- 3/4 cup uncooked barley, or 2 cups cooked barley or other grain
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup small-diced fresh mozzarella
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 yellow bell pepper, halved lengthwise and seeded
- 1 red bell pepper, halved lengthwise and seeded
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- Slice the mushrooms, grate the parmesan, dice the mozzarella, chop the parsley, halve and seed the bell peppers.
- Cook the barley according to the package instructions. Transfer the barley to a bowl and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and make sure the oven rack is positioned in the center.
- In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and rippling, add half the mushrooms and season with a pinch of salt and a crack of black pepper. Do not touch the pan!
- After 3 to 4 minutes, use tongs to flip one mushroom. If it's not browned to your liking, give them another minute or two. When they're ready, flip all the mushrooms and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the cooked mushrooms to the bowl with the barley and repeat with the remaining mushrooms.
- Add the Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and the parsley to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Line the pepper halves cut side up on a baking sheet and season each with a pinch of kosher salt.
- Use a large spoon to divide the barley filling evenly among the pepper halves.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the filling is hot in the center and the peppers are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle the peppers with the bread crumbs and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the bread crumbs are golden brown.