+1 to all of this. Sauté onions, garlic, and mushrooms, then add barley and cook in stock. Make sure to season with salt, thyme, pepper. I also add rosemary.

I agree with the acid of lemon juice.

Some acid, something with umami/funky undertones like parmesan, and some aromatics like sauteed onion and garlic. But the acid is most important.

I make mine with broth.

I don’t know about barley specifically, but I tend to like to add garlic and onion to almost everything. Mustard often goes well with those ingredients.

Spinach tends to pair very well with mushrooms. I agree with PP that adding some sort of cheese might be an excellent idea.

If you’re not vegetarian, you might want to consider adding meat and/or broth.

Anonymous wrote:Add parmesan cheese. Also herbs - thyme goes well with mushrooms and barley.

Agreed.

Or, you could squeeze some lemon juice in there. Drizzle a little olive oil.

If you make it again, cook in half water and half broth.

Add parmesan cheese. Also herbs - thyme goes well with mushrooms and barley.

Mushroom and barley risotto to be exact. How do I make it better. I haven't oversalted but that's not going to fix it.