I was not, in fact, looking for a new farro dish. It rarely occurs to me over the summer, when there’s more eggplant/zucchini/tomatoes/peaches/plums/berries than anyone could fathom going through in the scant weeks they’re available, to wish I had more whole grains in my diet. And since we’re being honest, only occasionally in times that it probably should, such as in February, when refined flours and pasta are used to fill the endless gap in growing seasons. But, as it happens, because I’m terrible at timely meal-planning, I was attempting to make this chicken for dinner a couple weeks ago and it wasn’t ready on time, or even close to it, and I remembered a one-pan linguine dish I’d read about in Martha Stewart Living last month that sounded fascinating. Realizing I had almost all the ingredients on hand, I rustled it up instead and felt like such a domestic diva, I nearly took a bow when I brought it out, but resisted, as I prefer to only drop one dish a season. In the dish, pasta, only enough water to cook it, an onion, garlic cloves, some cherry tomatoes, olive oil, basil, salt and red pepper flakes are combined cold, brought up to a boil and cooked until the pasta is al dente and everything else becomes the dish’s saucy servant, all in a single saucepan, all at once. I realize you’re all leaving me right now to make it this very moment, and I don’t blame you. At the very least, you need to bookmark the recipe for when you’re in a pinch, and really, when is anyone not?
NEW: Watch me make this Farro on YouTube!
The thing is, it totally fit the dinner bill when we needed it to but I wasn’t as crazy about it as I should have been. It was… soft. The sauce seemed a little gummy. I had barely finished my second bite when I became obsessed, yes, actually preoccupied to the point of sickness, with making the dish with farro instead. Farro, a variety of wheat grain (here’s a fantastic guide I found to more) that that has a meaty chew I find appealing in salads, soups, faux-risottos and more, isn’t bad the way it is usually cooked — in water, maybe with a pinch of salt — but it’s hard to argue it wouldn’t benefit from a more complex flavor base. To wit, you rarely see farro dishes or salads that don’t include at least one sweet thing (dried fruit or roasted-until-sweet vegetables), one bright thing (vinegar, lemon juice or a bit of pickled onion), one salty thing (crumbled feta, ricotta salata or anchovies), one crunchy thing (usually toasted nuts) and a good helping of a fat, usually olive oil, and if you’re lucky, all of the above. But imagine if farro arrived from its saucepan already perfectly balanced and ready to eat?
It would be something of a weeknight miracle. This is the kind of rare dream of a dish that we made once and immediately added to our permanent, laminated, framed, forever and ever repertoires. In a single week, we had it three times — three! — and not a single person at the table (yes, picky 3.5-year old included) tired of it. This is a dream-come-true of a grain preparation — it requires little work, little forethought (I mean, isn’t there always an onion and some freakishly ne’er-rotting tomatoes around?) and it makes an almost complete meal. One night, we had it with roasted sausages. Another night, I had it with a poached egg on top. I can’t wait to hear what you do with it next.
One year ago: Peach Pie
Two years ago: Charred Corn Tacos with Zucchini-Radish Slaw
Three years ago: Thai-Style Chicken Legs and Peach Blueberry Cobbler with Cornmeal Drop Biscuits
Four years ago: Lemony Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza and Best Birthday Cake
Five years ago: Chocolate Sorbet
Six years ago: Red Bean Chili
One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes
Inspired by Martha Stewart Living
In case I have not gasped about my new favorite dish enough, here, let me continue: It cooks in one pot and tastes like you worked all day on it. When you put the ingredients in, you will surely think, “This is too much onion!” because it looks that way. Trust me that in 30 minutes simmering time, that onion becomes the foundation of a dreamy loose tomato sauce whose flavors root deeply into each farro bite. Finished with a swirl of olive oil, scattering of basil and sprinkling of parmesan, if you’re like us, you’ll barely be into your second bite before plotting to make it again tomorrow.
On a Farro 101 note, the trickiest thing in writing this recipe was considering the different types of farro (from an Italian wheat strain known as emmer) available — as well as misconceptions, such as the notion that it can be used interchangeably with spelt. (It cannot, as spelt can take hours.). Farro comes whole/unpearled, semi-pearled (semi-perlato) and pearled (perlato); pearling describes how much of the exterior bran is removed, but packages are not always labeled. If your package says it will cook in less than 15 minutes, it’s probably pearled; if it takes around 30 minutes, it’s probably semi-pearled. And if it takes 60 to 80 minutes, it is whole or unpearled. [To make it even more confusing, I’ve been using the Rustichella d’Abruzzo brand, which labels it as “whole farro” but it is indeed semi-pearled, which is why cooking times are the best way to decipher which kind you have.] This recipe will work for all three versions (there are multiple comments below noting results for each, as well as quinoa, couscous, and even rice, just do a word search [Cntrl + f] to find the grain you’re looking to swap) but I’ve defaulted to semi-pearled below, which I find most frequently in stores. In all cases, if your package gives you a different cooking time than the 30 minutes suggested below, default to it instead. Questions? Ask away and I will, as always, heh, do my best to feign expertise.
Serves: 4 as a side, 2 as a hearty main
2 cups water
1 cup (updated) semi-pearled farro (see Note above for farro types)
1/2 large onion (I usually use a white one, for mildness)
2 cloves garlic
9 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt
Up to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Few basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
Grated parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Place water and farro in a medium saucepan to presoak (I find just 5 to 10 minutes sufficient) while you prepare the other ingredients. Adding each ingredient to the pot as you finish preparing it, cut onion in half again, and very thinly slice it into quarter-moons. Thinly slice garlic cloves as well. Halve or quarter tomatoes. Add salt, pepper flakes (to taste) and 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan, and set a timer for 30 minutes. Bring uncovered pan (no lid necessary) up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. When the timer rings, the farro should be perfectly cooked (tender but with a meaty chew), seasoned and the cooking water should be almost completely absorbed. If needed, though I’ve never found it necessary, cook it for 5 additional minutes, until farro is more tender.
Transfer to a wide serving bowl. If there’s enough leftover cooking liquid to be bothersome, simply use a slotted spoon to leave the amount you wish to behind. Drizzle farro lightly with additional olive oil, scatter with basil and parmesan. Eat immediately. Repeat tomorrow.
thank you! lovely recipe and pictures. you are my inspiration, smitten kitchen!
This looks fantastic, and very timely. Could quinoa be substituted for farro, if I wanted to test it out tonight?
If using quinoa or another grain, use the recommended cooking time and water level for that grain.
I would like to try to make this, but instead of using tomatoes, I have a bottle tomato sauce that’s just strained tomatoes and salt… If I use that would I cut back the amount of liquid? Thanks so much this looks fantastic
I’m not sure — I’ve never tested it with canned tomatoes. It might need less liquid but I’m not absolutely certain.
Love the recipe farro is such a hard grain to cook with! I cannot wait to try!!!
I have made this now many times and it is always spectacular. I love how adaptable it is, too. My favorite thing to do is to add a couple generous handfuls of baby greens, usually spinach or kale or arugula, after I’ve turned off the stove and they wilt quickly into the delicious dish. And just my opinion, but grated cheese is never optional. I also found a great source on Amazon for Canadian whole grain farro. It takes a little bit longer to cook, so I cook it by itself for about 15 minutes before I add it to the one pot recipe to finish cooking. More nutrients and fiber, yay! It’s worth it to me to barely dirty a second pot. A squeeze or two of lemon at the table is also a favorite thing to do.
This is happening tonight because I just so happen to have the ingredients in and it looks beautiful! Yum. :)
Yes please to the ease of a one-pot meal. Such a summery dish!
I’ve never had farrow before. Now, I’m eager to give it a try. This does sound like it would be a good dish. I get that about available veggies. I just love this time of year because to the abundance of really good fresh stuff.
I love to make this for breakfast and top it with 2 eggs. Such a good way to start the day!
Maren G: I am making this today to have for dinner tonight and then lunches or another dinner during the week. I was also thinking about adding an egg! Thanks for noting you’d done that!! Have a great day!
Ok I’m going to try this with Quinoa. Sounds delicious!
A perfect dish for meatless Monday at our house. With many of these types of grains we like to cook in veg. broth to give a little more depth w/o overpowering.
Thanks for another great recipe!
Oooh this looks amazing! I’ve never used farro but it looks so good.
Can barley be substituted?
I prepared the tomatoes, onions, and garlic and froze them in a plastic bag for a later date. After eating that version of one pot farro vs cutting the ingredients fresh and cooking, I think the frozen version was much more flavorful. And in comparison, the fresh version felt a lot more acidic. Hot tip! (Or cold tip!)
Did you cook the vegetables before freezing, or did you freeze them uncooked?
Should the pan be covered with a lid while cooking/simmering? Thanks!
Nope. It can be/should be uncovered.
Looks incredible, I just ‘discovered’ farro this winter and I love it!
this looks delicious! xx
Is the cooking time for semi-pearled?
The estimate is for semi-pearled, which seems the most common.
I can’t get farro here; can you suggest a hearty sub? Brown rice?
Elizabeth — What can you get? Do you get any grains like wheat berries, barley, etc.? Because it will work with others. For brown rice or another grain, as I mentioned in Comment #4, just adjust the water level and cooking time to what the package of that grain suggests.
I substituted Freekeh (may also be labelled as Farik or Frikeh) for Farro.
With cherry tomatoes coming in Thursday’s CSA box, this will surely be their destiny. I always cook my farro in the pressure cooker. If this recipe translates, wow, just wow.
Thoughts on using pearled barley, given the farro cooking note above?
Looks divine! :) I’ve never had farro, but I think I really want to try this one! Thanks!
This totally reminds me of a lovely dinner I had at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. They served a piece of pan seared salmon on the side and it made the loveliest dinner.
Thanks for the recipe, I will surely make it soon with or without the salmon…
I can’t wait to serve this up for dinner (or lunch) on the Cape. People are going to go crazy!
Looks like a perfect weeknight meal. I always get the wheat berries and farro in my cabinet confused, so this may end up being a wheat berry dish, hah.
Deb, you are a mind reader! I just discovered Martha’s one-pot pasta recipe, fell in love with it, so deeply in love that I danced a little jig and wondered aloud (to myself) “how many times can I make this in a week before my husband notices?” Thanks for taking the plunge on a variation!
Looks great–love one-pot anything. BTW, made a great salad with your pickled slaw, farro (coated with some olive oil after cooking), feta, and chick peas.
Yum. I haven’t cooked with farro a whole lot, but this dish will definitely be making the list.
I did something very similar as a cold salad last week- onion and garlic in with the farro, fresh tomatoes, basil and cucumber after it was chilled. My husband was surprised he liked it, so I’m confident that this new twist on farro will be a welcome addition to my repertoire. Thank you!
Is it good at room temperature? I’m always looking for great (and easy) recipes that are good to make ahead and serve at room temperature.
I think I could smell the perfume of this dish through my wi-fi. I’m a sucker for tomato sauces of all types, and this weekend I spent two days grilling massive amounts of roma tomatoes, garlic and peppers to make paste, which was then frozen. I think your dish also would be fabulous with freekeh — roasted green wheat. Have you tried it? I made a lovely stuffing with sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata for game hens with it, recently. Once again, inspired by your photos and recipes. Off to the kitchen.
This sounds absolutely perfect! And I am a complete lover and obsessor of all things one-pot for weekinght dinners. You’re so right too – too often one-pot dishes end up mushy and gummy, so to find a dish like this – I couldn’t be happier! Thanks!
This looks so amazing. I thought I’d make it for a potluck this week, but I see you say to eat it immediately. Do you think this dish would travel well?
I love the look of this and can’t wait to try it! Lovely, as always!
I have never cooked with farro before, thank you for the pearled/whole explanation and a one pot/stovetop meal. Do you need to rinse it first? (like quinoa or rice)
Have some farro sitting in my cupboard and this would be a great way to use it. Might add some pan sauteed lemon shrimp to top it off too!
deb, the 9 oz of tomatoes — by weight or volume? my farmer’s market had an AWESOME special on cherry/grape/sungold/funny little yellow tomatoes yesterday so I have several pints lying around now — this will be perfect!
I have a farro I bought at Trader Joe’s that I haven’t worked with yet, but says that it cooks in less than 10 minutes. Would that be a terrible thing to use with this? WOuld the farro cook way too soon for the tomatoes and onions to break down?
I have used the Trader Joe’s 10 min Farro and it was great!
Did either of you adjust the directions from Deb’s recipe in a meaningful way for the TJ’s farro? TIA!!
I’ve made it with TJ’s 10-minute farro as well as longer-cooker farros with no adjustments and it’s great either way! If you’re worried about the tomatoes cooking down, you could just chop them finer or maybe put them in before the farro, but I haven’t had any issue with the recipe as is.
I have done this with TJ’s 10 Minute farro & only had a regular tomato which I sliced and quartered. I also used TJ’s grated parmesan as I had no block to grate myself. It was wonderful and I can foresee easily adding leftover proteins anytime that sounded good. It is a great option for a quick and healthy dinner that does no require standing over the stove.
Hi There! I have the 10 minute farro and just trying to clarify – it sounds like the adjustment you all made was to just cook it for the 10 minutes instead of Deb’s recommended 30 minutes for semi-pearled and that the 10 minutes was sufficient for the rest of the ingredients as well? Is that right?
I love this dish and have made it many times. I use whole farro, so I cook it separately for a half hour before adding it to the other ingredients. What I would do, if your farro cooks in 10 minutes, is cook the tomatoes and onions for 20 minutes and then add the farro. I think if you just cook the whole thing for 10 minutes, the deliciousness you get from the softened onions and the tomatoes losing their raw taste would be lost. Also, just a tip, this is a very easy recipe to add some greens at the end. I throw in at the last minute a handful of baby spinach or baby arugula or baby kale and it always adds extra nutrition and taste and texture to the dish.
This looks like the perfect weeknight dinner! I’m tempted to make it tonight, in fact. Think it would work with other types of tomatoes that are on the edge – Roma, in particular? or would they get too mushy?
Thank you so much for tonight’s dinner inspiration! I was just sitting here wondering what I could make that was healthy, wholesome, filling and most importantly QUICK AND EASY! I will most likely try it with quinoa as that is what I have on hand!
This sounds divine! I can’t wait to try it. I saw the Martha recipe too, and was intrigued but somewhat skeptical. Farro is the answer.
I made the one pan pasta too and I really wanted to like it but I think I had it in my head that it would make a starchy tomato sauce, not a starchy sauce with tomatoes. This on the other hand sounds perfect for using some of the many tomatoes threatening to crush me.
How many would you say this serves, as a main course (maybe topped with an egg or something else small and proteiny)?
briliant! i, too, thought the pasta version was gummy and soft. i can’t wait to try this!
Have never been a fan of raw onions. Would sautéing them lightly with the garlic in the olive oil, and then proceeding wih the rest of the ingredients work? I love your recipes & blog. thanks!
I love farro, and I wanted to let people know that it is sometimes listed as emmer wheat. Specifically through Azure Standard.
The cherry tomatoes are just ripening in the garden ….. can’t wait to try. Thank you for another great recipe.
This looks amazing! Love the tomatoes added to this!!!
Have you seen the 10-minute grains at Trader Joes? They have “Ten-minute Quinoa” and “Ten-minute Farro”. Really great to use when you want the meaty grains but don’t have time to soak/cook them. Can’t wait to try this!
One pot dishes are my jam. Particularly the ones that look/taste like they took hours. I can’t wait to make this and see the look of shock on my boyfriend’s face when there are almost zero dirty dishes (I am a prodigious kitchen destroyer). Thanks Deb!
Right now I am hooked on millet, so will probably try it with that.
Does farro=wheat berries? I just tried wheat berries for the first time this week tossed with lightly sautéed zucchini and red bell pepper, then when serving chunked in an avocado and dressed with olive oil/ lemon juice. The wheat berries took about an hour simmer. Thanks for the inspiration!
Farò and wheat berries are different, but as other comments said, you could substitute and follow cooking items.
I love the idea of using sausage. How did you add the sausage into the dish? Did you cook it separately, or is there any way to incorporate it into the single pot preparation? I love sausage risotto, and this seems like a perfect alternative!
This sounds wonderful, as all of your recipes do. I must say I was most tickled that you referred to yourself as a “domestic diva”! This is a term that my friends and I often use :)
I thought the one-pan pasta was going to be disappointing…until I added the freshly grated parmesan. That made all the difference for us. We use wheatberries for a variety of vegie salads; I’ll have to try them this way. Thanks!
Thank you! I made Martha’s one-pan meal last week for my family. I liked it, but couldn’t put my finger on why I didn’t love it. This might make the recipe perfect. Now, if my picky 6 year old will try it.
This reminds me of a South Indian classic I grew-up on. You quickly cook the onions, tomatoes, and spices into a sauce and then cook the rice in the same pot. Like this, but with fresh tomatoes: http://www.indiansimmer.com/2010_11_01_archive.html
I’m sure farro makes for a more filling and wholesome dish!
I only discovered farro recently, and man did I fall in love. I’ll have to try this!
Since the Martha recipe takes only 9 min to break down once the water is boiling, I am hopeful that Trader Joes quick cooking farro will work. Will try this week since I have tons of cherry tomatoes in my garden.
I love farro and have some. However, I want to bring it to a potluck later this week and several of my friends cannot have gluten. Therefore, I will make it with quinoa, as others have already said that they will.
I adore farro dishes, and the chew is what keeps me coming back! Such a strong texture that holds its own in almost any dish? YES PLEASE!
I suspect the main reason people are confused is that the Italians use “farro” for several related grains, including both emmer and spelt (aka. dinkel), so using the cooking time to figure out if you have the right one (“medio”) is a good idea :)
So can we use the semi-pearled version? Ours is a 10-minute farro.
I’ll definitely bookmark this one.
I really really want to make this tonight, but all I have on hand is Trader Joe’s 10 minute farro. Will that be enough time for everything else to meld?
I have to share this with my sister because I bought her some farro, since she orders it every time we see it on a menu. We had so many great ideas, but couldn’t decide what to make! I think this will be simple and fast enough for our first farro recipe. Thanks!
I know a certain box of farro that has been neglected in the far depths of the pantry that will be very excited by this recipe.
Hi Deb – I was just watching Martha’s Cooking School episode last night on whole grains and it inspired me to stretch my whole grain cooking. And now this is just what I needed! I’ve been experimenting with farro, wheat berries, quinoa, etc. and love making grain salads and just getting comfortable with throwing things together. It is all delicious and I’m looking forward to trying your recipe. It looks amazing and I’m so happy it sounds easy! Thank you!
My favorite local bistro had a farro risotto on their menu that I would go nuts for- alas their menu changes every year and this year did not bring back my favorite. It looks similar and has the bright cherry tomato flavor (just wilted) but also has corn kernels, lemon zest and juice and basil. I will have to try and recreate that using your base. Cannot wait! Thanks for reading our stomachs as always Deb :)
This sounds so amazing, but my picky husband will not eat anything with tomatoes. (I know, right??) Any substitution suggestions?
Isn’t this just like farro risotto where stock is replaced by water? Or isn’t most risotto “one pot”? I guess it’s a healthier, low fat version of it. Surely looks Delish.
