Wheat Berry Casserole is an easy vegetarian recipe that makes a delicious main dish or side. Wheat berries are whole kernels of wheat with a toothsome texture and an almost nutty flavour and they work really well as part of vegetarian dishes.
The History of My Wheat Berry Casserole
One evening over a decade ago, my husband and I were served wheat berries as a side dish in a restaurant and we enjoyed them so much, I was determined to cook with them myself. So I got to work in the kitchen. This was a purely personal quest, and not sponsored in any way.
Back in 2012 when I developed this recipe it was easy to obtain par-boiled wheat berries from a brand called Ebly imported from France. Now, in 2026, they are not as readily available. I occasionally see them in a grocery store but it is not a regular occurrence. Of course, you can buy Ebly from Amazon. Ebly pre-cook the wheat berries, a bit like Uncle Ben’s parboil rice, in order to preserve the nutrients and reduce cooking time. Ebly can then be boiled, baked, steamed or fried in about ten minutes.
Preparation Tips
This recipe is super quick and easy to put together. However, if you were going to use wheat berries that have not been pre-cooked, it would take considerably longer as you would need to soak and cook the wheat berries first. ou might want to sauté the vegetables in a bit of oil before adding them to the wheat berries in that case, as well as using less stock and baking the recipe for about 20 minutes instead of half an hour. Please note I have only tested this recipe using pre-cooked wheat berries.
Mediterranean Wheat Berry Casserole Recipe
Adapted from Ebly’s own recipe for Cheese and Ham Bake
Serves 4 a a main course
1½ cups Ebly
3 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 courgette (zucchini), sliced in half lengthwise and then thinly in half moons
2 peppers (I use red and yellow), de-seeded and very thinly sliced
1 cup grated vegetarian cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC, or 180ºC for fan ovens).
Mix the Ebly, vegetable stock, basil, pepper, and the vegetables together thoroughly in a large casserole. Spread the mixture evenly in the casserole. Sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the wheat berries are soft, and the cheese is golden brown.
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