Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto

  • 10MINS
  • 1HR
  • Serves 4
  • 557KCAL

This Lamb and Pearly Barley Risotto is a great, slimming friendly way of using up some leftovers – perfect if you’re counting calories or following Weight Watchers.

  • Batch Cook pinchofnom.com
  • Dairy Free pinchofnom.com
  • Special Occasion pinchofnom.com
Easy Peasy Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto pinchofnom.com

NutritionPer Serving

  • Calories557
  • Carbs51g
  • Protein38g
  • Fat11g
  • Saturates4g
  • Sugars4g

For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!

We’re not ashamed to admit that we’re total bargain hunters and with that comes a love of being thrifty!  This Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto is thrift on a plate, without compromising 0n flavour.

Traditional risotto can be seen as quite a heavy meal for the warmer months, but we’ve found that using pearl barley instead of rice gives it a less dense texture but still maintains the creaminess of a rice based dish.  Using pearl barley instead of rice also means that this dish can be left on the hob to cook without constant stirring – easy!

You can use any leftover lamb in this recipe as long as you make sure that all visible fat has been removed, which means it’s fab for using up any leftovers.  Could this recipe get any better?!

What diets is this Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto suitable for?

This Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto is suitable for dairy free diets.

Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.

Do you need any special ingredients to make this Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto?

You don’t really need anything special to make this dish apart from the pearl barley, which you can find in your local supermarket

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How many calories are in this Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto?

There are 557 calories per portion in this Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto, which means it falls into our Special Occasion category. 

To cut down the amount of calories even more, you can simply halve the portion size and serve with a healthy accompaniment.

This Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers. 

As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.

What could I serve with this Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto?

This Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto really is a meal in itself, but it also works really well when served alongside any of the following accompaniments:

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How do you know when this Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto is cooked?

You should cook this Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto for around an hour or until the lamb is cooked through and the pearl barley is tender.

Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.

How long can you keep this Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto in the fridge?

Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.

If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill.  You can keep leftovers of Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto in the fridge for approximately 2 days or so. 

Can I freeze this Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto?

No, we wouldn’t recommend freezing this recipe.

How do I reheat this Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto?

From chilled: Place in a microwave proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.

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Lamb and Pearl Barley Risotto

This Lamb and Pearly Barley Risotto is a great, slimming friendly way of using up some leftovers - perfect if you're counting calories or following Weight Watchers.
  • Prep Time
    10 MINS
  • Cook Time
    1 HR
  • KCals 557
  • Carbs 51G

Ingredients

  • 450 grams cooked roast lamb from any roasting joint, skin and visible fat removed
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp ground turmeric
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 200 grams pearl barley
  • 400 ml Alpro Coconut Milk Drink
  • 650 ml stock made up with 1 stock cube - lamb or vegetable works best
  • 100 grams petit pois
  • 3 tbsp fresh mint finely chopped
  • 1 bag fresh pea shoots
  • low calorie cooking spray

We use a fan assisted oven for all of our recipes. Check out our oven temperature conversion guide.

Please do not screenshot this. Recipes are updated often

Instructions

  1. Cut the lamb into bite sized pieces and brown for 5 minutes with a little low calorie cooking spray in a large saucepan.
  2. Add the chopped onion and crushed garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes, being careful to not let the garlic burn.
  3. Stir in the ground cumin and ground turmeric and cook for 1 minute.
  4. Turn down the heat and add the Alpro Coconut Milk Drink, stock, pearl barley and half the chopped mint. Season to taste. Put a lid on and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add the petit pois and cook for a further 10 minutes.
  6. Once cooked, serve immediately. Sprinkle the remaining mint on top and garnish with a bundle of pea shoots.

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9 comments

See what others have to say

Kylie Marie MatthewsThursday 25th March 2021

Can I use dried mint Intead of fresh and if so do I need to change the measurement of it? X

Reply

    HollyMonday 29th March 2021

    Hey Kylie, have a look at THIS article it talks you through fresh and dry herb conversions, hope that helps!

    Reply

GeorgiaMonday 30th November 2020

Hiya is there another alternative to the coconut milk?
Thanks

Reply

    LisaThursday 3rd December 2020

    Hi Georgia
    You could use skimmed milk or another plant based alternative such as almond milk. It will change the flavour, but it should still taste great. Hope you enjoy it

    Reply

PennySunday 28th January 2018

Hi do I have to use coconut milk ?

Reply

Jane DMonday 13th November 2017

Ok thank you very much.

Reply

Jane DMonday 13th November 2017

Hi, I don’t like coconut in any way shape or form is there any alternative?

Reply

Michelle MMonday 24th July 2017

This looks and sounds amazing. I’m making it for tea tonight. I’ll pop a pic on Instagram and tag you in (if it looks ok ????)

Reply

    Emma TMonday 11th September 2017

    Hi Michelle,

    Hope you enjoyed it! It’s one of my faves!

    Reply

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