That looks so wonderfully tomato-y! I need to try this. I’ve seen that Martha Stewart one-pot pasta popping up around the internet, but haven’t yet gotten around to trying it, partially/precisely because of the amount of onions! (And my fiancée’s extreme onion aversion.) Thanks for putting my worries about the onions to rest– onions that form the foundation of a “dreamy” tomato sauce?! I’m all over that.
I have not cooked farro before, but this sounds very tasty- how many servings will this recipe make?
Servings — I’d say 4 with something else (sausages or the like) and 2 for a generous main dish.
Mandy — Farro risottos usually have a broth, instead of a water, and it’s stirred in a ladleful at a time. You usually start by sauteeing the onion or garlic with butter or olive oil, then add the dry grain, brown that a little, before adding the liquid. Then it’s finished with cheese and sometimes more butter or oil. So, it’s richer. And more work. This has a similar effect.
Elaine — Peppers, maybe?
TJ’s 10-Minute Farro — You know, I’d wanted to audition this stuff but didn’t get a chance. I think it should work fine, however, because in the pasta version, the onions and tomatoes only cook for 9 minutes after they begin simmering and get plenty mellow and cooked. I’d wait until the water started simmering, then set the timer for 10 minutes. Use only the amount of water recommended on the package.
Nila — That sounds delicious!
RissBee — It was definitely tongue-in-cheek. If you all don’t believe me, I’ll be forced to share photos of my fridge/current state of closet/hair/etc.
Julie — We did grilled/roasted sausages on the side.
Mary Jo and others with questions about wheat berries versus farro versus spelt — I’m not an expert, but as far as I can gather, they’re from different but related wheat varieties (durum, emmer, etc.). Wheatberries and spelt will both take a while to cook (an hour is the usual estimate); farro takes less time. I am sure they could taste good here, but they’d be more work.
Ruth — The onions will not be raw when you’re done, but simmered for 30 minutes in water and sauce, i.e. as mild as could be. As I mention in the headnotes, it will look like a lot of onions but not taste like it in the end.
Lisa — I’m sure other tomatoes would work. They’ll probably fall apart more; be more sauce-y in the end.
badger reader — I don’t rinse it but most people would tell you that you should.
Stephanie — I think it would travel well but it tastes better warm than cold. For a cold version, I’d make a salad, and sub in some summer roasted vegetables for the butternut here.
Kath — Room temperature is fine, I think, but I think it tastes better warm than cold.
I think we’re going to have to try this tonight!
I’ve been using the 10-minute farro from Trader Joe’s (I know, I know, it’s probably not as good-for-you as the real stuff, but, really, sometimes 10 minutes means making dinner sounds that much more appealing). But I think this recipe might be the impetus I need to seek out and use the real stuff. thanks, as always, for the inspiration!
This is happening tonight at my house with some mild Italian sausage! It’s perfect!
Love love love Farro and it’s so good for you!
Now I’m singing “farro, farro, whoa whoa, let my people go, yeah yeah yeah yeah…” (from the church camp song Pharaoh Pharaoh–you can google it.)
I’m sorry.
For that transgression, I’ll be sure to make this dish. It looks so good.
I sang the same thing in my head!! 😂
SO excited about this! We are eating from the pantry this week and I have an abundance of cherry tomatoes from the garden. Can’t wait to try this tonight!!! Thank you! :)
He is so cute, I could die. Good job being 3.5, sir. xox
I totally sympathize with the need to take short-cuts sometimes, but I just want to say to all the people asking about Trader Joe’s 10-Minute Farro, I wouldn’t use it for anything if you can help it. And if you have never had real farro, the TJ’s version resembles it about as much as instant mashed potatoes does real mashed potatoes. I hate sounding like a huge snob: I used to use the TJ’s frozen brown rice and thought it was pretty good, but in my opinion, their farro is not worth it: really mushy, very little flavor.
I totally agree. Regular farro is so much better! I love almost everything from TJ’s, but not this. :(
Looks perfect and a great dinner! Going to try this with all the tomatoes we’re growing, can’t wait!
That sounds neat!
Do you think it could be made with buckwheat, by the way? I’m usually not the type to read a recipe and immediately try to replace things with other things, but, well, I have this bag of buckwheat sitting in my cupboard, and I found out that I’m not crazy about how it tastes plain, so I like the idea of incorporating it in something like this.
Yael — As I mentioned in earlier commments, I see no reason other grains cannot be used, but I’d default to their recommended cooking times and water levels, rather than that of farro, listed here.
I had to try this as soon as I saw this post. Only, surprisingly, I didn’t have any tomatoes lying around. I decided to use 2 cups of Pomi tomato sauce in place of the water, and the end result was awesome. I also added some spinach at the end. Thanks for the recipe!
Curious if I could use romas? Probably just chop them chunky instead of halved so they break down faster? I can’t wait to try this! I’ve never had farro and now I’m so intruiged!
Sounds great and seems very easy to make plus one pot cooking, the best!! Since I have Sweet 100 tomatoes ripening on the vine so this is what I’ll make for dinner tonight. But will substitute black rice as I can’t eat farro. YUM!
I made this last night with pasta. For the doubters, I am chiming in to say the onion and garlic soften in the boiling water. I could not discern the sliced onion from the noodles. The key is the magic combination of fresh basil, good quality olive oil, garlic, fresh tomatoes, and freshly grated parmesan. The essence of summer. I found myself thinking of this dish a couple of hours after eating, wanting more. So good.
This looks beautiful! Your dishes always look so elegant but so easy at the same time. Love it!
Have been reading your blog for a while now and I have tried a few recipes; they are always delicious! This looks equally mouthwatering and is next on my list to try!
FYI Deb, the Martha Stewart one-dish pasta is AMAZING! Made it last week and it is seriously great.
Yes, I was wondering the same thing. Should the pan be covered while the favor is cooking? Thanks!
I read this at 3:30 and by 4:30 was at the grocers to pick up farro. Its cooked now, and it is fabulous. I haven’t even dressed it yet as we’re not quite ready to eat yet. I was a little worried about the lack of spices, but I shouldn’t have doubted you.
I couldn’t find regular farro today, so I had to use the pearled. It called for using 3 cups water and cooking for 15 minutes. I skipped the soaking stage, stuck with the 2 cups water and cooked it for the 30 minutes in your original. (Actually, I tasted it at 15 and then every 5 minutes after, but in the end it took the 30 exactly. I also kept an eye on the water, but 2 cups was perfect.) So, if anyone needs to use pearled farro, go for it. It may take less adjustment than you think.
I love that this is one pan! Nothing says ‘make me’ like one pot dinners. Such a big timesaver not having to do extra dishes! And tomatoes…I love them so much, anytime of year, especially now. Looks wonderful, Deb!
Hi! This recipe looks absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing! I just have a question: do you think it is possible to replace the farro by Bulgur?
Thanks a lot for your help!
Totally making this tonight for dinner, can’t wait!
Wow, this looks so delicious! I’ve never eaten farro, but I’ve read a few recipes around the blogosphere (this one included) that have completely convinced me that I need to try it! Thanks for this lovely recipe. And yep, I’m new here… I’ve heard so much about Smitten Kitchen and it’s completely warranted! Gorgeous recipes, Deb xx
Had to make this for dinner tonight. I don’t have farro but I do have barley. This was incredibly easy and so delicious. This will definitely join the repertoire.
So yum!! I love the idea of cooking farro in a delicious broth!
Wow! That looks so easy and awesome! Thanks Deb! One question: how do you think this would be with brown rice? Or quinoa, or such like? And do you really just cook everything all together? Is this some sort of supernatural phenomenon?
Delighted that some people have already made it!
I added a clear direction about not needing a lid, so there’s no more confusion.
Oh man. I am definitely going to email this link to myself-I prefer it over bookmarking, because then when I’m at the grocery store I can check my email and find all the ingredients. Fascinating, I know, and I’m sure you care :)
But this really does look fantastic.
Read the recipe at work and decided to make it for dinner tonight. Served it with Kielbasa — delicious. Wasn’t sure whether to cover when cooking or leave open –so half covered (when in doubt – punt) for the first 15 minutes and then uncovered. My husband loved it, but wanted to know what farro was. We’ll have this again.
A one pot dish – yes, please! I need to get this recipe into our arsenal since we do vegetarian one – two times a week. Thanks. Billy.
I made this tonight, and instead of half an hour it took 80 minutes before the liquid was absorbed and the farro was cooked! Flavor was surprisingly rich considering there was no broth involved, but next time I’ll try this in the pressure cooker to speed up the cooking time.
thinking ahead to the winter… would canned tomatoes work? if so it might be the perfect pantry meal.
alex — Probably! I’d drain them a little so they don’t make it too wet. You could actually use some of the tomato water/puree from the can in the place of some of the water, for a tomato sauce-ier dish.
Emily — Oh no! Did you see on the package what kind of farro you had? I tried to cover all bases, but obviously missed one.
Damn it, I love this site.
Haha, agreeing with comment 106 right now. Totally wanna make this ASAP.
Was super excited to see this recipe because I had some grape tomatoes that needed to be used ASAP. I did use the TJ’s ten minute farro and set the timer as soon as it started to simmer. It was delicious.
Just like Cara above, I could only get the pearled stuff at my local supermarket. Followed the recipe for non-pearled, except added the cup of farro after everything else (stuck with the 2 cups of water, ignoring my packet instructions) and it took 30 minutes exactly. Eating, very happily, this second. With goat cheese instead of parmesan, and a glass of wine. Happy.
I am hoping to try this soon with wheat berries, do you think the cook time will be the same? We are farmers, and while we didn’t plant wheat this year my husband will be custom harvesting some. We usually have a few 5 gallon buckets of wheat hanging around and it is nice having handy recipes for whole wheat berries instead of just flour.
It’s cooking now…we have a local farmer who grows farro (emmer) so had some left-over from our csa last Fall. Had to double it as we’re feeding 3 teenage girls who are starving all the time. Also used Walla Walla sweets in season and fresh garlic. Too early for tomatoes here in the west coast Washington, so had to live with the California imports. Thanks, Deb. Have been a fan for years. Come out and visit Whidbey Island sometime!
How do you think this would freeze? Wondering if I can use up some tomatoes and freeze for later in the summer.
I love your recipes!
re: one pan farro; used whole foods bulk farro; took 40 minutes total on timer.
thanks.
What do you think of adding navy beans- just at the end, to warm through- to round it out as a meal?
I just made this with shallots (didn’t have onion around) and pearled farro. It’s so delicious that I burned my tongue because I couldn’t wait for it to cool down.
This is incredible. I just made a baby batch with polenta (’twas all I had on hand), and I now know what I will be surviving off of during med school. A million thank you’s!
Every good thing ( ONIONS!!!! tomatoes! farro, or something) and mere minutes to deliciousness? In one pan? Assuming I scarf it down right from the pan with my stirring spoon (who could wait?) this is also a miraculous saver of dishwashing time, energy and even soap! Once again you have outdone yourself, and this should bring in a whole new audience of readers- Smitten Kitchen’s not just for “foodies” anymore… you now will have legions of “time-management” and “efficiency” people all agog!
We had all the ingredients on hand and made this tonight! I added left over roasted chicken, some crushed fennel seed, and fresh tarragon. It was so good. I was skeptical of the pasta version of this that I’ve seen floating around Pinterest and Facebook, but for grains like farro, it’s perfect!
I made this with pearl barley tonight and it was a hit. A gentle simmer is a tricky thing on an electric stove and I think if I had been more successful at finding that, 30 minutes would have done the trick. I ended up at more like 45 minutes. I used 3 cups of water, as that’s the suggested ratio for barley. This is definitely going in the rotation. Thanks!
Hi Deb — My farro was from the bulk bin at our local food coop, and I know they go through inventory quickly, so I’m sure it wasn’t old… Looks like lots of posters here are saying that their pearled farro took 30 minutes, which makes me assume mine was whole. When I looked up the Rustichella farro you said you have been using, their site says it is semi-pearled — http://www.markethallfoods.com/products.php?product=Farro-from-Rustichella-d'Abruzzo. So I’m guessing that truly unpearled farro just takes much longer than either the pearled or semi-pearled versions…
Just made this tonight, it was amazing. Paired it with a fried egg and I was one happy camper. Thank you for sharing this!
Hi Deb! Loved the recipe, but I had the same issue that Emily did (comment 103). I used whole farro from the bulk bins at Whole Foods. Incredibly flavorful result, but still pretty al dente even after letting it simmer for close to 80 minutes, much like Emily’s experience. Otherwise, I followed your recipe to the letter. Any thoughts? Thanks for sharing!
Deb, this looks delicious! . . . now, I’m going a little off-topic . . . last night I made your Corn Risotto-Stuffed Poblanos from your book. They were delicious! I had a little extra risotto after stuffing my peppers and gobbled it all up while waiting for the peppers to bake! THANK YOU! Your recipes have never failed me! Every one has been absolutely perfect! ! !
Oh . . . I forgot to mention the cheese vendor at the local farmer’s market only had smoked Monterey Jack so I used that instead and it added an extra lovely smokiness . . . YUM!
I made this tonight with quinoa and it turned out great! Mine needed more time for the water to absorb but the flavors were a nice blend. Next time I’m going to try adding sun dried tomatoes and maybe sausage or beans, just to experiment. Thanks for the method!
I SO love farro! During summertime I’m all about quick and healthy whole grains meals and this sounds delicious…plus, there’s an overwhelming of tomatoes right now here in Italy and I’m always looking for new recipes to include them into!
Thanks Deb :)
xo, Elisa
This looks wonderful. I’ve never cooked with farro before so I intend to give this a try. Thanks for the inspiration!
I almost didn’t read this post because I thought not farro again. What’s so great about farro but by the end of it you convinced me – I think it’s the copious amounts of onion that won me over. Now if I can just get round to buying some farro I will definitely have to make this dish.
Intrigued. Which obviously means a trip to a supermarket….
I really should try farro. It looks like wheat berries.
This looks absolutely gorgeous. I can’t wait to try it. I’m sure I have farro in the cupboard somewhere and definitely sure I have the rest of those ingredients! Yay pantry cooking.
Deb, I am a long time occasional reader of your blog ( circa 2006) but I have never commented until now. I’ve just purchased your 1st cookbook at Waterstone’s here in the UK. It is such a lovely cookbook. I just wanted to write and tell you. Tell your mother that I have made her Apple Cake many times and it is my favourite apple cake to use. I made it on my blog quite some time ago in October 2008.
We were discussing how best to cook farro at work last week! I’ve never used it. I am glad you have done some leg work for me finding a good recipe to try! All the best to you!
I never cooked with farro before, but this dish looks SO good!
Some days you need a one-pan dish, but I run out of ideas sometimes so thank you, I look forward to making this! : )
This might sound stupid but you put the farro ,water, onions, garlic and tomatoes all together in the same pot to cook? after you soak farro?
Deb, directly under your recipe title in the body of the post:
“In case I have no gasped about my new favorite dish enough,” I think you want the word – not –
I am going to pick up farro at the natural food store today! :)
Deb, thank you for posting this! I also tried the Martha Stewart pasta version and was not satisfied. It was way too gummy for me (and leftovers were inedible). The flavor was wonderful, the texture didn’t work. So I am ecstatic to have an alternative! Thank you, thank you!
I’d never heard of farro before, but it looks just like the orzo pasta, doesn’t it? Also looks just like the “Bird’s Tongue Soup” that we were served – several times – in Egypt last month! Will look for this grain.
Enjoy your web site very much –
Hello can we have a Pinterest link?
(I’ll do this recipe with brown rice. Looks great! Tomatoes are coming on here now).
I made this last night for my husband after I had squirrelled away farro in the cupboard for months, wondering what to do with it. His words were “why haven’t we been eating this more often?”
Delicious, thank you!
I also feel like I need more grain in my summer diet and I’ve toyed with farro – which is nice since it cooks so quickly. I love the one pot method.
This was wonderful and so easy. I only wish farro didn’t cost $5 a package (Whole Foods). I used Thai basil, yummm.
Do you think adding canned (drained) white beans would work in this? When would you add them? Going to try it tonight.
Just made this with pearl barley and it is perfect Couldn’t wait for the family to come home, so am trying it now! Added yellow peppers, spring greens and some sun dried tomatoes as well. With the pearl barley, I added a little extra water, and boiled it in the pot for ten minutes before adding the rest and cooking for 30 minutes. It came out cooked just right. Thank you so much for this recipe. It is kind of like a mexican dry soup that you cook with rice, but I had not thought of trying with different grains.
I’ve never tried farro! I want to. I wonder if it’s anything like bulgur wheat. Either way, it looks great.
What (if any) modifications would you suggest if doubling or tripling the recipe for a crowd? Thanks.
Wendy — Just double everything; the cooking time should be the same.
Rosie — You could serve this with any kind of protein. You could also mix in some white beans so to keep with the one-pot dinner.
Brooke — See above, you beat me to it! I think white beans would be wonderful here.
rn — There is a “Pin” link at the bottom of each post before the comments begin. It will take you to a bookmarklet that will allow you to pin any image.
leslie — All in one pot. You’re going to be soaking the farro as you prep the other ingredients. It allows you to build the soaking time into your prep, hopefully making the recipe more seamless.
Rachel and others that used Whole Foods bulk bins farro — So, I’m thinking that the farro I used, in hindsight, must have had the bran lightly scratched so that even though it wasn’t semi-pearled or unpearled, etc., it was still labelled “whole farro,” it probably had a quicker cooking time than farro with the bran fully intact. [Update: This is indeed the case. So sorry for the confusion. My stuff is indeed labelled “whole farro.”]
Here’s something you can do to speed it up: I’ve read a bit about “cracking” the grain, pulsing it in the food processer oh-so-briefly to create a “cracked farro,” that will cook in half the time (estimate I’ve read). It will not have those big meaty pearls of grain, but it shouldn’t be mush either. Or, you could just make a bigger batch at the start of the week if you’d enjoy eating it more than once after all of that cooking time; it reheats well.
Evee — Wheatberries take, I understand, about an hour to cook, sometimes longer.
This looks really tasty. I would like to add some protein — fish, seafood or chicken, perhaps. Do you have any recommendations?
BTW, I love your cookbook and have tried several recipes. The blog is great as well. Thank you for making these delicious treats so easily available.
wow!! This looks really delicious! I will definitely make it for dinner sometime soon
bookmarked, because well, my whole life is in “a pinch”…
Made this for dinner last night. Absolutely amazing!! I love farro, its texture is always so appealing to me. Because I’m obsessed with garlic I doubled up on that. Delicious. I’m resisting the urge to take a spoon to it cold for breakfast right now..
Made it last night with pearled as they only had the pearled kind at the store. Since it was bulk with no instruction I did like another reader – followed same directions as you give in the recipe, and it was a little watery but cooked perfect!
Served it with baked meatballs made with sage, the other half of the onion, garlic and Parmesan. It was perfect :-)
This looks delicious. I have had trouble finding Farro in the past. I found a great substitute called Cavena Nuda ( AKA Rice of the Prairies ). Similar taste and consistency. Thanks for the recipe.
This looks fantastic!!! But I am guessing that the bags of “10 minute Faro” I bought at T.J.’s would not work right?
Thanks!!!
I almost always use the 10 minute TJ farro! It’s great – you just need to cut down the cooking time. It’s ready once the water is absorbed.
