Spinach and ricotta stuffed shells
Pasta shells filled with spinach and ricotta beneath a tomato sauce.
About 55 min · 540 kcal · 30 g protein per serving
Vegetarian
Roasted pepper and feta barley bowl
Warm barley with peppers, chickpeas and crumbled feta.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 12 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
- Confirm the barley is tender in 30 to 35 minutes
- Photograph the finished bowls
- Time
- About 45 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 460 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 18 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains gluten, milk. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- feta. Some feta is made with animal rennet; check the label if you are vegetarian.
Cooking steps
Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan). Simmer the barley in plenty of water for 30 to 35 minutes, until tender but still chewy, then drain it.
Meanwhile, toss the pepper with half the oil on a tray and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until soft and browned at the edges.
Turn the warm barley with the chickpeas, peppers, parsley, lemon juice and the rest of the oil. Dressing it warm matters: the grains take up far more of it than they would cold.
Divide between two bowls and scatter the feta over.
The useful detail
Add the dressing while the barley is warm. Warm grains drink oil and lemon; cold ones sit in it, and the bowl tastes of dressing rather than of barley.
Make it work for you
One serving is A bowl, half the mixture. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.
Spelt instead of pearl barley
Nuttier and firmer, with a similar cooking time.
Per serving: about 5 kcal less, about 2 g more protein, about 1 g more fat.
White beans instead of chickpeas
Softer and creamier.
Per serving: about 25 kcal less, about the same protein, about 2 g less fat.
Soft goat's cheese instead of feta
Milder and creamier, and it melts into the warm grains.
Per serving: about the same energy, about 2 g more protein, about the same fat.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A grain bowl with the protein split between the chickpeas and the feta. The feta also brings most of the salt, so it is weighed.
| Energy | 460 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 18 g |
| Fat | 16 g |
| of which saturates | 6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 63 g |
| of which sugars | 8 g |
| Fibre | 15 g |
| Sodium | 690 mg |
Show calculation notes
Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.
| Ingredient | Weight used | Source | Energy | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pearl barley | 90 g | FDC 170284Barley, pearled, raw | 317 kcal | 8.9 g |
| red pepper | 200 g | FDC 170108Peppers, sweet, red, raw | 52 kcal | 2.0 g |
| olive oil | 9 g | FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking | 80 kcal | 0.0 g |
| chickpeas | 180 g | FDC 173800Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, canned, drained solids | 250 kcal | 12.7 g |
| parsley | 5 g | FDC 170416Parsley, fresh | 2 kcal | 0.1 g |
| lemon juice | 10 g | FDC 167747Lemon juice, raw | 2 kcal | 0.0 g |
| feta | 80 g | FDC 173420Cheese, feta | 212 kcal | 11.4 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 916 kcal | 35.1 g |
Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.
Storage and reheating
- In the fridge
- Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days. Good cold for lunch the next day; refresh it with a little more lemon.
- In the freezer
- Freezing keeps food safe indefinitely; the texture is best if it is eaten sooner rather than later.
- Reheating
- Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout.
Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.
Try another recipe
Mushroom and lentil cottage pie
A savoury mushroom-lentil filling with a soft potato topping.
About 1 hr · 360 kcal · 20 g protein per serving
Vegetarian