Photo of Vegetable-barley casserole by WW

Vegetable-barley casserole

3
Points®
Total Time
45 min
Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
This Tex-Mex casserole is jam-packed with tasty, fiber-rich ingredients. It features onions, garlic, corn, diced tomatoes, barley, and Swiss chard, which are flavored with cumin seeds and dried oregano. Sprinkle with Mexican-style shredded cheese right before baking to help bring all the other ingredients together and to make this casserole super-satisfying. We do call for Swiss Chard here, but spinach, kale, or turnip greens are all great options to use instead. And feel free to add some canned black beans into the mix to make this dish even heartier; just keep in mind that this could affect the nutritional value of the recipe.

Ingredients

Canola oil

2 tsp

Onion

1 small, chopped

Garlic

1 clove(s), minced

Frozen corn

2 cup(s), thawed and drained

Uncooked Swiss chard

3 cup(s), thick stems removed, coarsely chopped

Canned diced tomatoes

14½ oz, with chilies, well-drained

Cooked pearl barley

2 cup(s), quick-cooking recommended

Cumin seeds

¼ tsp

Dried oregano

¼ tsp, crushed

Table salt

½ tsp

Black pepper

¼ tsp, freshly ground

Cooking spray

2 spray(s)

Shredded reduced fat Mexican-style cheese blend

½ cup(s), sharp-variety recommended

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. Heat oil in very large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, corn and Swiss chard; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent and Swiss chard is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, barley, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper; heat through.
  3. Coat a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon barley mixture into prepared dish in an even layer; sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cheese melts and mixture is hot, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before slicing into six pieces.
  4. Yields 1 piece per serving.