I made this last night! I could only find pearled farro at the grocery store, which called for 3 cups of water to cook 1 cup of farro. I found it was wayyy too much liquid, and despite trying to cook it off I ended up scooping out about a cup of tomato-y broth water. It was a really good meal, though! Thanks!
you could probably make this with buckwheat for a gluten free version
A nice simple dish. Farro can be hard to find (Whole Foods has it). A lovely hardy summer dish, love all the fresh ingredients.
My default quick weeknight meal is couscous – but I think this could become a serious contender. Will definitely give it a try.
Made this last night for Meatless Monday. Served it along side a spinach salad and a piece or garlic bread. I cooked the farro in 2 cups of vegetable broth, even though the package said 3 cups, and it turned out just great! My boyfriend went back for seconds. I omitted the basil and didn’t miss it. Will definitely be making this again and again!
Just want to say the minute I saw this yesterday, I had to have it. I made it with the Trader Joe’s 10 minute farro, since that’s what I had in the pantry, and it came out great; my whole family loved it. After bringing to a boil, I simmered the ten minutes, then I actually put the lid on and took the pan off the heat while I finished cooking the rest of our dinner; it sat maybe another 10 minutes like that. It was perfect. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Farro is my favorite whole grain, keep ’em coming!
How many servings does this make?
Farro is one of those grains that sits in my cupboard because I can never think of creative ways to use it. This recipe looks amazing! And I have all the ingredients already =)
This sounds great. But it’s about 1,000 degrees here and I only have a/c in the bedroom, so it sounds like a lovely fall dish. I’m subsisting on rotisserie chicken and strawberry maragaritas till the weather breaks.
I admit I haven’t tried many of your dishes because I am intimidated by the ingredient list sometimes. But I love reading your blog and have decided I can do it! This is my 4th dish to try and because of reading all the comments, I decided to try it with quinoa (because that is all I had). So good. The broth had so much flavor! I have a little bit leftover I will finish off tonight (but if I remember quinoa doesn’t reheat well). But do plan to try again and add some shrimp! Next time I am at Whole Foods, will get some Farro (new to me) and try it without modifications!
I also made this with quinoa last night (because of the shorter cooking time for the grain, I simmered the tomatoes/onions/garlic for about 15 minutes before replacing a splash of water and cooking the quinoa). Reheated like a boss in my office microwave today, too! I love every single thing you make on this site, but I think my favorites are these run-home-and-whip-it-up new dinner standbys–thanks for a new one!
Oh wow, this looks super yummy. I love a good one-pan meal – nothing i hate more than scrubbing pots!
For anyone like me living in the pucker brush and no access to many Interesting ingredients here is your answer, combined with Prime shipping it has been a lifesaver for me. Planning to make this dish today!
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Farro
I will have to try this with one of the grains I have on hand. I wonder also how well it would do in the oven. Not in this heat mind you, but if I wanted to make it for the holidays when every burner is doing double duty.
Mmm heaven on a plate!!!! It’s sooo hot here in NY and our a/c just broke so this is perfect!! I do not want to turn on the oven anytime soon :)
Nice recipe. Whole Grain Farro has a slightly longer cook time than pearled farro and 10 times the nutritional punch. Support local farms instead of purchasing imported farro – Bluebird Grain Farms has been growning organic Whole Grain Emmer Farro for over ten years… it is the most delicious and nutritious farro you will find, and you will be supporting a family farm.
I’ve had a small bag of farro for too long know because I can never decide to make with it. This looks great.
This is lovely. I must agree with others who have made the same comment. Have you eliminated your Good Reads links? I hope not.
All the best,BER
Thanks for the new recipe. I am wondering what happened to your “good reads” link. I have used that quite a bit and its not on the side bar; can you let us know if you dropped it? If so can you post the list one more time? I’ll make a copy. thanks!!
Eileen — The Good Reads were powered by Google Reader, a program that shut down July 1st. I’m looking for an alternative so I can put the page back up but haven’t found one yet.
i made it and we loved it…. thank you!
Deb, bravo! I made this last night and my husband and I polished it off. I substituted chicken stock for the water and couldn’t have been more in l-o-v-e with the finished dish. It was so good in fact that we didn’t even touch our wine until after the meal. More farro ideas please!!!
Deb,
can I use orzo instead of farro?
Thanks!
PS: I love your page! <3
Cy — To make it with orzo, I’d probably default to the Martha Stewart recipe it’s adapted from (linked in the post) which is intended for pasta, orzo being rice-shaped pasta.
I made this tonight because I happened to have everything on hand and its 11 billionty degrees on the east coast. I was worried it wouldn’t be full flavored enough but it was fabulous. Definitely one to keep in rotation. Especially for those days when you get home and don’t feel like cooking. The kids weren’t thrilled but they are goofy teenaged boys so not much else can be said.
Doubled the recipe to make sure there were leftovers, swapped out 1/2 the water for chicken broth and threw in a container of fresh mozzarella pearls at the end. It was fabulous. The teenager said it looked a bit like dinner oatmeal, in the best possible way.
I tried this recipe with Quinoa tonight and it was delish! It needed a bit more water and I let it sit with the lid on for a couple of minutes before serving. Very yummy!
This is tomato farrotto! It’s genius!
I will be making this over the weekend, and definitely like the egg on top idea!
What a great surprise! We received a package of farro in a gift basket and had no idea what to do with it. I thought you were exaggerating about making this so often, but this recipe will be a staple in our house. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Just made this tonight! Sadly, my basil wasn’t looking so hot, but I snipped some chives and it was delish!!! Thanks Deb for another winner!!
Thank you for looking into the longer cooking time issue! I might try it with semi-pearled farro in the future or the food processor method that you suggested in the future. Thanks again for being so diligent and digging into why some of us were having problems! You’re the best. :)
This was great! And easy! It sort of reminds me of a deconstructed, whole-grain pizza, minus the mozzarella. Speaking of which, I’m such a cheese hound that I wonder if this would benefit from either mozzarella or maybe a sharp cheese like ricotta salata. But this dish is so creamy already, maybe it doesn’t need it.
This cheese hound says YES to the ricotta salata! It was absolutely delicious! I also included a bay leaf and a couple of thyme sprigs in the simmering, because apparently, I do that more often than not to add another layer of flavor. Delicious! Another time I might layer this onto some baby spinach leaves or arugula. So flavorful!
I know you thought pasta was gummy, by I tried it with Fregola, bc I had that and no farro, and I thought it was great. I find that the Fregola, which is similar in size to farro, stays pretty al dente, and it’s hard to figure out what to do with it. Maybe the answer is to treat it more like a grain.
Made this last night and was SOOOO thrilled with it! So very easy and so very delicious! You were right! Excited to try this again maybe with quinoa to make it gluten free and with different proteins. (Poached egg? Yes please). Thank you for another gem!!
One pasta that doesn’t work well with this is brown rice pasta, which I tried after failing to locate farro in an underwhelming neighborhood store. It has a pretty short cooking time, and this method reduced it to brilliant gumminess! I’m going to try this again, as directed, once I find some farro :)
I love farro! This would even be great with orzo.
I tried TJs farro tonight and worked great, I think next time I’ll give the onions a head start and mix in some kale or spinach at the end.
Yum! Made this tonight and it was so good. I only had pearl barley, so extra water and longer cook time (about 50 min). Also, I had a bit of kale that I sliced thin and stirred in just after turning off the heat. Perfect. Thanks for such a good weeknight meal!
I absolutely love this idea! I too saw this recipe in Martha Stewart but was skeptical about the pasta taste/texture with this method. Farro = totally my jam! Can’t wait to try.
Trying this tonight with Pearl Barley instead of Farro. I can’t seem to find Farro here (Singapore) so hopefully it turns out well with the Pearl Barley. Will do as you recommend and follow the package cook time and water amounts for the Pearl Barley. Wish me luck :)
I made this last night but I did it in my rice cooker. It worked out perfectly. It was so good it had leftovers for a snack later!
This looks like summer to me… love all the colors. a must make this week!
Bookmarked! I like Frances’ idea of taking this one step further and making it in your rice-cooker – completely hands off!
Ohhh gorgeous! I love summer farro!
I love farro so much! I actually just had farro salad at this great vegetarian restaurant (as any vegetarian knows, that’s almost an oxymoron, so hard to find…) in Milan, Italy. It seems they just boiled the farro in salt. Once it cooled they added tomatoes, a ton of herbs (mint, basil, parsley) and a bit of olive oil. That’s it. Done! Simple Delicious Italian. Great for a hot summer day!
Oh my god I wanna eat this now and I’m still full from dinner! Do you think pearl barley would work?
We had this last night with a few tweaks — added kale and goat cheese, doubled the amount of tomatoes — and it was so amazingly good. Even if it had been twice as hard to make, it would have been worth it.
I made a tomato pesto and paired it with a lovely red Bordeaux wine.
YUM!!! We ate and are repeating!
This. Looks. Incredible. Thanks for sharing this!
I made the Martha Stewart recipe last week and was pretty happy with it. I do agree with your soft and gummy comments, but I guess it didn’t bother me too much. I’ve never cooked with farro, but I would like to try to this recipe soon. I’m all about the one-pot meals. Thanks!
Oh, this is going in the planner RIGHT NOW
How does the chewiness of farro compare with barley? Love the idea of it absorbing all the flavors though!
I find that farro stays chewier/firmer, but it might have more to do with the varieties of both I use.
I made this with quinoa last night, and was not very impressed. Had to add parmesan cheese and Tabasco green chili sauce to my plate. But after it sat overnight in the fridge, WOW! I could eat all the leftovers cold. But I showed restraint. I heated some up, and topped it with a perfect poached egg. Ah.
I read this post this morning and ran right out to buy some farro! This is on next week’s Meatless Monday menu! And another great use for the basil that’s taking over my garden!
I’m always looking for more ways to use farro! I fell in love with it in Italy and can’t get enough!
I saw this recipe, and immediately went on amazon to order some Farro, and tried to read carefully to make certain that it was “whole farro”. When it arrived it was pearled. I just tried this recipe, as written, and it seems fine to me! This is, of course my first try with farro, so I don’t have anything to compare it to!
I just had to comment that I’m obviously an onion addict. I rarely use less than a whole onion for any recipe, so no, this doesn’t look like too much onion at all.
I also made the Martha Stewart pasta and was disappointed. What I would do next time would actually be to double or triple the amount of tomatoes called for, cut the liquid, and add a splash of wine.
I love farro, and wheatberries, etc, etc, and I love to use farro in lieu of rice for the tomato/sausage/spinach risotto. Tomato + sausage + green stuff can’t be beat.
I just made this with pot barley. It was wonderful. I had to put in about 3/4 cup extra water, but cooked it for the same amount of time. I am REALLY looking forward to leftovers tomorrow. I am on my own tonight…..and I had to keep myself from eating the whole thing in one sitting!
Also….I think this would be really good with Indian spices…harrisa or garam masala. I am going to try this next time.
So good– I used brown rice and it worked perfectly– just had to increase the cooking time to 45 minutes and I used about 3 cups of water instead of 2. I also didn’t have any parmesan on hand so I just topped the dish with a bit of crumbled feta. Delicious–and I love any recipe that can be so easily modified to fit what you happen to have in the pantry!
Just in case anyone doesn’t know, Bob’s Red Mill “Farro” is actually spelt. The biggest letdown of the night. It turned out good, but true Farro Triticum dicoccum is much tastier and has a significantly better texture.
I will try this, or something like it, because it looks delicious! I have not yet made anything with farro that wasn’t tasty, including cold farro mixed with a ginger-sesame sauce for a salad, or in a bowl with a little milk and maple syrup for breakfast. I cook a pot of farro about weekly, and always eat a first bowl plain – really enjoy the flavor!
Like the poster in comment #171, Bluebird whole farro is what is available at my store. (and I agree that it is really tasty…)Clearly, it takes far more time to cook than the semi-pearled variety, but what I haven’t seen clarified yet is this: Should I only add the other ingredients in for the last 30 minutes of cooking? Seems like they will disintegrate if they stay in much longer? I confess a certain skepticism of the food processor method…
Made this tonight with plum tomatoes and half a spanish onion and dried basil- It was fabulous! I like that it’s a real pantry recipe- I usually have everything you need stocked in the house, so it makes a great last minute meal. I will be trying this with some sun dried tomatoes as well so that it can really be pantry based.. Thanks
Deb, I’ve been wanting to recreate a farrotto that I had out recently, and this is perfect for the season. I always seem to have good luck with your recipes and appreciate the troubleshooting you do for us all! Do you think there would be any benefit to sauteing the aromatics to soften beforehand?
Nancy — Only if you found them harsh. I truly did not. They literally boil in water for almost half an hour. There’s no harshness left; just broth.
Jennifer — They’ll cook a bit more, but I don’t think it would ruin the dish. (I mean, they’re really quite cooked at 30 minutes too!)
I have been craving something exactly like this since I read Luisa Weiss (thewednesdaychef.com) entry about pastini. I made this last night with side of grilled sausages and crostini.It was delicious!! My husband tried it and said “Was this hard to make? (of course) Can we have it again tomorrow night? (absolutely)” This is definitely a keeper.
Made this tonight for my husband and picky 3-year-old twins. It was a HIT!!! We all agreed that it will stay in frequent rotation at our house. And oh-so-easy! I love chewy grains like farro, so this was a no-brainer for me. Thanks so much, Deb – I’m a HUGE fan! (P.S. While I’m heaping praise, the granola recipe from your wonderful cookbook is now my go-to granola recipe. Only problem is it’s like crack for me…once I start, I can’t stop eating it! THANK YOU (I think)!)
Deb I have been looking for a good farro recipe..Will try it soon!
Amazing, amazing-ness! Searched out Faro with a 20 minute cooking time at the market on my way to work, picked up some fresh basil on the way home and found some slightly over-done tomatoes in the fridge (you’re right about that one too). Perfect meal for after-work/witching hour craziness – so easy and delicious to boot. Will definitely be on high-rotation at our house from now.
Looks absolutely delicious. I love food like this in the summer :)
Great recipe. I am curious about what brand of Farro you are using. I use Earthly Delights, and it is a 3:1 water:farro ratio. I know that your recommendation will simply be to use the amount the package states, but I all the farro I have seen talks about a 3:1 ratio. So I’m curious what brand you are using.
This was just delicious. Thanks so much! We took it on a picnic to get out of the hot house – it is great hot or cold. I want to try a version with feta and mint this summer. This one is definitely a keeper!
I tried to email this to a friend and would not go through. The image verification is not working correctly.
YUM! just made this for myself for dinner last night and have the leftovers for lunch today! Perfect cold lunch in this heatwave! Thanks!
I soaked the farro in lemon water for several hours and the cooked in a nutrient dense bone broth. Once cooked, I added our pesto of the week which I made with lots of blanched kale – delicious and nutritious. Thanks Deb!
I made this last nite per the instructions and added 2 minutes to the cooking time to reduce a little liquid. It was really, really, really good but I don’t think I’m going to spend $7 for a bag of farro that only has about 2 1/2 cups. Maybe the bulk food store has it a little more reasonable.
This was just as advertised! Incredibly quick and simple to prepare, and super delicious–tastes quite special given the simple ingredients. I used pearled farro because that is what the store had. I followed Deb’s directions for water and cooking time and it was spot on. This dish will definitely become a staple in our house. Thank you!
checking in again – eating the leftovers for lunch right now, cold with a big dollop of homemade pesto and a sliced fresh tomato on top. Delicious!
Thanks for this super easy recipe! I made it today with freekeh from these guys: http://www.cporganics.com/, and piled high with fresh basil right out of the garden.
Absolutely delicious.
Made this last night with Trader Joe’s 10-minute farro and it turned out great! My meat-loving husband declared it a keeper. So easy and delicious!
I’ve been reading your blog for a little while now, but had to comment on this recipe. I never had farro and can’t seem to find it anywhere here in The Netherlands. Instead I used quinoa (never had that either until today) and loved it!
Thank you for this great recipe that I will, for sure, make again ! :)
Thank you so much! though I must admit, I came here to tell you how much I enjoyed this dish (while snarfing it at my desk), cold, and mixed in with last night’s kale slaw salad, and almost got lost in that sundae cake. But i recovered and here I am to say thank you for offering such an easy, delicious dish that i made after coming home from work, that we enjoyed (okay, the kids had pasta with butter, olive oil and cheese but whatev, that meant i had lunch today), and that was even better today. I wish I had the time/talent/energy to make that cake!!!
Farro is one my favorite grains, I adore the chew! I always need on pan dishes to throw together, I love quick easy dinners for one that are wonderful for leftovers, this one sounds like a winner!
Thank you for this recipe. It gives me a chance to try farro. I’m trying to avoid eating refined grains and I’m kind of in love with quinoa, so now maybe I can add another whole grain obsession. I was daunted a bit by the price of the brands that specifically stated “whole” farro. I ended up ordering a couple of bags of organic pearlized farro from nuts.com for $3.99 a pound. Since so many folks commented that the pearlized worked just fine, I thought I’d try it before investing in the more expensive stuff. I upped the garlic a tad, and threw in a big handful of chopped baby spinach. It’s on the stove as I type this and smells heavenly. Can’t wait.
There was no farro to be found in my area so I substituted white wheat berries. It was delicious, but warning: it took over an hour to cook. Nothing was left of the vegetables. I might pre-cook them for a half hour next time, or just order some farro!
Thanks!
I sautéed garlic and onions first, added tomatoes, about a cup of mixed baby kale, slivered fresh basil and a handful of sliced black olives. Then added faro and soaking water as per directions. The farro from Whole Foods was done in 35 minutes, and I topped it with grated parm. Thanks so much for this great one-pot-wonder!
I’m oh-so-happy to see this post as I bought farro on a whim, knowing only about its nutritional attributes… and not a clue what to do with it. Now I have a plan! :)
Fantastic! I made tonight to go with grilled pork chops. I used pearled farro that called for 3 cups of water to the 1 cup of farro. However, I used 2 cups per your recipe and it was just right. And it was done in exactly 30 minutes. I love it when a recipe works as written!!!! I used locally grown grape tomatoes and basil from my garden. Can’t get over how much flavor this has with such few ingredients. So glad to have this one in my permanent file. Also, I have really enjoyed your cookbook!!! Thanks for so many great simple, but unusual, recipes.
Thx for this Deb! Mine is simmering as I type:) Have you tried this as leftovers yet? Reheated? I’m wondering how it does…
I’ve only seen 10 minute farro from Trader Joes. Will that do? I haven’t been able to find it at my grocery stores, so maybe I need to go out of my way to a Mother’s or Whole Foods.
This is indeed a one pot meal and a perfect summery dish, will try this asap. Thanks for sharing the recipe
made this last night with barley, since it seems like none of the non-fancy stores in new orleans carry farro. but now i don’t even need to look for farro anymore because it was so delicious with the barley! admittedly, i was a little skeptical. how can those few ingredients make something really special? well, wouldn’t you know it…
can’t wait til lunchtime for leftovers!
Deb,
I made this last night for my boyfriend before he left town for the weekend. I wanted to give him a treat and it worked! I used orzo instead of farro, doubled the recipe, and added one bunch of kale cut in think strips. It took only 15 min on the stove and we LOVED it! Definitely a recipe to make again! Thank you for the amazing idea! :-)
You are the best!
