemon juice
- Parmesan cheese
- parsley
Can I make this crockpot barley risotto vegetarian or vegan?
Absolutely! For a vegetarian or vegan dish, be sure to use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and omit the Parmesan cheese.
Or, while I haven’t tried it personally, I’ve read that nutritional yeast makes a good vegan substitute for Parmesan cheese.
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Slow Cooker Barley and Chickpea Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ head cauliflower cut into small florets
- ½ small yellow onion minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 ¼ cups pearl barley rinsed
- 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained 15.5 ounces
- 2 ½ cups less-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrots, garlic, cauliflower and onion. Cook until vegetables being to soften, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in thyme and barley; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Transfer mixture to slow cooker bowl. Stir in garbanzo beans, broth, water, salt and pepper. Cook on high 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until barley is tender and most liquid is absorbed.
- Remove and discard thyme sprigs; stir in lemon juice. Serve in warm bowls garnished with cheese and parsley.
Notes
- For a vegetarian or vegan dish, be sure to use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and omit the Parmesan cheese.
Definitely enjoyed your take on this, looking forward to finding out more!
Thanks so much, Rose!
If we don’t have a Slow Cooker, can it be done in a cast iron covered pot in the oven, at 90C/195F? Will it take the same amount of time? My intention would be to do all steps in this pot, & put in oven instead of transferring to Slow Cooker.
Hi Vivienne – I’ve never tried it this way, but my hunch is that it would work. However, I don’t know the cooking time. If you give it a try, please report back!
I’m confused…I don’t see chickpeas in the list of ingredients?
They’re listed as garbanzo beans. Same thing!
O my goodness as soon as I read the ingredients I was hooked. I followed your recipe to a T, it was ready in 2 hours perfectly cooked. My whole family absolutely loves it. Wonderful flavor combinations. This made a perfect side dish to baked cod. I’ve already shared this recipe many times to family members…thank you so very much!!!
Such a good idea to serve this with fish. I’m so glad this was a hit for your family, Shelly!
This recipe was great first time. Made it in my instant pot on slow cook setting. Only change I made was to add a lot more liquid towards the end to get the risotto creaminess.
I’m so glad you liked it, Sharon!