Prep time: 25 minutes | Cooking time: 60 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 cup instant pearl barley
- 4 cups water
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 3 medium onions (diced)
- 2 small celery stalks
- 1 cup green, red, yellow, or orange bell pepper (diced)
- 2 medium cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 4 ounces ground turkey
- 2 (14.5-oz) cans diced tomato (no salt added)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Live Well Tips
- Jambalaya is a special Creole and Cajun dish influenced by French, African and Spanish cuisine.
- To save time, cook barley up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate (covered) until ready to use.
- Substitute barley with brown rice.
- To make it vegetarian used cooked or canned pinto or black beans in place of turkey.
Directions
- Wash hands with soap and water.
- In a colander, rinse barley under cold water.
- In a medium pot over high heat, bring barley, water, and bay leaves to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook barley until tender and water is absorbed, about 20-30 minutes.
- In a colander, drain barley. Set aside.
- Heat oil in In a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add onions, celery, pepper, and garlic to pot. Mix well and cook until veggies are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add ground turkey to pot. Cook until turkey is fully cooked, about 5-8 minutes, or temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a simmer.
- Add spices and stir to combine. Cover pot and reduce heat. Cook at a low simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add cooked barley to the mixture. Stir to combine. Add more water or broth if mixture is too thick. Cook uncovered over low heat to blend flavors, about 5-10 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Serving size 1.5 cups: Calories–230; Protein–9g; Carbohydrate–41g; Total Fat–5g; Saturated Fat–1g; Cholesterol–15mg; Fiber–9g; Sodium–440mg; Vitamin C–48mg; Vitamin A–45mcg; Iron–3mg; Calcium–80mg
Adapted from myplate.gov/recipes