Deb, thanks for all the amazing recipes. I wanted to tell you that this past week I traveled to Utah for my yearly “women’s weekend”. This group of women have been meeting for 14 years! We laugh, talk, drink, cry and eat A LOT! This year I brought along “Smitten Kitchen”. The girls went crazy. LOVED your book and 4 of them plan on buying it! We cooked the S’mores cake, wild rice gratin, and the broccoli slaw! All big hits. We read your story and were impressed and happy for your success. Just thought you would like to know. Thanks again for your wonderful recipes and your fantastic book.
Hubby, who HATES anything new on his plate, loved the Farro one-pot dish. The hardest part was finding the Farro…….no whole, 3 brands of semi-pearled. Next time, I will add mushrooms or eggplant so the meat-eater THINKS he’s getting everything he needs for dinner.
Thanks so much for this gem!
Bahb
This looks amazing! Deb, thoughts on using regular tomatoes versus cherry/grape tomatoes? My CSA is bursting with them! Thanks!!
Made this last night and it was great – rich in taste, so easy to make, healthy. Made great leftovers for tonight as well, although I preferred it better warm the first day. I added some tomato puree to increase the tomato taste factor, some dried basil, and I needed a bit more water until the farro was tender. Next time, I will start off with toasting bacon bits. Thanks for this – I adore your site and cookbook!
So I was skeptical – it really didn’t look like it was going to come together by the 30 minute mark and that was a ****ton of onion but it was GREAT! Such a perfect summer dinner. I made myself stop eating so I could eat some for lunch today. I bought my farro (kind not specified) from the bulk bins at Whole Foods and it worked perfectly.
Never had it!! I will try it!
Outstanding! I made the recipe as written and wasn’t concerned with the small amount of liquid left at the end of 30 minutes. I ate the first half the night I cooked it. I had half the leftovers last night. The liquid had absorbed over night in the fridge. I sautéed some asparagus in a little olive oil the threw the farro mix in to “stir fry”. I’ll do the same to finish it off tonight and be very content. I am wondering if it will freeze well or will the tomatoes be unhappy. I’d love to make a double batch and have it available. Although it cooks so darn fast and easy…
I was skeptical, too.But we just ate it, along with green salad and part of a baguette, and my husband said “we can have this every night!” Amen.
I made 1.5 times the recipe, and I have to say, as much as I enjoyed the dinner with an egg on top, I enjoyed the leftovers reheated for lunch the next two days even more! The farro absorbed up the rest of the liquids but wasn’t dry, it gave up more starch, and was creamy and delicious with a sprinkle of parm and a drizzle of olive oil.
deb, this dish was delic! what can i say? i had the farro bought previously, but not opened, so i went for it. it was so moist and the flavors of the grape tomatoes, garlic and onions all melded into a fabulous dish!
the parmesian and basil crowned it all! thank you!
You are extremely convincing but you had me at the photo. This is my kind of dish – healthy, summery, Mediterranean flavors, summer comfort food – and I can totally relate to the part about taking bites before dinner. Can’t wait to try this.
Yum, Yum, Yum! Am absolutely making this tonight for dinner. I’m thinking I might add some cut up asparagus during the last few minutes and if so, then I can forego a salad. This, along with braised chicken sausages with balsamic (have to give Rachel Ray’s props on her easy and tasty recipe for that one) and I’m going to be a happy camper!
This was really delicious. The parmesan and basil are necessary to really complete the dish, so don’t skimp on them! We ate it with a salad and it was very filling. Could also add leftover chicken or other meats to it.
This worked so well with quinoa, instant classic. I can’t wait to try it with farro. Thanks for so many great recipes Deb. I’ve been following for a long time and your site is my go to for cooking inspiration.
This meal was SO GREAT! It’s rich and satisfying, very much like risotto, but with long-satisfying whole grains and far less fat. I did end up with too much cooking liquid as Deb said might happen. Reluctant to toss all that flavorful broth, I used it to cook some brown rice for lunch the next day – score #2 for this recipe! The next time I make this (i.e., tomorrow night), I plan to toss in a cup of drained frozen spinach with the other ingredients to up the veg factor.
This is great. For those who like these flavors also check out Mark Bittman’s “Luccan Farro Soup” recipe. Really good, with our without beans, too.
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/18/recipe-of-the-day-luccan-farro-soup/
Deb, have you tried Feedly as a substitute for Google reader? I switched and really like it. It will never beat GR, but it’s a very good replacement. Also, I tried it with the Trader Joe’s farro and it worked out fine. I didn’t find it mushy at all so perhaps the earlier poster cooked it too long.
I really like farro. I’ve been using it as a substitute for oatmeal in the morning. I cook it with almond milk, and add some dried cranberries to it and a little cinnamon or fresh fruit after it’s cooked. It makes an awesome breakfast dish. The best thing is that it’s really good when you heat it up the next day. Unlike oatmeal, which tends to get a little clammy after a night in the fridge, farro grains stay separate and fresh tasting.
This was excellent. My husband ate two helpings. We tried it with sunny-side-up eggs and a side salad on a hot summer day. Magic!
Yep – super yummy and addictive!! I found adding sliced zucchini about half way through the cooking time came out great, as did adding some loose greens right before turning off the heat. The best part is the way it made my house smell like Italy, even though I’ve never had farro there. Thanks for another fabulous vegetarian meal!
Just wanted to second (or third) that the Trader Joe’s farro works great! Cooked the onion, garlic and halved tomatoes in olive oil for 5 minutes first, then added 2 cups veg broth and let that cook covered for 10 minutes (with lots of red pepper flakes,) so the broth got really flavorful. Added the farro and cooked uncovered for 10 minutes, then covered and cooked 5 minutes more very low. Simple and tasty.
your recipes complete my life. I am so grateful Fairway was selling a 17 ounce bag of farro so I can make this again immediately. I threw in a bunch of chard and added a lot more cheese so it was no longer healthy, and a soft-boiled egg. I need to take out my second stomach!
Oh my. With fresh tomatoes and basil right out of the garden, this turned out terrifically. I cannot wait to eat the rest of it tomorrow……Thanks Deb!
I’ve already made it twice–once plain and a second time with grilled shrimp. In both instances, I used basil and cherry tomatoes from the garden and low-sodium chicken broth instead of water, all of which probably contributed to the incredible results. Absolutely delicious! Thanks, Deb!
I made this last night for my sisters and it was so delicious! It’s going in my meal plan again this week, possibly tonight! Thanks, Deb!
This is really a great riff on risotto! Added a little white wine to the cooking water initially, and finished with some evoo and 1/3 cup grated romano. Stirred vigorously every 5 min or so to develop the starch.
Deep flavor, creamy sauce, nice mouth feel from the tender firm grains.
Already promoted to the starting lineup.
BTW, great with grilled Italian sausages.
This dish was amazing! We loved it-and my husband loved it even better the next day, cold.
I made this basically as written and put poached eggs on top. It was fantastic, and my boyfriend pronounced it a keeper. We’re having the leftovers with sausages tomorrow.
This is a magically easy, delicious dish, thank you! I tried it for the first time on a dinner guest and it was a hit. I used organic farro from Kalustyans, ended up cooking it about 8 minutes longer than the stated time, but the liquid to grain ratio was just perfect. This is such a keeper.
Read this recipe earlier this week and have been looking forward to trying it since… Finally had the time to do so tonight! So glad I did. For those who used Trader Joe’s 10 minute farro, I sautéed the onions, garlic, tomatoes for a few minutes first in order to get what I imagine would be a deeper flavor…. Then added the water, farro, salt and pepper flakes, and cooked for the 10 minutes per the package. Perfection!
Incredible and definitely going into the permanent rotation! Where has this delicious, healthy (i cut back on the olive oil to 1 tsp & no drizzle), and SO easy recipe been all my life? Husband watched me throw it together and actually said, “Even I could make this”. Thank you!
I’ve now made this with both TJ’s 10 minute farro and TJ’s 10 minute bulgur. The first time I did it with the bulgur, and as you noted Deb, figured that the 10 minute cooking time would be enough to cook the onions and tomatoes, since the pasta version had only that much cooking time. It didn’t come out with the depth of flavor I was hoping for, though, so on the second round, I started with a little extra water, and simmered the tomato/garlic/onion/salt/pepper/oil mix for about 10 minutes before adding the farro and simmering for 10 more minutes. It made a world of difference! And I’ll say that the TJ’s 10 minute farro came out really nice – chewy and not mushy. Great recipe that’ll definitely become part of the regular rotation! My boyfriend has already commented that it was great with taco meat and cheese on top of it…not my cup of tea, but hey, it’s versatile!
I made this last night and just had leftovers for lunch. Even better the second time around. I don’t like chunks of tomatoes, so I roasted my grape tomatoes, peeled the split skins off, then put them in the blender. This is definitely a keeper. I loved the nutty flavor of the farro and the al dente texture. This was my first experience with farro and I can’t wait to try it again.
delicious, thank you! I added beans n’ greens (pinto and swiss chard). yummy.
This recipe is delightful just as written!! Looking to use up some of my summer bounty, I added some diced feta to the cooled mixture, spooned it into some lightly steamed/hollowed pattypan squash. Topped them with a spoonful of tomato sauce and a piece of provolone cheese (bc that’s what all I had). Baked for 30 minutes: divine!!
Made this yesterday with pearl barley and had the leftovers for lunch (too! Dawn’l). I used a mix of grape, cherry, and beefsteak tomatoes-use what ‘ya got! It was superb both times! And such a great canvas for whatever flavor is around. It’s like the summer version of a frittata-no oven required.
I initially thought I’d just make it to use up the winter barley that was kicking around, but now I may go buy some more grains to do it again!
I made this last night and OMG it is SO GOOD. How is it SO GOOD??? It’s one of those typical Italian dishes that has so few ingredients yet screams with flavor. And it is truly truly EASY. I love that I have a new addition to my weeknight rotation. I made this with the 10 min Farro from Trader Joe’s and used their recommended water amount. We ended up needing maybe about a 1/4-1/2 cup more in the end.
THANK YOU Deb!!!!
Made this last night with short grain brown rice and although it took nearly an hour to cook (added one cup more water as suggested in some comment above), it was delicious. I have to say though, it probably depends a lot on the quality of the cherry tomatoes. Our were organic from John Givens Farm in Santa Barbara, CA and so ripe and juicy. If you are using winter tomatoes that have no flavor, this dish would be pretty bland. I wonder how it would work with canned tomatoes when you can not get the fresh sort that are worth using?
Fantastic recipe Deb! Thx. Made this last Thursday for just my husband and I. Making it this Thursday for a few girlfriends! You’re the best.
I have never cooked farro before; Deb you made it sound so easy, I figured it was worth a try. And this dish really was as delicious and easy to prepare as you and so many commenters raved! Thank you.
This was Amazing! Loved it.
Yep, TJ’s farro worked fine. I had planned to make it with whole farro but, alas, my day didn’t go as planned and I needed a quick substitute. I also stirred on a can of white beans at the end for protein. Thanks for the delicious recipe! Can’t wait for lunchtime leftovers
I made this last night! Really yummy and simple summer fare (so simple, in fact, that I left it simmering on the stove– supervised!– while I walked the dog). I used pearled barley because I had it on hand and increased the water and cooking time accordingly. I also added about two tablespoons of homemade pesto, ribbons from one zucchini and a few handfuls of chopped swiss chard to up the veggie content. I’m already envisioning a Greek version with olives, feta and fresh oregano!
This sounds very similar to a popular Syrian dish ,
Tomatoes with Bulgur. It’s a very flexible
Forgiving recipe that uses lots of ripe tomatoes,
Onion and bulgur at the end. We often add
Small bits of diced raw potato
And even a small raw diced eggplant
Sometimes.Truly delicious and I can’t wait
To try this farro version. I have a bag
In the freezer from Anson Mills.
Love your site!
SO easy! SO delicious and rich-tasting! Very satisfying for folks who are not supposed to eat pasta and whose stomachs don’t like spaghetti sauce in jars. Thank you, Smitten Kitchen Deb! I love your cookbook, too.
I made this on the weekend using barley and canned tomatoes. While it was good and creamy and satisfying (not to mention made the house smell divine), I obviously missed something because I didn’t find it as transcendent as everyone else has.
I will give it another shot though as I got a glimpse at how truly delicious this meal should be!!!
Just made this with a cup of quinoa and some jasmine rice as my cup was a bit shy. Quinoa seems to work great for this and took about 25 minutes. I only had a small yellow onion, and a couple of little shallots but the flavor is still great. Even messed up and did a whole 1/2 tsp of pepper flakes- this is a forgiving and flexible recipe! I will try again with different grains. Yum!
Deb, the recipe works great with Israeli Couscous. I love Farro but my husband does not and requested Israeli Couscous. I toasted the couscous until golden brown in the saucepan before continuing with the recipe and added about 1/3 cup additonal liquid towards the end of cooking sonce it looked dry to me. It came out well. It was perfect with the Shrimp with Chipotle Lime sauce from Cooks Illustrated. Onions dissolved into a sweet, creamy goodness. Dinner on the table in 45 minutes and almost no time in front of the stove- perfect for a summer night.
Having fallen in love with farro (spelt) in Italy a few years ago it’s nice to start seeing recipes for use of the grain. After struggling with the unhulled stuff which steadfastly (and stubbornly, I might add) refuses to cook to tenderness I found some pearled farro in our local co-op store. Your recipe worked to perfection and we have another staple in our repertoire. Thank you!
Excellent with the addition of some big, floppy butter beans!
I make an orecchiette recipe with butter beans and thought that I would try them with farro. My husband said that they were his favorite part. My three-year-old picked out the onions and only ate the farro after I promised him a cookie. My two-year-old loved it and thought that he was eating macaroni.
Julie — “My three-year-old picked out the onions and only ate the farro after I promised him a cookie.” It’s like you had dinner at my house. :) (He, miraculously, loves the farro. Everything else, however, requires elaborate rationalizing.)
amazing…just made it. it was fantastically easy and super delish. definitely a keeper. Thanks for being my go to dinner blog!
I’ve been reading your blog for years and have never commented. This simple recipe is incredible. I forgot the basil, but I did add the juice of half a lemon and opted for veggie broth instead of water. Keeper.
Am in the UK and we have Sharpham Park pearled spelt available in a few grocery stores, including Waitrose. I have used it to make risottos. Takes approx. 20 minutes to cook. Trivia alert – Sharpham Park is owned by the man who started the Mulberry bag company. It’s hard to find the farro I have found, unless you have a good Italian deli nearby. Will be making this very soon.
Deb, you’ve done it again! This was amazing. I’ve been avoiding trying farro…I was worried it would be similar to quinoa, which, I hate to admit, I don’t love. But this.was.amazing! Like Jacob, my three littles ate it all up with no prodding (and my 1.5 year old had seconds–and they were pretty big servings!). Definitely on my regular rotation now…anything that tastes this good to Daddy and me AND gets us a peaceful dinner is a win. And one-pot? No-brainer.
Also, just an addition that we loved…added a hefty tsp of red peppers to the pot as indicated in directions, but not more b/c the kids don’t like their food too spicy. But I have sicilian crushed red peppers in olive oil that we typically used for pizza. So I drizzled regular olive oil over the kids’ plates and the spicy oil over the adults’. Yuuummmmmy! Thanks again!
OBSESSED!! How could something so easy (and vegan friendly) be so delicious?!? Thank you, thank you!
Check out the farro from Bluebird Grains in the Methow Valley in Washington State. Grown by an incredible family! Perfect for this recipe and they ship.
Made this for last night’s dinner – served your low-and-slow dry rubber chicken with it and a fresh cantalope. Outa sight!! It’ll become a go-to recipe in our house.
oops – should be dry-rubbed chicken ;^))
I used canned diced tomatoes, but it was still lovely :) Deb, I’m sure you’ve made at least one variation on this already, share?
THIS IS SOOO AWESOME!!! And healthy! And easy! Love! Seriously…I never comment, but I had to. Ive made this 3 times already. THANK YOU! Now a staple.
I made this tonight with the Whole Foods bin farro. It cooked perfectly in 30 minutes…the only thing I did differently was instead of the farro sitting in the water, I turned it up to a boil while was choping and adding ingredients. Once all other ingredients were in the pot, turned down to simmer. Cooked in 30 minutes perfectly. This is definitely added to the rotation!!!.
Awesome healthy dinner for the family tonight! I used the TJs 10 min farro package, but didn’t change the cook time. I also added half of a yellow bell pepper because I had it in the fridge. We added arugula rather than basil, again because we had it available. Served with grilled chicken and everyone was satified! Thanks.
I made this tonight and was blown away by how delicious the simple sauce was, and how easy it was to throw together! I followed the recipe exactly, and it turned out perfectly. This will definitely be added to our rotation. So simple, filling, and full of flavor!
This looks amazing! We love farro! Yummy!
When we lived in Milan(Italy) was easy to find in stores, now in Madrid (Spain) is much more complicated :(
A presto
I made this last night exactly as written, using the Whole Foods farro, and 30 minutes cooking time after 10 minutes soaking was perfect. It was excellent. I first learned about farro about 7 years ago at a cooking class I took in Italy. At that time it was very difficult to find. Now it is no problem. I even saw some 10 minute farro at Target.
Can I just say, WOW! And I mean, “WOW!!”
I made this with the Trader Joe’s 10 minute farro (which is basically a pre-cooked farro) and it was excellent, but I think the semi-pearled farro that takes 25-30 minutes would yield a chewier, meatier texture providing a little more contrast to the dish.
Don’t cut back on the amount of onions, even if you aren’t big on onions. My husband doesn’t care for onions, but he had two big helpings of this. The onions just sort of melt into the sauce. I found 1 tsp. of coarse kosher salt seasoned it PERFECTLY.
We had it for dinner, and then I had it the next morning with a poached egg, and then again this morning with a fried egg. This is truly a fantastic recipe with big, balanced flavor. Don’t forget the basil on top! It’s a nice, bright pop!
Just piping in to say that fully pearled farro works perfectly in this recipe. Just omit the pre-soak and cook for 30 minutes.
I made the “one pot” pasta last night, and it was good. Not great, but good. I felt pretty much the same way you did. But this Farro sounds incredible, can’t wait to try it.
i was going to ask about using TJs 10-minute Farro but I see Sean has already tried it out. Fabulous. I know what I’m making soon!
How wet is the finished dish? I was thinking of stirring in some arugula pesto, but am wondering if it would be too soupy.
Just made this using TJ’s 10-minute farro, and it was delish!
A few improvisations: Brought all the ingredients to a boil EXCEPT the farro, and simmed, with the lid on, for about 15 minutes. Wanted to develop the full flavor of the broth without the water evaporating. Put the farro in, uncovered the lid, and simmered for about 15-18 minutes. Turned out great! Will try next time with the semi-perlato to see how it compares, but all I know is that it’s delicious even with the TJ 10-minute type.
Thanks for another outstanding recipe, Deb!
We just had this for lunch with Israeli couscous instead of farro. I took a previous commenter’s suggestion and put all the ingredients in with the broth except the couscous, then added in the couscous after about 10 minutes. It was awesome! But, a little too salty (I used the 1.25 tsp coarse salt recommendation). Next time I’d cut that in half. Otherwise, definitely a dish to be repeated. Thanks!
DELISH!!!!!!!!!! SO SO GOOD!! I did end up using 3 cups+ of water.
This was delicious! I added arugula and thick-sliced bacon to it and it made a really really hearty meal. My belly was very happy.
I made that one-pan linguine dish earlier in the summer too, and it had a certain novelty to it… but I wasn’t a huge fan. I love farro, and I’m going to make this next week. I’m sure it will be delicious!
I was skeptical at first (after all, the onion doesn’t get cooked above 212 F), but this was both easy and yummy. We used Bartolini semipearled farro and gave it an extra five minutes to soak up more liquid. In texture, it was like a farro risotto, basically. We topped it with lemon basil, because that’s what we had on hand, and it played nicely with the tomato. We’ll make this again.
I made this last night and will be making it again tonight. I had some perfect gold and red grape tomatoes from the farmer’s market and it came out perfect. I cooked the farro a few extra minutes, and just wow.
Made this tonight, tons of flavor, quick to make. Crusty bread sopped up the extra liquid. Thanks for another winner recipe
This dish saved the day for me! I was staying in a campus dorm for a week, and the thought of another restaurant meal was too depressing. I made a quick version of this with quinoa, and added some chicken smoked sausage in to simmer along with everything else. It was just what I needed, and easy enough to pull off with the very limited kitchen equipment in the dorm. I’ve since made it again at home with cooked, crumbled Italian sausage mixed in at the end. Husband and I really enjoyed it! This seems like the perfect vacation kitchen meal – you don’t need any special supplies or tools to make it good.
My husband has just been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, so I have been looking for grain dishes that are delicious, yet low on the glycemic index. It turns out that farro is very low on the GE, so we’ll be adding this recipe into our new way of eating. Thanks!
Hey Deb, not sure where to put this question as it is not about this recipe but ……. could you start a spot for us to ask questions about the cookbook specific recipes?? I have had a couple of questions but of course a lot of the recipes are specific to the cookbook.
Made this delicious dish tonight, and to quote my 5 1/2 year old daughter: “This is the BEST meal EVER! Except cake.”
I just made this today, and am thrilled! It couldn’t be easier or more delicious. And it doesn’t make a stack of dirty dishes to confront afterwards. That’s winning all the way around! Thanks a million!
So, I made it again. :) I re-hydrated some dried mushrooms in water and used that for the cooking liquid. I added the chopped mushrooms and some diced pancetta about halfway through the cooking time. It was a fun twist on an already awesome recipe.
This was awesome! I used pearled farro. I rinsed it and, per package, used three cups water. I followed the recipe (but a bit more tomato)including the pre soak. I even cooked for extra five minutes. My 4 y-o wouldn’t try it but my 2 y-o LOVED it. It was so creamy. Next time I’ll double because I want MORE and it’s gone. Thanks for another great recipe!
Made this today with ebly – excellent und really extremely easy. Will unfortunately have to make it again tomorrow as I totally forgot about the parmesan and basil ;)
Not sure whether it’s because of the different sort of grain or whether I’m just hungry, but I ate it all by myself and it wasn’t even a particularly big portion. But then again maybe I’m just greedy ;)
Amazing weeknight meal! I made this with pot barley. The leftovers for next day lunch almost didn’t make it to next day – I nearly ate another portion scooping it out of the pot :)
I made this for dinner last night with some Jersey cherry tomatoes. Oh my God, it was so good and so easy. I cleaned my plate which is a bummer because I would have loved leftovers for lunch today.
Dear Deb,
I was so inspired by the one-pan farro dish after making your recipe I made it again, browning the onions in butter before adding to the pan a few minced black olives and finishing with sautéed asparagus tips and Romano cheese. Delicious. Then I cooked up “Farro and Bow Ties” with brisket gravy used to substitute 3/4 of water that the farro soaks in and continued with my Jewish recipe.
The only thing I wish for is that when you click on print, it doesn’t print 25 pages worth of comments. Can’t you have just the recipe as the standard option and have the option of printing the comments instead. I think I used a whole tree when I printed your last two recipes. Also, your popular enough to offer your adorning fans their own saved recipe profile; I promise. I have your cookbook. I think your monologues are hilarious and spot-on. Thank you!!!!!
Jennifer — There is a print template for every post. After the recipe ends, before the comments begin, is a set of options “Do more:” “Print” is one of them and it will only print the recipe portion. (I know it’s hard to find.)
oh my gosh, i love this. how can i do something similar for breakfast? i wonder if this would work with farro…coconut oil instead of olive…peaches or nectarines or some other juicy, fleshy fruit instead of tomatoes…and coconut milk, or something, in place of water? and cinnamon! any thoughts?
I made this and loved it! Doubled all the ingredients to feed my family of four with plenty of leftovers. The pot ended up being on the stove for a good 45 minutes, instead of 30, because it looked a little soupy (perhaps because I doubled it), and from start to finish, it took me 1 hr 15 minutes. Not bad for a weeknight meal! The flavor is fantastic, and it was a big hit with everyone. Thanks, Deb!
I tried this with couscous and it totally sucked. Finally found farro, made it properly, and am basking in the glory of having found a new top ten. Proof: http://bit.ly/13qtwlw
Loved the recipe, but have tried and tried, and even tried again and was not able to forward to a friend. I keep getting a “failed” message….any hints to forward this? Thanks so much. Great recipe.
Gail — Yikes, I think you’re right that it’s not working and we’re looking into it. Hopefully it will be fixed soon.
This was so good! My three year old was picking out the onions, and EATING them! Thanks for a great weeknight recipe!
Finally made this earlier in the week. It was so good (and easy), I made it again the very next day.
I just made this and it is FANTASTIC. Can’t wait to put a poached egg on this. Thank you!
So delicious! Added corn kernels from leftovers ..even more summery.
Great recipe! I can’t imagine making it with broth, it is tasty enough without. I served it with a Snapper dish from Cooking Light which had zucchini and cherry tomatoes…great combination. I finished the leftovers standing in the kitchen at midnight after out seeing a band: perfect!
Sounds great! I’m always looking for new ways to use faro and this sounds perfect. Maybe with some hot chilies added too? Thanks for sharing.
I did make these with buckwheat groats and it tasted great. I ate it as a side dish, but I think I’ll eat the rest with a poached egg on top.
So, so good! Had it for dinner and immediately ate the leftover for lunch the next day. Yum. So easy too!
Okay the poached egg and the runny yolk on top of it rocked my world. This was excellent.
I forgot to say in my last comment that I did put just a half teaspoon or so of chicken consomme powder in the farro, just to give it a little brothy flavor.
We made it twice this weekend and it was gone in a snap. Second time we ran dangerously low on cherry tomatoes so I added a can an 8oz can of chopped tomatoes from the pantry. Different, had more sauce, but wonderful. Thank you.
This is definitely a staple now … and tonight I stirred in a few heaping tablespoonfuls of very garlicky fresh arugula pesto. I highly recommend this upgrade. :)
I am fairly certain that the popularity of this recipe in recent weeks caused my local Whole Foods to sell out of bulk farro. I made the recipe once, immediately resolved to make it again with the addition of spinach and mushrooms, and upon my return to the store, it was all gone! I’ve been 3 times in a week with no luck :(
Suffice to say, next time it is in stock, I’ll be stocking up. Thanks for a brilliant recipe; this is everything I hope for in its simplicity, comfort, and nourishment.
You were right, this IS my new favorite dish!
I have to comment, in part because I was skeptical of this recipe. I’m a big fan of farro but this just seemed too…. Easy. It was wonderful. I added Italian chicken sausage but it would be fine without. So simple. So delicious. So grateful. Yum.
Deb, this dish is genius. My seven year old ate (almost) all of it after saying, “This looks disgusting, but it doesn’t taste as bad as it looks.” We told him he will be seeing it a LOT more on our table.
Thank you for this recipe. I made it for dinner the other night and it was absolutely fantastic! And the utter simplicity of the dish makes it that much more appealing. It will definitely be making many repeat appearances in my kitchen!
This looks fantastic! Deb, would it be possible to add a vegan tag to your posts? I have a lot of animal product-free friends and I think it’d be a great addition to the blog!
This is so delicious!! Thank you.
Per Katie’s suggestion, I just made a breakfast version of this. I used plums and blueberries, coconut oil, and a dash of cinnamon. It turned out beautifully. I’m going to top it with some toasted walnuts and eat it throughout the week.
Don’t know if anyone mentioned this but threw in a handful of baby spinach and really complemented the dish! Delicious!
I just made this with homemade chicken broth instead of water and it was super delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
M., did you really try the breakfast version? And it came out great? I will have to try it, now… How did the farro taste with the coconut oil? I thought about using peach, but plum and blueberry sound wonderful. Maybe even a toss of homemade granola on top?
Made this tonight. We ran out of parm, but I sprinkled on a little feta and a lot of black pepper and never missed it. It was so fast and so YUM. Thank you for another favorite!
This looks so great, and I’m really excited to try it out. I’m thinking of bringing it to a potluck this weekend, but because of a complicated series of events, I would have to make it on a Friday afternoon/evening for a Sunday evening dinner (I would reheat it before serving). Do you have any guess on if it would hold up okay over the course of 48ish hours? Thank you!
Katrina — It reheats well.
Jenny — Sorry it took forever. I did note up top that farro that is not pearled will take more than 30 minutes, but I can add exactly how much more as a future warning. [Updated: Now clarified. Thanks for the suggestion.]
This was delicious, but it wasn’t until I had already started cooking and I read through the comments that I realized the recipe could take a reeeeally long time, depending on the type of farro used. I bought a bag of emmer farro from Whole Foods (not from the bulk section) and it took around 80 minutes to be edible. Can I suggest that you make a note of this in the recipe itself? If I would have had a little bit of forewarning I would have at least been prepared to wait an hour and a half for dinner. That being said, it really was delicious.
This has totally become a staple for us this summer! I have played with it a bit – skipping the garlic and adding 1/4 c homemade pesto is my favorite riff. And last night I did that and roasted the tomatoes separately then stirred them into the finished farro. Definitely works. :)
I saw farro for the first time at Cosco this week, and I immediately remembered this recipe. I had one substitution – sweet peppers rather than tomatoes – because the bf and I have epic battles over the correct way to cook tomatoes. Nevertheless this dish is helping me through a head cold and cheering me up in the process :D
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I’ve made this three times in the same number of weeks. I used unpearled farro once and simply soaked it overnight before cooking and the cook time remained the same.
I literally cannot stop eating this….put it in the fridge now! Argh….
I’ve made this twice now. The first time I followed the recipe exactly and it was good, but maybe a touch bland/forgettable. The second time, I used 2 or 3x the amount of garlic and nearly doubled the salt, and I also tossed in some fresh rosemary (wrapped in a cheesecloth bag) in with the farro at the beginning. So good! I highly recommend trying the rosemary, it gives the dish a nice earthy flavor.
I just made this tonight and it earned many thumbs up! I used Trader Joes “10 Minute Farro” and it worked just as described. Delicious!!
Best recipe ever! I cannot believe how easy and delicious this is! I wonder how long it will take my family to tire of it because I’m sure we will be eating it VERY often!
just made this with trader joe’s 10-minute farro – took a little longer than 10 minutes (starting from the point of simmering) for me but it was absolutely delicious! i think this will become my new go-to weekday dinner!
This is also awesome made with mushrooms for an autumnal version. I made it with onion, a finely chopped portobello mushroom or two, some end bits of dried porcini soaked and chopped, and a bit of thyme. I stirred in a dollop of sour cream at the end along with the parmesan. Delish!
I made this last night, and then I immediately started emailing the recipe to all my friends. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it’s delicious. Thank you for sharing!
This recipe is the best as leftovers. I noticed the first bowl full was good, and the second one even better as the juices from cooking turn into a tomato sauce that is divine.
I doubled the recipe with farro and it worked easily. The farro I used said it was “pearled” but the cooking directions were only for a half hour. I think it was really cooked after more like 40 minutes though…but we ate the first helping after it had cooked for 30 or 33…Used a sweet chili instead of chili flakes because there was a pepper guy at the farmers market selling spicy chillis. Also used half chicken stock and half water – would have used all chicken stock but that was all that was left in the carton!
BTW, we are enjoying our second helping right now at lunch and topping our bowls with a poached egg. oh yeah.
This sounds fabulous! A friend raved about it and I plan to stuff my overabundant farm share green peppers with it.
Just made this for the first time. SO DELICIOUS! Very hard to come by Farro in the UK, only 1 supermarket seemed to stock it and no different types (pearled, semi-pearled etc) available. Will definitely be making again.
Wow, I made this last night and it was so delicious! Simple to make but a wonderful complex combination of flavors. I had the leftovers for lunch and I think it was even better the next day. The most challenging thing was finding the farro. Found it at Whole Foods (of course) which had it in the bulk bins and an Italian packaged brand (went with the latter – same brand that Deb used according to her post.
What a delicious recipe! I made it this morning using Trader Joe’s farro, a large yellow onion, and grape and cherry tomatoes in red, yellow, and orange from my garden. I only added 1/4 tsp. of a sea salt with garlic and herbs that I picked up at a T.J. Max store in a really cute Weck jar. It was plenty. I also put in just a pinch of red pepper flakes since I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy foods. It gave the recipe just enough heat to be interesting but not overwhelming. Since the Trader Joe’s brand is my first experience in tasting farro, I cannot comment on the person who wrote such negative things about the product. I will try to find some at Whole Foods, but as my first experiment with farro, I’m very pleased. Thanks so much for this wonderful blog. I look forward to reading more posts.
Hi, Deb!
This is on the stovetop right now, and it was a godsend after a long (LONG) rainy day at work. I blinked and it was ready! Also whipping up a batch of triple-chocolate double-peanut-butter cookies and planning on zoning out for the night :) Thanks!
This is why I love Smitten Kitchen!! I found Martha’s recipe about a month ago, made it right away, and was underwhelmed by the texture… you always take something I like already and turn it into something I love! Trying this dish tonight. Thank you :)
Made a double recipe of this last night with fresh red and yellow cherry tomatoes from the farmers market. It was amazing! I just ate the last of it for breakfast this morning :) Great first recipe to start using the 3 lb bag of farro I purchased a while ago. Thanks.
So, I made this on Sunday night and was a bit disappointed as I felt the farro overpowered the meal. I may have used the wrong type of farro, but it was all I could find at the time. I used Nature’s Earthly Choice Italian Pearled Farro which cooks in about 15 minutes. First time using faro – soaked for 10 minutes, cooked according to recipe but still a lot of water which may be where all the flavor went.
What did I do wrong!!! Thanks for help – taste is there just not strong enough.
Made this tonight, with an assortment of seasonal yellow and red tomatoes, and a little extra garlic, to accompany a roast chicken. It was spectacular. I could eat this every week it was so good, and I even forgot the basil! My husband is less interested in exploring grains than I am, but even he had to concur that it was great. I can’t believe such a wallop of flavor comes from so few ingredients.
I used the stuff from the Whole Foods bulk bin, it took about a half hour, and it was perfect.
Made this tonight for dinner – the hubs at the majority, and the little monkey was eating it by the fistful (we are still working on using silverware)
For those interested, I used wheatberries which is what I had the in the pantry and it worked quite well. Amazing flavor in the recipe as written, but subbed the grain. I parboiled the wheatberries for 45 mins, and then added the contents of recipe and cooked for 45 more mins for a total 1.5 hours cook time. Amazing! Hubs has already asked to have it again for dinner this week
I made this and it tasted exactly like it imagined it would taste when I first read this post. It’s crazy. Usually you can imagine how something will taste based on the ingredients, cooking method, etc. but there is always something slightly different. Not this time. It was so tasty. I’m making it again (doubling the recipe for a few lunch leftovers) after I hit the farmers’ market tomorrow for some end of season tomatoes.
Thank you for a tasty, cheap, healthy, fast dish that makes great leftovers. What’s not to love?
I made this last night as a side dish with chicken piccatta. It was great. SO EASY. One pot. Leftovers for lunch. This will be in my monthly rotation for sure. Next time I will add more red pepper flakes or maybe I didn’t add enough basil. I felt like it was maybe lacking in some flavor… but it was still really good and had a nice texture. I did have to cook mine another 5 minutes or so to get rid of some of the liquid. My husband really liked it too! I can’t wait to send this recipe to my vegetarian friends as well – they will really enjoy this.
I made this last night with the addition of some asparagus. My husband took one bite and said “Wow, I could eat this every night!”. This will definitely become a regular in our rotation!
DUDe! This was sooo gooodddddddddddd
Excellent. I used the trader joes ten minute farro so skipped the soak and tasted as it cooked- about twenty minutes. I just drained (and drank) the excess liquid. Going to try again with greens and white beans.
I’m hooked! Can’t go a week without this fabulous recipe. Thank you!!
Thanks so much for this recipe. So simple, but so flavorful. I love it!
Delicious! My husband told me it was like something his great-aunt in Italy would make, which is his highest possible cooking compliment (and having eaten her food, I was incredibly flattered – although all I did was follow the easy recipe). My twin toddlers loved it. This is my first Smitten Kitchen foray but I am looking forward to more exploring – thank you!
This was delicious, but I was left with a TON of liquid at the end. (Even after cooking it for extra time). Can I simply decrease the amount of water next time? Or will that not work if I want to maintain the same amounts of the other ingredients?
I made this shortly after you posted it for a potluck, and it was awesome. Now I’m going to make a hybrid of this and your stuffed peppers but in acorn squash, rather than peppers. Farro instead of couscous, celery instead of onion, feta instead of parmesean; add the tomatoes, celery, zucchini, yellow squash, fennel seeds, oregano to the farro for cooking, skip the garlic and red pepper. Then proceed as written for the stuffed peppers. Hopefully this will be a successful experiment!
Deb-
As i long time fan of your website this recipe will be on for dinner this evening! I’ve never cooked farro but this looks too yummy to pass up. I have had some staring at me in my pantry waiting for the right way to make in onto our dinner plates. Thank you for that brilliant recipe making brain of yours!
I love this recipe! I had never heard of farro prior to this post and I now make it nearly once a week for lunch.
I made this tonight and now I know a) it was worth me having to travel around trying to find faro, which is delicious and b) this recipe is just perfect and so easy. I added a handful of pine nuts that were sitting in my cupboard because why not? They’re Italian. Thanks!
Made this last night and loved it. Even my husband and 6 y/o daughter who really don’t like tomatoes gobbled it right up. I added some great northern beans for a little extra protein. Thanks so much…this is one I know I’ll be making many times over!
This has become a favorite, and a regular in the dinner repetoire. What amazing flavor from so few ingredients, and so little time/dishes required. I am IN LOVE!
I love this! I’ve made it several times because it’s easy and it’s a bit of a step up from beans-n-rice (and I have put beans in it before, that was pretty yummy). I also like the fact that I typically have these ingredients on hand, or if I don’t it’s easy to remember the groceries needed when I’m at the store. I’m really surprised that these few ingredients make something that flavorful (and I don’t usually put in the basil or cheese!), and I’m really happy to discover farro. I do like to cook it a little longer than Deb recommends because it’s a bit toothsome for my rice-conditioned taste. Thanks for another great go-to, simple, healthy, delicious recipe!
WOW. I have to admit, I had some doubts that a meal so easy could be so tasty, but your recipes always impress, so I had faith. I did, however sautée the onion and garlic (horrible memory of a one-pan Pinterest recipe for chicken, potatoes, green beans and lemons-peel and all- make me cringe at the thought of throwing it all in without just a little brown, sear or sweat) before adding the remaining ingredients and also subbed vegetable stock for the water and I am still patting myself on the back for a meal well done. Clean up took a mere 30 seconds!! What’s better than that? Bravo!
I made this last night with roasted buckwheat (kasha?), having struck out on farro but wanting to try a new grain. I’m appalled at how many people told me spelt was the same as farro! In any case, buckwheat needed quite a bit more liquid (than the two cups recommended on buckwheat sites) just to get it through the 30 minutes, and the texture was pretty blah. Flavor was decent, but I’m going to have to order me some farro to get the full effect! Do you think other herbs would work well here? Basil was okay, but it’s not my favorite flavor.
I made this about a week ago and I’ve been thinking about it ever since then, it is fantastic! I’ve also made the Martha pasta version and it was good but the farro is much more to my liking. Thank you! I’m making it again tonight just for myself. By the way, the Trader Joe’s 10 minute farro in the blue bag works perfectly with no alterations to your instructions.
I’m not going to say this is the best meal I’ve ever had, but for practically no work, it made a really surprisingly tasty, easy and healthy weeknight dinner. I followed the directions exactly and the seasoning and flavors were perfect. My only difference was that my farro said it would take 10-12 minutes to cook (called quick cook farro dicocco from Waitrose in the UK), so I cooked everything else for about 15 minutes before adding the farro. It actually took closer to 20 minutes to cook in the end and I had to add another splash of water, but that was it.
My girlfriend and I made this last night – perfect for a cool autumn evening! Also, I figured out why this dish was conjuring up such powerful memories for me – it’s grown up spaghtettiO’s! (Yes, I did google “spaghtettiO’s to make sure I got the spelling correct. Please don’t judge.) Thank you Deb for taking flavors from my childhood and updating them for my (slightly) more adult palate (Yes, I did google “palate” to make sure I got the spelling correct. Once again, please, no judge.)
I’m so excited. My local library is hosting a “make and share” discussion group on your cookbook tomorrow night. I have made your farro with onion and tomatoes several times now, and it never disappoints. That’s what I’m bring to share tomorrow. Luckily, I still have red, orange, and yellow cherry tomatoes from my garden. I can’t wait to see what others bring. Bravo for your wonderful sharing of your recipes, your humor, and your wonderful outlook on life.
Just made this tonight and the boy didn’t speak until he was done. I knew then I will need to make this easy dish again and again.
The farro was rather expensive (but worth it!) so I’ll be trying it with other grains later. I was a little surprised that it ended up so flavourful with just few ingredients, but it did. I was almost tempted to add broth, like others did.
Hopefully the leftovers are still in the fridge when I go to eat them…
I made this tonight for dinner with some vegan friends (minus the parmesan at the end of course), and it was a hit! My husband, who is decidedly non-whole-grain-loving, said he would be happy to eat this any day of the week. Overwhelming win!
Also, just wanted to say that dinner with my extended family (parents, sisters, etc) has become a bit of a joke. Every time any one asks for the recipe, everyone just laughs and says, “it’s from her girlfriend, Deb!”. Seriously, I often make every single dish in a multi-course dinner straight from here!
Tried this a few times and it is great when one needs some comfort food. Kids love it; I love it and my husband loves it! I just finished a bowl tonight and wish I had made more. Thank you for this post, amazing food!
I cannot find farro in Venezuela.. snif snif… I have arborio rice, any suggestions for the cooking process?
Hi,
I’ve been a reader for years and never commented. But I had to tell you I made this last weekend and thank you! Love one pot wonders and am a little obsessed with farro right now. I added spinach because I’m always trying to add in a few more vegetables but other than that, I followed your recipe completely. Perfect!
finally I know what to do with farro successfully!!! thank you
I made this tonight as side to pan braised trout along with sauteed endive. I didn’t have cherry tomatoes so I just peeled, seeded and dice some ripe tomatoes from the garden. VERY GOOD.
This is insanely delicious and impossible to mess up! We’ve eaten it with salmon, and also as a main dish with a side of roasted asparagus. Thanks!!
Made this tonight and it was pretty good, and as others have said very easy. I was missing some depth though, perhaps it was my tomatoes or maybe not enough acid. to get this on our regular rotation. I might add a bit of white wine or vermouth next time, or even bloom a little bit of tomato paste, deglaze with splash of wine and go from there. Thanks for the great and always inspiring posts.
I cannot tell you much my husband and I love this! Is so easy, so flavorful and filling. I make this all the time!!! Thank you~
This was so good! Ultimate comfort food-I will definitely make this again. I was worried that it would be lacking flavor if I made it with water instead of broth, but it was perfect!
This was so good and so easy. I cut up a parmesan rind into tiny pieces and simmered it in there from the start – gave nice depth.
This is a perfect example of why this site is my first stop when I’m not quite sure what to make for dinner. Thank you for doing what you do. You’ve made my family’s life so much more delicious.
Made this tonight as a last-minute dish, and it was SO amazing! I used the Trader Joe’s 10 minute farro, so I let all the other ingredients simmer in the pan for about 25 minutes before adding the farro for 10 minutes. My boyfriend (who was quite weary about the use of farro) helped himself to thirds ;) I totally recommend this dish… and double your ingredients, you’ll want the leftovers.
Wonderful! What a nice and easy recipe! I made it with buckwheat and was incredibly good. For Some reason I Sem not to be able to find pearled spelt in Holland, and I know how much time it takes to prepare regular spelt. But buckwheat did the trick very well, thanks!
Delicious! Question: if you were going to double or triple this recipe would you double/triple the amount of liquid? Use a wider pot with more surface area?
Thanks!
Hi kit — Triple everything. A wider pot might get the job done faster, but isn’t otherwise necessary.
THANK YOU for this recipe!!! I’m pregnant and have been grossed out by a lot of food lately, and now this is ALL I want to eat. I’ve made it three days in a row, and finally made a big double batch so I have leftovers. It’s so easy, and so good- even when I ran out of fresh tomatoes and had to use canned, it was still delicious.
Just have to say how awesome this recipe is, we’ve had it 5 times in the last couple of months. I use the whole (medium) onion and it’s delicious, by no means too much, because who wants a leftover half onion getting stale in the fridge, right? Maybe a little extra olive oil and a solid kick of red pepper flakes, and some of the last tomatoes from the garden tonight.
I’ve made this and love it, but I’m having some people over and thought adding sausage might give it a little more oomph. Do you think I could actually add the sausage into the pot with everything else? If so, should I wait until the end or can they cook with everything? Thanks!
KJ — I’m not sure I’d simmer sausage (personally) but you could break some up in a pan, fry it until browned, and then maybe sprinkle it over the finished farro.
every time my fiance suggests this, i always hesitate, because “farro and tomatoes” just doesn’t sound that interesting. even though i have made this half a dozen times by now. even though every time i put a bite in my mouth i wonder what the heck was wrong with me. even though this is amazingly delicious, somehow i have forgotten that in between. we recently found organic farro at costco (!), and made it last night with some just-okay campari tomatoes i sliced into quarters, and added a big handful of kale that’s been wilting in the fridge. i hope i never again forget how much i love this dish.
I love this grain. I have lost over 50lbs eating this grain and other natural grains but this is my favorite. Never tried cold salads but will. I cannot wait to try the recipe above.
Frances and I are on the exact same wavelength — I made it with the organic farro from Costco (instructions call for cooking 30 mins, so apparently it is semi-pearled, thanks to Deb’s handy-dandy instructions!) and Costco campari tomatoes. Even though I didn’t have fresh basil and didn’t finish with parmesan cheese, it still rocked my socks! Served it with eggs over-easy so the yolks ran down into the tomato-onion-farro deliciousness. Yum! My boyfriend says his officemates were ogling his lunch when he microwaved the leftovers :) Thanks, Deb!!
I have never commented before but I have loved your blog ever since I joined a CSA a number of years ago. I found you when in search of what to do with so many veggies. I just had to tell you how much we loved this recipe! Even my 13 month old kept saying “mmmmm” after each bite. Being winter I used canned tomatoes and decided to use veggie broth in place of water. I still can’t believe something could taste so good with so little work.
Here’s my winter pressure-cooker version which cuts the cooking time in half:
Slice onions and garlic, saute in the pressure cooker pot with a bit of olive oil and pinch of salt until soft. (I do this as the thought of boiled onions and garlic turns me off)
Add farro, water, and one small (13 oz) can of peeled tomatoes (I used imported San Marzano), crushing them with your hand as you put them in the pot. Be stingy with the liquid, straining with your fingers as much as possible in the can before you put the tomato in the pot. Discard remaining juice in can. Put top on pressure cooker, bring to pressure and cook for 15 minutes. Run pot under cold water to reduce pressure.
Add cheese and good olive oil to taste.
Thank you! I made this for company this weekend. I LOVE parmesan, so I added some extra. But here’s the clincher: my husband is not a celiac but has been following a gluten free diet pretty strictly for the last year. Well, I ‘forced’ him to try a bite, just to taste. He ended up eating TWO, yes TWO, whole servings. He absolutely loved it. And he had a big lunch that day too. I am definitely making this again. Thanks again. Jan.
I tried this recipe last week and my husband and I loved it– will be a go-to in our house! I didn’t have basil or red pepper flakes on hand, so I went without, and the dish was not lacking. My farro brand (Bob’s Red Mill) ended up needing about a cup more of water and took at least 15 minutes longer to cook, but remained deliciously chewy. This extra cooking time was actually a blessing, as the tomatoes completely dissolved (other than skins) into a nice light sauce, and the onions and garlic softened enough to be less visible and more integrated into the dish. As for parmesan– I am a junkie and automatically grated a generous layer over my farro. For the first time in my life, I found the parmesan unnecessary. The farro has so much flavor that it didn’t need anything else!
This was so freaking good! I knew I would love it but had doubts about the hubs. He, however, requested I make it frequently so now we have a new simple one-pot meal in the rotation! My favorite kind!
Wow, this looks absolutely phenomenal. I also appreciate that this is easy enough to make for a bachelor with very modest cooking ability. Can’t wait to try it out this weekend.
Thank you so much for this recipe! It was delicious! I changed it a little – used a pouch of pre-cooked farro (from Target – http://www.target.com/p/simply-balanced-farro-micro-pouch-8-oz/-/A-14604273). Started off by sauteing the onion (just half an onion like the recipe says) with some EVOO and salt for about 20 min (you want the onions to be very soft), then added the garlic (5 cloves), tomatoes, (dried) basil, oregano for some more flavor, and red pepper flakes. Let everything reduce for about 15 min, added a little more EVOO, then the entire pouch of farro. Cooked for less than 5 minutes. Then served and sprinkled with the parmesan cheese. This method really cuts down on cooking time. I can’t wait to make it again!
DON’T MAKE THIS! You will never make anything else! It’s THAT good!
Really, I used to make other things for dinner, but now I can’t remember. As a vegetarian, I sometimes have to be clever for a good meal, but this has wiped out most everything else I used to make. Did I eat before this? If I did, it wasn’t this good or easy.
I have this at least once a week, often twice or more. Does dinner need to be made? No one has a preference? Then this shall be made. Luckily I have a ton of basil growing in my bay window and suddenly a freezer full of farro.
I’ve been making this since shortly after it was posted. The only changes I make is that I use only 1 cup of water (Bob’s Red Mill – interesting that others use more and cook longer, I don’t) and a lot more garlic (often 4-5 cloves). Sometimes I use Romano when I can’t get Parmesan. It really is wonderful!
Deb, you always help me out of my non-cooking rut. This was amazing and oh so simple. I also made your peanut butter cookies tonight. Dinner and dessert on a work night is unprecedented for me. Thank you!!
I just had one bite of the cold leftovers to taste before heating up the rest for dinner and yelled out (to no one, mind you) “It’s so delicious!”
Wow! I used Bob’s Red Mill organic farro, which wasn’t labeled pearled or unpearled, but I defaulted to Deb’s guidelines in the recipe blurb and it worked perfectly. We drizzled with pesto from the freezer rather than splurge on fresh basil in January. So yummy!
Deb, can I ask what size pot you used? I really like the look of the one photographed.
Rachelle — You would not like in it person. It’s a 3-quart All-Clad MC2 saucepan that’s been destroyed in the dishwasher (the MC2 line is not dishwasher safe, I learned after ruining a line of pots… on the outside. The inside material is still fine to cook with, phew, I guess).
I’ve been making this for the past month and love it. Tonight I added pesto and sauteed a bunch of shitakes, it’s delicious. Thanks for this recipe, I’ve passed it on a bunch.
Just made this with some farro perlato from Fretta’s, my favorite Italian shop in Milford, PA. I didn’t have fresh tomatoes on hand, but used some canned organic fire roasted diced tomatoes (half a big can) and it worked beautifully, I think. I also used a little more garlic and a whole onion (on the larger side). Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh basil were perfect toppers, but I also added kalamata olives and some of Fretta’s house-made wine-garlic dry salame in slices along the edges of the dish, and it made a lovely complement. I was imagining it with feta, too. Thank you for a great dish!
Ohhhhh my goodness. Divine. I was sure it was going to be a colossal failure when I started because my farro (from Bluebird Grain Farms, an incredible organic grain supplier in WA) said it would take 50-60 minutes to cook, and I was certain that the tomatoes would get too mushy in that time, or that it would dry up before the farro was finished cooking. I started it, went to work out, and came back to a perfect finished dinner!! I topped it with the most heavenly drippy golden poached egg and moaned in ecstasy the whole time. I can already tell this is going to be a weekly standby.
Oh, and by the way, my farro (unpearled) directions say that you can soak the farro overnight to cut the cooking time in half, so you could use unpearled and still have it take only 25-30 minutes! Going to try that next time.
Made this last night. Fantastic! Thank you!
Oh, and for those of you who – like me – cannot find farro anywhere (it, like orecchiette are making a fool of me), brown rice worked GREAT- thanks to Alyssa a few hundred comments ago – who kindly shared her tweaks (3c water, 45 min cook time). Additionally, I put a lid on in the last 5 minutes, then took it off the heat and let steam an additional 5 while I chopped the herbs and grated cheese.
oh wow.. we made this last night and totally yum.. the kids went for seconds..
that is worth, i dont know what in plaudits.. keeping the little ones happy..
one for list of meal plans
thanks Fiona
This is fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing.
I made this using the TJ’s 10 minute farro. The package recommends 2 parts water to 1 part farro – too much liquid for this recipe. Too wet. When I try this again, I’ll do 1.5 parts water (or broth!) to 1 part farro. Also, I cooked the whole thing closer to 16-17 minutes and that produced farro with a perfectly meaty chew and tender onions and tomatoes. The flavors in this dish are OUTSTANDING. Truly bold and enjoyable. It’ll be a regular in the rotation once summer rolls around.
This is delicious and so easy. I tossed in some spinach at the very end and would love to try it with sausage next time. Love it.
Deb, I don’t know how I missed this post last summer, but I’m chomping at the bit to try it. You are brilliant!
this was fantastic!! I added cremini mushrooms and at the end stirred in some spinach. I’ve made the original pasta dish and I much prefer this one. Can’t wait to have the leftovers with an egg on top!!
Shoot. This is *really good*. I made it with TJ’s 10 minute farro and it ended up pretty juicy (it’s parboiled, I suppose, so doesn’t have quite the soak-up-ability), but I’m okay with it. I also made it with canned diced tomatoes and frozen diced onion (lazy day), and this turned out just phenomenal given how little work it took. I was going to let it meld in the fridge until dinnertime when it was going to meet some chicken breast, but I totally snuck a little bowl as a Thursday brunchtime treat. Thanks for this one!! This will be on permanent rotation around here!
I made this with SooFoo ( a whole grains + lentils mix from Whole Foods) in the rice cooker on the brown rice setting, and it came out perfectly. Set it and forget it.
I had this on my list to try for a year…sad it took me so long as I have now made it twice in the past 3 weeks and already looking forward to the next batch. So good and so easy!
Baby Bella Mushrooms added (early on) and Asparagus (for the last few minutes) – Oh so very delicious! Thank you for this recipe! It had become a family favorite!!
Love this recipe, its one of those I can hardly resist the urge to make it again … and again :-). No farro here either so I use red rice which has a similar cooking time and nutty flavor and works really well with this recipe.
Revisiting this now that tomatoes are back, yum! Where is your gorgeous scalloped serving bowl from?
I think it was from Ikea. It broke a long time ago. :(
Does anyone else find that Ikea stoneware/dishes break really easily? I abuse our everyday dishes much more and have only broken about 1 in 9 years!
I absolutely cannot wait to make this tonight. I love how it literally only involves one pot. I need more dishes like this for the busy weeknights!
And yes, Deb, it does seem like Ikea dishes and glassware tend to break easily. We got some brandy snifters a while back, and they were all gone within a year. And we really weren’t drinking that much! :-)
I made this last night and it was great! I used TJ’s 10 minute farro so I followed the advice of Lisa (#280) and it worked perfectly. I topped it with a bit of parm (skipped the basil) and served it on a bed of arugala so it was like a warm salad. I ate the leftovers (there wasn’t much!) for lunch with a smashed soft-boiled egg on top, and it was even yummier! Will definitely make it again! Can’t wait for the new cookbook!
Omg! This is soooo good. Made it a second time this week. We licked the bowl clean!
Really delicious and got me into farro in a major way. Have you ever tried roasting the farro in the oven first? I’ve found 10 minutes really adds a nuttiness to the the farro and works really well, especially when you’re adding spices. This is how I do it, http://www.timedeating.co.uk/spiced-farro
I’ve made different versions of this many times since it was first posted, but I think tonight’s variation is my favorite. I used barley instead of farro and added 1/3 cup of lentils plus 2/3 cup of water at the beginning. I also added in some frozen and thawed spinach midway through and some sun-dried tomatoes near the end. Delicious! The lentils and barley took about the same amount of time to cook so it worked out perfectly.
Just for data points–I used the Trader Joe’s farro and just followed directions exactly. It was delicious. I will try the pre-cooking the veggies next time because my onions didn’t melt but the flavor combo was still amazing. Loved loved loved it and it is a new summer staple (though nothing is as good as the scalloped tomatoes–this is close!).
This has been a staple for me since you first published it; I make it a couple times a month, as written (Bob’s Red Mill farro takes about 35 minutes.). This week I made it with farmstand grape tomatoes, and it was one of the best things I’ve eaten all year. Seriously amazing.
I am in LOVE. Will try adding feta and olives with a sprinkling of zatar or fresh thyme. Or bake some eggs on the top. Or chuck in some cooked lentils. Something fab to do with our insane abundance of tomatoes!
I added fresh corn in the last 5 minutes. I didn’t think I could love this more. Thank you Deb!
I couldn’t find the farro, so I went with buckwheat groats I found in the Eastern European section at my local grocery store. I cooked everything a bit longer accordingly, and it turned out GREAT. The basil in the end really puts it over the top, and I’m not even a huge basil fan. It also made my apartment smell amazing. That is all. Thank you!
Such a great recipe, and my first time cooking farro. It was every bit as addictively delicious as you claimed. Perfect entree for my meatless Monday :-)
I feel compelled to comment because this recipe has had such a positive impact on my household! Have now made it three times in a month, and each time was a little different due to tomato variables. The first was with half heirlooms, half cherry (both homegrown), and it was every bit as addictive as promised! (thought there’d be leftovers for lunch, but un-uh) Second time suffered from lackluster end-of-season store-bought tomatoes, so the third time I oven-roasted full-size tomatoes partway to amp up the flavor, then diced them into the recipe. The result was tomato-forward and super rich. This is a new staple in our home, and for winter I’ll enrich it with some crisped pancetta at the end. Thank you for the inspiration!!
We make this dish alllll the time for office lunches and I just wanted to add that recently we added spinach and (pre-sauteed) zucchini at the very end. It made the dish heartier and helped to up the veg factor, which is always a good thing :)
I’ve made this a few times with farro and loved it! Then, at the Berkeley Bowl, I noticed they had bulk farro for $3.99 a lb and “organic wheat berries” for $1.25 a lb! They looked identical, so no-brainer right? Well, my one-pan wheat berries took twice as long to cook AND twice as long to chew! Now I know!
Hi Deb! I’ve never commented on here before and I’m not even sure you’ll see this since it’s on an old recipe but I had to tell you that I finally tried cooking your mushroom and farro soup and it was fabulous! I can’t wait to make it again. That was my first experience with farro and I was an immediate fan! I searched for more recipes using this new (to me) awesome grain and found this one. I made a double recipe so I could eat it for lunch all week and it was great immediately after I made it but left me slightly blah the next day (it was a texture thing). So the next day I decided to heat it up in a skillet and at the last minute threw in a couple of handfuls of baby kale I had in the fridge and now that’s all I want for lunch EVERY day! I just wanted to take a moment to share this with you and thank you for my new found love of farro!
This is delicious! I made it with barley because that is what was in my pantry. I also used a pound of overripe Campari tomatoes and a whole onion. I am so pleased at how delicious it turned out, as all of your recipes do!
I made this tonight and it was fabulous! I didn’t have cherry tomatoes and substituted a can of petite diced tomatoes instead. Still so delicious. My husband is still talking about it. I love the idea of adding zucchini and other spinach to it. Possibilities are endless. Thank you!
OMG, this was such quick & easy prep, and scrumptious! Hubby & I loved it. I recently bought a bag of farro at Costco and looked for prep ideas when I found your recipe. This will definitely be made again & again. Nothing to change either. :)
I served it with Basil Pesto Grouper dipped in Panko and they went very well together.
Thank You!!
Made it with mushrooms, yum!
Mmm. This was *exactly* what I wanted to eat. Used the TJ Farro and canned tomatoes with chicken broth and fresh parm, tossed in the “super greens mix” of baby kale/ chard/ spinach. The greens are so fresh and sweet against the tomatoes and creamy cheese and nutty farro. YUM. Will think about a version with mushrooms and roasted squash and maybe TJ’s miso/ginger broth for an Asian flavor… Looking forward to more SK recipes!
Could this be made in the crockpot / slow cooker? Would any modifications be necessary? (As if it wasn’t easy enough already!)
Deb, I made this for the first time as a side dish to go along with a meal I’m delivering tomorrow and saved a little bit for myself. It’s so good I’m making a second batch tomorrow just for me. Thank you! (I’m also including your blue sky bran muffins in the delivery for next-day breakfast. They’re still cooling but they smell amazing.)
Hi! the first time I made this recipe I was a bit underwhelmed. I could see why it would taste good, but it was a little bland.
I have a few tips;
A) Saute the onions and garlic, don’t just put them all in the pot.
B)I would switch out half of the water with vegetable/chicken broth
P.S I know you dislike too much spice but I would recommend adding some hot sauce. ( I would personally add this in while sauteing the onions and garlic )
After these minor changes it was absolutely delicious!
Made this once again last night, this time with sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, plus added a tablespoon or so of capers. As usual, doubled the olive oil. This recipe cannot be wrecked. Delicious once again.
We make this all the time! It’s such a fantastic weeknight meal. Too make it heartier we add really nice tuna and capers.
Yum! Wish I had added kale but it was so tasty :)
Just saw this mentioned on Food52 — reminded me of how much I liked this last summer. Looking forward to tomato season to do this again! I’m contemplating the dried tomato version.
Super tasty- recommended!!! A+++
Had the Farro for over a year and not sure what to do with it, thought it could be useful in a soup. Anyway looked on the web, saw your recipe and immediately cooked it for a light lunch. At the moment London is grey and cold. Well, the world looked a whole lot different after eating this delicious meal. Thanks so much!!
This is one of my favorite dishes; I recommend it all of the time to people wanting to try faro.
Good morning – Two quick questions for you…
– Have you ever tried to make this in a Crock Pot? Just wondering if you might be able to combine in a pot and bring to a boil stove-top, then transfer to a (pre-heated) Crock to slow-cook? (And what setting and how long, if you know…?)
– Have you ever tried any other liquid, such as chicken broth (or even half water and half of anything else)?
Just curious, since I am headed out to Whole Foods to stock up on my grains and I think I am going to try this tonight! Thanks!
jennifer — I haven’t tried it in one, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I’d just put everything in cold on low. The trickiest part will be knowing when it will be done before you’ve made it. If you have slow-cooking times for other farro dishes, you can use them as an estimate for here. My worry would be if the grains have absorbed all of the cooking liquid and you’re not going to be home for a few hours, I could see it getting burned on. Good luck!
Just had a bowl of this for dinner (using pearl barley) with a simple roasted ratatouille and poached egg. It looked beautiful and was warming and delicious!
I sautéed all of the ingredients in oil for a few minutes before adding the water. Thought that might give the dish another layer of flavour, although I’m sure it’s perfectly delicious without that step. Just a tip for complicating (only slightly) a very simple recipe.
I love this recipe. I go back to it time and time again. So easy and delicious.
Yummmmm. Perfect, easy dinner for our vegetablarian friend
This was such a great dinner when it seemed like dinner was going to be pb and J- it makes me feel like I can pull something together for the grown ups at least. Even if the kids have pb and Js- this recipe is a game changer! Thank you!
Made this tonight in honor of you and your new baby. I had already cooked Farrow and cherry and Sungold tomatoes. I had a dish at outer lands in San Francisco last week with farro and fromage blanc (what an ingredient! Would love your thoughts/recipes!) and it was so incredible and inspirational. So I started some of that and truly felt like I was eating a restaurant meal. And it only took me about 10 minutes!!! Can’t wait to hear more about your baby girl, congratulations again :-)
Wow! I made this today. Bought a good jar of farro a while back and have been staring at it trying to figure out how to make it / what to do with it. I am soooo glad I happened upon your recipe! I ended up sauteeing the onions and tomatoes in a little olive oil before combining it with the farro, water and other ingredients. Then while the mixture was cooking, I sauteed some shrimp to go along with the farro and ended up dumping the farro mixture in with the sauteed shrimp! So delicious! It was like a healthy paella! I even took a picture of it. Thanks for the inspiration! Definitely adding this to our regular rotation.
Perfection. This dish is so simple and divine. Just brilliant. I have made this several times and it is always surprisingly delicious.
What a great recipe! I made this last night for dinner and it was a huge hit. I’m sure that I will be making it often. I used unpearled Farro which I get in bulk at a local Italian import store. It did take longer to cook but the texture was wonderful. I added a few basil leaves to the Farro while it was cooking and then added a more when it was finished. It was so simple and so delicious. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Quick question: could you swap in any type of tomato or do the grape/cherry have a quality that is needed in the dish. I find sometimes when I swap tomato types the end result is mixed. I tried sorting through the comments for an answer and if there was one, I missed it. So looking forward to making this! I love farro!
Scargosun — I’ve only done it with small ones but others have commented about successfully using larger chopped ones.
MAKE. THIS. TODAY. I made it tonight as a side for fish. It was divine. I think I added extra tomatoes. It was all good.
I’ve been making this since it was first posted and is absolutely a go to dish. In the winter, when I need even more comfort food, I add canned artichoke hearts, greens and turmeric. Deb, thanks for the inspiration.
Made this last night and followed the recipe but I didn’t have cherry tomatoes and so I chopped up a big heirloom that I had. I was blown away with the depth of this simple meal and it was better day two.
The farro from Rustichella also. It is expensive but it is the best. Worth the splurge. It is so good I hate to alter it much except to maybe thrown in a new shrimp.
I have to chime in with all the others praising this recipe–which I used as a “guideline” for using up the many tomatoes (cherry, grape & regular beefsteak) accumulating on my counter. So, I doubled the recipe! I didn’t use farro this time, because I wanted to clear out the quinoa varieties I had on the shelf first. (How have I had those since 2013? But I digress….) I also used chicken broth instead of water, wilted the onions first in the oil, and about five minutes before the timer went off, added some shredded zucchini and several handfuls of baby spinach leaves. Simply wonderful. And because I doubled it, I have abundant leftovers. Thank you, again!
So I added some diced zucchini and just a splash (more like a glug, shhh) of white wine to the original recipe then topped it with eggplant meatballs and buffalo mozz tonight…….
NO WORDS
P.S I don’t typically condone the “meatless” meat dishes…..if it’s a meatball it should have meat in it; hence the clever name. That being said, I had eggplant begging to be used, was intrigued by the recipe, and was very pleasantly surprised.
#slappeddownmeatsnob
This is nirvannah!! This will definitely be a regular!!
Wowzers, this totally lived up to your description, thank you! I’ve been creating a piled-high/scribbled on/beautifully stained stack of go-to recipes that are fast, healthy and most importantly, delicious, so that when I need to get something good on the table and don’t feel like meal planning or experimenting, I can just turn to my beloved regulars. This recipe just shot up to the top of the pile. I’d really like to know what other recipes you’ve added to your “permanent, laminated, framed, forever and ever repertoires.” Seriously. Please…
I had great luck with the Trader Joe’s 10 minute farro! Simmered about 20 minutes, but I overloaded my pan with veggies. Which brings me to my second point – mushrooms!! Delicious in this dish.
After failing to find farro in our local grocery stores the last 2 weekends; I finally just ordered some farro from internet land (the same brand you mentioned as I’d never had it before and wanted a benchmark) and made this last night. I also used both cherry, and chunked up, full size tomatoes from our garden and chicken broth for the liquid. Hubby declared this BETTER than risotto!! I was pleasantly surprised! This will be in our permanent rotation.
Sarah, without knowing it, I copied your version tonight… TJs 10 minute farro and added mushrooms. Mine took more like 45 minutes to cook down the water, but I didn’t follow Deb’s advice to use the package measurement for water. I used two cups as the recipe states. Nonetheless it’s delicious.
I finally got around to making this after the Facebook post, and I don’t know what it was (maybe the wrong kind of tomatoes? I used small chocolate pear tomatoes and two Roma’s right out of the garden), but it was very bland. Maybe it was the Trader Joe’s farro… Anyway, I added a tablespoon of butter and a couple tablespoons of Merlot and it was delicious! I’m now tempted to get some real farro tomorrow and try it again because my version was a little closer to risotto than I wanted and I’d like to be able to do a lighter version or my heavier one, but worst case I’ll just add the wine and butter again!
I’ve made this with both quinoa and untoasted buckwheat and definitely felt that the buckwheat worked better, through the quinoa was tasty as well. I added a ton of chopped kale about 5 minutes before the cooking time was done, and “garnished” it with some browned sausage at the end (heh, just looked up at your comment #436 where you advice the exact same thing!). Both versions needed a bit more water. So very, very tasty! It has quickly become a favorite around here because of the wonderful balance between hearty and summery.
trying a Mexican version of this right now. Added jalapeño instead of red pepper flakes, a heaping Tblsp of salt-free taco seasoning, and will add chopped cilantro after it’s finished. Crossing my fingers. I made it three times the regular way – loved it!
Made this last night. I made a double batch have enought to take to work over the next week, too. Delicious!
This is my number one favorite recipe ever. Really. Don’t tell my mom. I typically make a double-recipe which is enough for me (Single lady!) to eat for 5-6 meals. I usually top it with either sausage or an egg (sometimes both!) for protein. Sometimes I chop chorizo up and throw it in while it’s still cooking for a twist on the flavor and some built in protein. Honestly, at least a quarter if not a third of my meals every month are some slight variation on this meal since it was posted. I am never not excited to get home from work to those leftovers. THANK YOU!
This looks delicious
Wow. This was really delicious
This is one of our most favourite dishes. We added two bay leaves and a cinnamon stick and it became even yummier.Thank you so much for all your inspiration, recipes and entertainment.
So delicious. Who knew that the idea of just throwing everything in a pot at once would be so immensely freeing and satisfying compared to cooking recipes in steps? The only thing bad about this recipe is that it didn’t magically produce more! I had only a little less than a cup of farro in my pantry, so my slightly reduced recipe ended up with only two cups of cooked deliciousness, which admittedly lasted a mere 12 hours in my house.
EVERYTIME I cook this I am blown away with how easy it is and how fast the kitchen gets cleaned after and how good the leftovers are, hot or cold, the next morning. I subbed gruyere and basil, because it’s what I had, and it was divine as ever. I fried patties of shredded zucchini, onion, panko and egg to serve with it, along with steamed cauliflower because hubby thinks he’s starved if there aren’t 3 items on the dinner plate.
This will always be my all-time favorite recipe, unless the Cranberry Upside down cake I’m making later today tops it, which I doubt anything can.
Bless you for making me look like I can cook!
Internet comment-phobic here, had to pop in to comment on this one. This is basically a perfect recipe in all ways.
I humbly suggest one tiny addition that’s probably already in the fridge/pantry: add a couple teaspoons/a tablespoon of tomato paste while it simmers. It probably ups the tomato flavor a little but more importantly, it imparts an appealing reddish/orangey color to the whole dish.
Just made for dinner & it was great. Didn’t have fresh tomatoes, so substituted some canned diced tomatoes – with the juices. Also while simmering, added some dried basil & oregano. Finally, when done on stove, but in oven safe pan & sprinkled with shredded mozzarella & parmesean & put under broiler for a few minutes. My husband & I loved it.
Everything I’ve made from your site has turned out good. 95% of the things I’ve made have turned out great, and this dish turns out absolutely perfect ALL OF THE TIME. It seems ridiculous that after so long my first comment is related to such a simple recipe for farro, but I cannot believe that no matter the substitutions I make or the side dishes I serve with this one, it is perfect. If anyone is debating right now whether to make this, stop, it takes less time to prep the ingredients than to read these comments, and you too will find yourself commenting here years after the fact. Thanks Deb! You’re the best!
I have to add to all of the recipe love and comment on this one — it’s fantastic exactly as written. I made a batch over the weekend and it’s been reheating well for lunches all week. I stirred in some thinly sliced lacinato kale in the last few minutes of cook time to give it some green and added some sliced chicken & sun-dried tomato sausage on the side. It’s hearty and comforting and delicious. Thanks Deb!
chicken broth instead of water?and could i make this in a rice cooker…..i love making stuff in the rice cooker….im going to try…
I saw once a reciepie that looked somewhat similar but they also added ground beef at the beginning which sounded good.
Loved this so much! Wintry and wonderful! Added tempeh for extra protein (after boiling it for 5 mins to remove bitterness), garnished with lemon zest. Yum!
I made this last year with WF farro, and didn’t love it, but LOVED it with TJ farro. cooked for 30 minutes. Next time will double it to have leftovers. Thanks!
I made this tonight with pearl barley in place of farro. It was absolutely delicious, and we both loved it! It will be on high rotation here from now on. Thank you!
Made this tonight, but tossed in some spinach at the end, and topped with balsamic chicken breast. I can see us using this with a lot more options in the future. Great and easy recipe!
Made this over the weekend for the first time — absolutely amazing! And I got my grain-skeptic fiance to eat and love it too! Definitely putting this in regular rotation in our kitchen.
Made this on the weekend and it was the perfect summer dinner. My husband was skeptical but we were both surprised by how filling it was. Super easy too, will be a great weeknight dinner.
Late-to-the-game whole farro user here. I soaked mine for 8 hours beforehand, which *I think* shortens the cook time and also reduces the phytic acid content. Once soaked, it took about 30-40 minutes to cook, using vegetable broth instead of water. I liked it so much better than the pasta version!
I’ve made the original cherry tomato version countless times and always love it–it’s one of the few things I can actually make from start to finish after work –it’s so quick! Last night I changed it up and made it with shallots instead of onions and chunks of sweet potato. It was AMAZING. I served it with garlicky sauteed kate and sprinkled parmesan on top. Really delicious. I can’t wait to try some other combinations–though I’ll always go back to the original!
I have made this twice and cannot believe how flavourful it is. Thanks so much for this. I make many recipes from your site and I am never disappointed.
I LOVE this recipe. We make it A LOT! I use chicken broth instead of water for the farro and I add a parmesan rind while its cooking. It is a total crowd pleaser.
Hi, Do you think this could be done in a 2-heat setting slow cooker with the lid on? The hottest setting with boil with the lid on, and simmer on the other setting.
So glad that this recipe is still getting ‘comments’! I made 1 1/2 times the recipe, to share some with a friend. Considering comments & personal preference, I sauted the onions for a few minutes, ‘bloomed’ about 2Tbs. of tomato paste, added the garlic for 30 seconds, then the tomatoes and a little less water than called for. During cooking, I added some Italian seasoning and a little salt. I ‘finished’ it with 1Tb. of butter. I cooked some Italian sausages separately and served the farro with freshly grated Parmesan. Your comment above says it all; I was barely into my second bite before planning to make it again! Your recipes are the BEST!
I didn’t have any farro on hand but I did have bulgur wheat. This was delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
I now make this pretty regularly. It’s life-changingly delicious. I tried to lighten it up for backpacking by using dried onion flakes, sundried tomatoes (not packed in oil), dried garlic, dried basil. That did not turn out well. It was pretty gross. However, I remade it per the regular directions again last night and it was, as always, delicious. How flavorful!
I made this for the first time today, but it won’t be the last. This is shockingly delishes for how simple it is.
A keeper! Thank you Deb. I’ve made this twice now and for me what took this from good to great is mostly in the finishing steps. I added a heartier drizzle of good quality EVOO, fresh ground pepper, I upped the fresh grated Parmesan and its now decadent. I did use 2 good sized garlic cloves and half of a large onion, sliced paper thin (like Deb says : )). This made a difference in the final flavor the 2nd time too. I was a little shy with the onion & garlc the 1st time and that was a mistake. Mine took about 33 minutes. This dish with grilled Italian sausage & grilled chicken is entertainment worthy and unbelievably easy. The best part is the leftovers are super good!
This is amazing…my first time to make or even to eat farro…I am hooked!! A perfect meal for summer with a cucumber salad.
I made this with Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains blend (includes Israeli couscous, red and green orzo, split dried garbanzo beans, and red quinoa). I used the recommended 1 and a 1/4 cup grains from the package directions and skipped the soaking time by adding the grains to the pot last, but otherwise followed this recipe (including the water amount) and it was DELICIOUS. I ended up eating some of the cold leftovers for breakfast this morning, which resulted in some minor tomato acid pain on my otherwise empty stomach, but still WORTH IT!
Testing out the new comment section (woo!). I made this on Monday and it was excellent! It yielded two generous portions. Followed the recipe exactly using farro w/ a 25 minute cooking time and did not need to make any adjustments. We threw in extra grape tomatoes because we bought a slightly larger package, and did not regret it. Will definitely make this again and recommend to others.
I doubled this recipe, and it worked well. Needed a little pepper and a little more salt. My six year old loved it. As to the four year old, he wouldn’t touch it, but with repeated exposure he will be sure to try it and love it the 14th time I make it or so…
Made it this week and absolutely loved it. Farro is my new obsession and this one is a keeper. Simple, clean flavours and the basil, Parmesan and dollop of olive oil at the end…divine!
Made this earlier in the week and am eating the leftovers for lunch today. I added a spoonful of pesto (which I am doing to everything this summer) and it is amazing!
This was so, so delicious. I grilled sausages (the pre-cooked ones in the spinach & feta flavor) and served with a side of watermelon. Tasted like summer!! I am already craving the farro again.
Made this on Monday, and making it again tonight! So easy and delicious!
Not sure how best to submit try-this-recipe suggestions, but Mark Bittman’s sandwich of tomato, arugula, proscuitto or bresaola, marinated artichoke hearts, and Parmagianno is a-ma-zing (I’ve only had proscuitto). It was in the NYT many years ago in a 101 10-minute dinner idea list. That’s the whole “recipe.” I use ciabatta because there’s a lot of juice. Just wanted to share the love while tomatoes are in season.
#85 here? I’d definitely eat that for dinner.
Do you think I could add mushrooms to this recipe? If so, how much more water should I add?
We love this. I add fresh, finely chopped rosemary, lemon thyme, tarragon, and oregano with the onion, three fresh hot peppers, and parsley along with the basil at the end. I’m still waiting for my tomatoes to ripen, so I used a can of good San Marzano tomatoes, and it worked fine. I also added a zucchini in the last fifteen minutes, since I’m having to use one a day to stay on top of them.
I have an eggplant producing loads of tiny, perfect eggplants. Do you think a couple of eggplants could be added to this recipe without requiring an extra pan (i.e. without frying them first)?
I LOVE THIS DISH! Wanted to try cooking farro at home (I’ve had it in restaurants) and was looking for a recipe that my entire family would like. This is IT! No alterations necessary. It comes together and is SO flavorful. I will definitely be making this again. Plus, it is something my vegetarian daughter will eat. Once again I LOVED IT, would not change a thing!
Deb – I’ve made the pasta version of this many times before WOW you’re right … What a difference the farro makes! It is absolutely delicious, chewy, and far and wide better than the pasta version. Thanks for sharing your ingenious adaption!
Third Deb recipe in a week. This was perfecto for ultra late Sunday night dinner when I’ve had the plumbing week from Hell and needed healthy(ish) and satisfying. Made with quinoa, delish with Parmesan and even though I didn’t have fresh basil it was still good!
This dish is so wonderful! My 1 year old can’t get enough of it and I just love how I can dump everything into the pot and walk away. Added a bit of anchovy paste to it tonight because I can’t resist messing with perfection. I was not sorry.
9 oz. tomatoes equates to how many cups, please? I don’t have a scale!
I used mini Roma tomatoes and 1 ounce is about three tomatoes. I cut them in half or in thirds for the recipe.
This dish is sublime. As delicious as a slowly cooked and carefully watched risotto, but so easy and simple for a weeknight family dinner!
Made this tonight with volunteer cherry tomatoes and harissa olive oil in place of the red pepper flakes (cuz right now I’m using it on EVERYTHING). Delish! Not my first time with this one and certainly won’t be my last :) Thanks for the perfect summer weeknight dinner!
This was to die for. I just ate my third bowl.
Have made this multiple times and love it. not a cherry tomato fan so I never have them around but I have had success with whole heirloom or Roma tomatoes (blanched, peeled and chopped) and both home caned tomatoes (one pint) and store bought (14 oz whole, peeled). Using canned tomatoes makrs this a pantry staple so it’s great if you haven’t made it to the store in a while.
This was great! So easy and a delicious way to use summer tomatoes and the farro that’s been in my panty! Will definitely make this again!!! Thank for the recipe!
Yum! Thank you for posting. I added 3 sliced baby zucchini and some steak seasoning. SO GOOD and easy and just 7 WW Smart Points per serving :)
I make this recipe all the time! Based on availability of grains, I have usually been using einkorn, but this time around my grocery store only had spelt. I made it this evening after soaking the spelt for about 6 or 7 hours. I then started the spelt (with 3c water not 2) for 30 minutes (the cooking time specified on my package of spelt was 1 hour), at which point I added the ingredients as specified and let it cook for another 30 minutes. It is certainly easier to follow the recipe as is, but just a note for anyone that has spelt and is looking to nonetheless do this recipe that this method worked wonderfully, and tastes delicious.
This was heavenly! I made it last night and my daughter and I devoured it! I forgot about the swirl of olive oil at the end but it was fabulous without it. I can’t wait to try the leftovers with a fried egg on top! Thank you Deb for the recipe!
I’ve made this twice and both times it was a hit. excellent, simple recipe.
I have made this repeatedly since you posted it 3 years ago. Making it again tonight as the garden is loaded with fresh tomatoes, the basil is perfect and the flank steak is grilling. So seriously good.
Best part: it is terrific out of the ‘fridge in the morning, while the rest of the family is sleeping. Our secret.
I got a little greedy with the gorgeous summer tomatoes and decided to make this to lessen my load. It was OUTSTANDING. Mine took about 40 mins to cook- the tomatoes were saucy and the farro was perfectly chewy. A new staple!
This recipe is amazing in flavor, texture and ease. It’s so satisfyingly flavorful with the parmesan and fresh basil! I have restricted myself to once a week and look forward to it every time! Thank you for creating and sharing this amazing recipe.
This is DELICIOUS. And so easy! Just plop everything in the same pot, and boom, 30 minutes later you have an awesome meal. I was turned off this recipe for the longest time because of the unknown ingredient, but with a vegan coming for dinner and no ideas I finally decided to try it – and now I’m hitting myself on the head for not having done so sooner. It will defintely become a staple. Thank you Deb!
And to try to add at least something useful to this comment :) I doubled everything and cooked this in the morning – it worked out perfectly and reheated wonderfully later in the day.
Dreamy! The sauce creates such a silky dish. I used Trader Joe’s 10 minute barley with timer set for 20 minutes. Garnished with pesto instead of oil + basil at the end. Definitely adding this to the rotation.
Pesto sounds divine.
This is delicious and so easy! I doubled the portion and am wondering how well this would freeze?
Doubled the recipe and made it with canned tomatoes (I know – it’s all I had!). I have despaired of finding farro in my usual grocery store so I decided to give bulgar a whirl and it turned out well! I had to up the salt and spices and liquid – bulgar seems to absorb a lot. It was a hit with kids (1 and 3) and adults alike.
I use canned tomatoes all winter – preferably the fire roasted ones – and this transitions beautifully into a hearty warm (quick!) winter dinner :)
This is an amazing recipe. I will be doubling from now on!
Can this be frozen?
I haven’t frozen it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t freeze well.
Thank you! I was worried about the tomatoes actually. I’ll give it a try
I made this with bulgur instead of farro because that’s what was available at my grocery store. Like Leigh suggested (way back in 2013) I cooked the tomatoes, onions, and garlic in water for ten minutes before adding the grain, since the package said to cook for 12-15 minutes. I topped it with sautéed mushrooms, a fried egg, and arugula for dinner and it was delicious– lots of flavors and textures! I’ll definitely be making it again. Thanks for the great recipe!
Just made this! Turned out so beautifully! Mine was ready right at 30 minutes, and I even used Trader Joe’s “10 minute Farro”. My grocery did not have white onions in stock, so I used a yellow one and that seemed fine. Delicious with the basil and parm garnish. Thanks, Deb.
Hello! I made this delicious dish this evening and I was highly pleased! Thanks glfir such a great recipe!
A definite hit. And silly easy to boot.
One suggested change: Adding a splash 2 T of white wine to the pot in the last five min. The acid helps brighten everything up.
What a super idea.
I know you posted this as a summer recipe, but DANG it’s perfect in the depths of a cold winter. Had to sub dried basil sprinkled on just a few minutes before the cooking was finished, but this was super delicious.
I had farro leftover from your crusty cauliflower and farro bake, and thought “Gee, I wonder if farro would go well with tomatoes?” thanks for having exactly the recipe I needed :-)
Did this last night and it was really easy and tasty. My package of farro had no directions at all (it said “perlato”). I sauteed a little bit of bulk italian sausage, then put in the garlic to toast in the fat, then the rest of the ingredients. Once it boiled I put it on the lowest heat burner and left it there for a little over an hour. Added fresh basil and parmesan, stirred and ate. Yum! I’m going to try this with bacon instead of sausage, and using shredded beets instead of tomatoes. Stir in some goat cheese at the end…
This is one of my favorites, Deb! When I saw it on your Instagram today, it made me long for summer tomatoes. I’ve only made it with fresh summer cherry tomatoes. Have you ever tried canned tomatoes with this during the off-season? If so, what kind and how much did you use?
Made this delicious dish tonight with Whole Foods Kamut. Cooked it 1/2 hour by itself; added rest of ingredients and cooked for an hour. I guess Kamut would be like whole, unpearled farro. Tongue in cheek when I served to my husband. Stirred in lots of Romano and julienned basil. He really liked it. Great litmus test for anyone to make this. He’s not a picky eater, but I know this appeared too healthy when it was served and no meat. 😉
We love this. I actually make it in my Instant Pot minus the tomatoes, which I blister in a pan while the Farro cooks, then add them in at the end with, most often, crumbled feta. With a fried egg on top this is a very frequently enjoyed dinner here!
Shannon, how long do you cook this in the Instant Pot?
Yum! I’ve never cooked farro before and this couldn’t be easier. My store only had the pearled, and it was ready in about 20 minutes. It was on the salty side for my taste, but otherwise it’s a keeper!
This is a weeknight staple in our house. I find it makes enough for my husband and I for dinner with leftovers for my lunch the next day. When we’re feeling decadent, we stir in some fresh mozzarella pearls in the last five minutes of cooking in lieu of the parmesan.
I tried this with wheat berries, since that’s all I had. I presoaked them in hot water for over half an hour and I think it helped a bit with time. I also sautéed carrots, onions, tomatoes, garlic and kale and then added the wheat berries. I kept it covered to help with cooking and should have added less water and cooked off some water, but it’s very tasty. I threw in mozzarella and a bit of butter at the end too!
I just made this tonight and it was delicious!! Highly recommend.
I finally made this last night and it was TERRIFIC. It’s going into our rotation — a veg dish with enough “punch” to satisfy, and boy howdy is it easy!
This was a big hit. SUGGESTION! Add a glugg of white wine with the water. I, for one, was glad I did.
So simple and delicious! The red pepper flakes really make this dish! I love fennel so I added a pinch, and that was good too. I will surely make this again!
I have precooked 10 minute farro. Can I use this to make this recipe? If so, how do I change it?
Hrm, does it need any liquid to be finished? If so, you could boil the other ingredients in that liquid for a bit and then add the farro for a bit at the end.
I used the 10 min farro as well. I just followed the package instructions. The only adjustment I made was to sautée the veg first to ensure they’d be cooked. Next time I’d use slightly less than the 1:2 ratio of farro:water called for inthe package.
I’m wondering if this would work with whole (unpearled) Barley… Thoughts?
Maybe this is strange but I wondered this when I made this recipe the first time and I am wondering again. What is that in the bottom right hand corner of the ingredients picture (the second photo in the post)? I can’t make it out and don’t see any unknown ingredients in the list.
I think it’s the white onion Deb mentioned that she used. ;-)
That is it!
I made this for dinner yesterday, and it was wonderful! This recipe is the perfect combination of simple, quick, and delicious. This is the first week that I’ve been able/willing to cook dinner since my daughter was born (she’s six months old now…), and a great recipe like this makes me feel like perhaps it WILL be possible for me to keep my family and myself alive and cared for in this new post-baby world order. That is priceless. Thank you, Deb!
On that note — two questions:
1) Ideas for other veggie combos that could work here, other than onions & tomatoes? Or maybe as an addition to the onions & tomatoes? I’m always looking for ways to add more veggies to my meals, especially now that there are three mouths to feed at the dinner table!
2) Would you consider making a cookbook of simple/one-dish recipes for fail-proof weeknight meals? You’ve already got some great offerings on the site to fit that niche, and I have no doubt that you would hit it out of the park. I would LOVE to get my hands on that book!
Thanks again for this one, and all the years of great recipes and charming writing!
This dish is outstanding. Just made it for the first time. Now I understand the repeat tomorrow! Need more farro. Husband threatened to lick the pan.
I love Farro, and this recipe looks delicious. Tonight I will enjoy it in my house
Keep up the good work.
I made this for my vegetarian daughter. I used the 10 min farro from Trader Joe’s so I sautéed the onions and garlic first. I also boosted flavor and nutrition by using half veg broth. Delicious!!
I’ve made this many times since you posted it, but tonight it struck me that you really need a recipe category called “Things That Cook While You Chill and Drink Wine,” because that’s just what I did. Ten minutes prep, half hour of drinking wine on the couch = a much happier post-work Monday me. Oh, and a delicious dinner that tastes like you spent at least four times longer making. Genius.
Just echoing what others have said here. Easy and delicious! Followed the recipe exactly, but then added some cubed smoked mozzarella. So good!
So delicious – topped with parmesan AND feta!
I tried this recipe when the local tomatoes were first being sold at our farmers market last year, and I continued to make it more than once a week for the entire cherry tomato season. My husband and I both cannot get over how delicious this recipe is, and it is perfect for the warmer weather when I do not feel like cooking. I formerly made a roasted tomato dish multiple times a week, but this farro recipe is not only easier to make but much better in that there is no messy oven cookie sheet to scrub and no hot oven.
I love this dish. We eat it pretty frequently at my house, usually with chopped greens (kale or Swiss chard) added in part way through cooking, and always topped with a crispy egg. Delicious!
Hi, I’m excited to try this recipe – wondering if I can use chicken broth instead of water, for more flavour (or, will it likely not change the taste enough to notice?)
Thanks!
I don’t think it’s worth the change in flavor because the tomatoes and onion, imho, impart enough here.
Perfect as is. Was a great dinner for two alongside roasted asparagus! Next time, I’ll definitely double the recipe so I have leftovers. I may also add some feta so the finished product!
I’ve made this twice and loved it both times! Once with barley instead of the farro and that time I also added some shredded lacinato kale (added at the end, when it was nearly done) because why not add some greens? It was delicious!
Delicious! This is part of our standard rotation. We add mild chicken italian sausage that we’ve removed from the casing and sauted. Perfect one pot meal.
Cooked this for the first time tonight – it was absolutely delicious! I love the chewiness of the farro and the flavours were incredible. This will define become a fixture in our house – thank you!
I discovered this recipe more than a year ago and have made it dozens of times since. Thanks so much! I’ve used several types of farro (but usually Earthly Choice or the 10-minute kind from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods). I’ve grated fresh parmesan and used the pre-grated store kind. I’ve used cherry tomatoes and also cut up big roma tomatoes. I’ve used frozen cubes of garlic, the pre-jarred kind, or my own fresh minced. No matter what, it’s delicious — immediately as well as cold or reheated for lunch for days to come. It’s basically become a staple in my work lunchbox.
One caveat: I’m anti-onion and have never included it. I just can’t. I add extra garlic and bask in my pickiness. I love that it doesn’t depend on the onion for texture.
This goes well with pretty much anything, but I tend to pair it with salmon and/or asparagus. I often mix spinach in, too. It’s basically like a caprese pizza without the pizza. And it’s basically foolproof, too! Depending on the ingredients, sometimes it’s amazing, sometimes it’s just good — but it’s always easy, quick, and yummy. I find it filling, nutritious, and colorful. Definitely a keeper.
Thought I’d mention that I often throw in lots of frozen or fresh basil (and sometimes oregano and parsley) from the start, and it seems to add lots of great Italian flavor. A bit of pesto at the end definitely doesn’t hurt either. And Kumato mini tomatoes are probably my favorite for making this.
Also, it’s just as good cold as hot! Have I mentioned this is probably my favorite EVER savory online recipe?
Wow, thank you.
Making this for the second time tonight and doubling the recipe! My 2.5 year old loved it, as did my husband. Thank you- this recipe is a keeper!
So quick and delicious! I added a spoonful of leftover tomato sauce for a little added richness, and topped it with some grated Jarlsberg. Served alongside a glass of sparkling white wine, this makes an immensely satisfying weekend lunch!
I have made this countless times and no matter what I switch up because I don’t have it or want to get fancy (truffle salt in this will change your life) it is ALWAYS amazing. Also my 5 year old…oh i’m sorry I mean husband who eats like a 5 year old, LOVES it. One of my Deb faves!!
I made this when you first posted it and it was awesome! I sautéed some shrimp to add to it
I’ve made this Farro dish many times. It is, hands down, one of my favorite things to eat and guests always love it! Made with summer tomatoes and sweet onions…it just doesn’t get any better
Made it, and it’s really good….. for a grain dish.
The broth was amazing. Used truffle salt instead of kosher. Don’t know if that had anything to do with it.
Please, please pretty please turn this into an Instant Pot recipe?!?!! I have no desire to turn on anything that releases any kind of heat into the house (mops brow) but this sounds amazing!
Great dish. Changed slightly by sautéing the onions with some sliced mushrooms for about 5 minutes before adding to the pot. I also added some fresh chopped parsley as well as fresh thyme with the salt and pepper. Everything was as written. Really loved this dish….thanks so much for sharing.
I made this with barley. Kind of big barley. Not sure what the husk situation was. I can tell you the package said to cook it for 60 minutes, which is how long it took. It took quite a bit of water as well. I don’t mind cooking tomatoes for that long so it worked out well. I used a yellow heirloom tomato. YUM and DELICIOUS. Awesome.
I am a regular at your wonderful site and IG and have many of your recipes in my repertoire…delicious ones like your pecan sandie peach crumble!…never have I have been more compelled to write a review! This dish is nothing short of magical! And FYI it works great with the TJ’s farro. I did however need to cover mine for a bit to get it to the consistency of my preference.
I made this in Saturday for lunch and was hoping the leftovers would last for a side dish or two. Well, this was so good that my husband and 14 year old son devoured it for lunch, breakfast and snack. It was great with a fried egg on top too.
I used about 1 1/2 cups Farro , an entire onion and an entire box of cherry tomatoes.
I plan to make it again tomorrow for dinner. This really is a stellar recipe!
Deb, Have you made this with roasted tomatoes (and onions?). I love farro. Maybe a tiny bit of pancetta to enhance the salty chew?
I haven’t made it with roasted ingredients because they cook into a sauce in the pot, not sure what it would add. Probably won’t taste bad through. For pancetta, if you like it chewy, definitely go for it. I prefer it crispy and would probably crisp it up in a skillet and scatter it on at the end.
This didn’t look as deliciously cohesive on my stovetop as in the picture, so I added a few tablespoons of tomato paste–did the trick! So simple, so few ingredients, so amazing.
I know there’s already 650+ comments for this recipe, but I have to chime in to say how delicious and simple this was! We loved it. I doubled the recipe (family of 6), and we thought it was a perfect easy summer meal. I used heirloom tomatoes from our CSA instead of cherry tomatoes, worked out just fine. Thanks for making it one-pot and super simple!
Made this tonight with heirloom tomatoes from the farmer’s market in Larchmont (a cool neighborhood in LA). This was absolutely delicious. My family loved it!!! Thank you! Your recipes never fail! Thank you!
This recipe falls into the “Greater than the sum of its parts” category. First