If things seem a little quiet around here this summer, do know that it’s less because I’m out having a hot vax summer and more because I’m in my own personal quarantine-for-a-good-cause: finishing up my third cookbook, which will be out next fall. Although I’m somewhat (“somewhat”) panicked by the vanishing weeks between now and the deadline, I am so excited about this book and I can’t wait to tell you more about it, you know, should I survive the photoshoot and edits. (If you’ve spent some time on this site, you know what a forbidding task the copyeditor has ahead.)
But I can’t let another week go by without telling you about the most delicious, pinnacle-of-summer baked grain dish that has ever existed in my kitchen. The origin of this recipe is pasta bake that a favorite* reader named Marcia sent me several years ago from a Williams-Sonoma catalogue. It’s a summer staple for her and she thinks it’s fantastic because all of the ingredients are easy for her to get fresh and local. If you have a CSA or garden or farmers market access right now, boy, would they like to sell some corn, tomatoes, and zucchini! The first time I made it I used penne, as the recipe recommends and it was spectacularly delicious. So why do I use farro instead here? Because the sauce is so good, it doesn’t want to share the spotlight with big pieces of pasta. Farro, small, nutty and slightly chewy, is a fantastic supporting cast member, while adding a heft that makes it clearly dinner-y.
I’ve tried to keep this as fuss-free as possible, but there is a bit of chopping and sautéing involved. I’ve ditched the peeling and seeding of tomatoes, which Marcia assures me she’s never done, either. (I knew we liked her.) The farro will cook in the oven, and not a separate pot, and if you run it under your broiler or in the hottest part of your oven on high heat at the end, you’ll get a crispy top that’s all I can think about.
It’s unclear to me why pasta + vegetables = a main dish, but farro + vegetables = a side, but I think of this as a main. You can put an egg on top or grill sausages on the side, too. But you won’t be disappointed it you eat it scooped onto a plate and showered with extra parmesan, as I usually do.
* just kidding, I do not pick favorites, but I always love her emails!
Video
We’ve just wrapped up the first season of Smitten Kitchen cooking videos, and I hope you’ll get a chance to watch any you’ve missed! There are the the most recent:
Previously
6 months ago: Plush (Vegan) Confetti Cupcakes and Baked Feta with Tomatoes and Chickpeas
1 year ago: Dulce de Leche Chocoflan and Kachumber Cooler
2 years ago: Ultimate Zucchini Bread
3 years ago: Marbled Raspberry Pound Cake
4 years ago: German Chocolate Cake + A Wedding Cake
5 years ago: Blueberry Bread and Butter Pudding
6 years ago: Takeout-Style Sesame Noodles with Cucumber
7 years ago: Three-Ingredient Summertime Salsa and Blueberry Crumb Cake
8 years ago: Banana Nutella and Salted Pistachio Popsicles
9 years ago: Zucchini Bread Pancakes and Zucchini, Tomato and Rice Gratin
10 years ago: Corn Buttermilk and Chive Popovers
11 years ago: Nectarine Brown Butter Buckle and Sweet and Smoky Oven Spare Ribs
12 years ago: Peach and Creme Fraiche Pie, Asparagus with Chorizo and Croutons and Sour Cherry Slab Pie
13 years ago: Herbed Summer Squash and Potato Torte and Garlic Mustard Glazed Skewers
14 years ago: Pearl Couscous with Olives and Roasted Tomatoes
Baked Farro with Summer Vegetables
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Kernels cut from 2 ears of corn (about 2 cups)
- 1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) zucchini or other summer squash (about 4 medium), quartered lengthwise and sliced thin
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 4 medium/large roma tomatoes (about 1 pound), diced (about 2 1/3 cups)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 cup white wine (optional)
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
- 1 cup (210 grams) uncooked (semi-pearled) farro (see Note)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, diced
- 2/3 cup (2 ounces) parmesan cheese, finely grated
On the stove, heat pan to medium-high. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Let the oil warm and add corn. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and many grinds of black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Tip corn into a large bowl.
Return the pan to medium-high heat and warm 2 more tablespoons olive oil. Add half of zucchini and 1/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper to taste, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add to bowl with corn and repeat with more olive oil, salt, pepper, and second half of zucchini. This is a good time to…
Heat your oven to 375°F.
Reduce heat to medium and add another drizzle of olive oil. Add onion, 1 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, and cook until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften and begin to form a sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine, if using, and cook until the wine has reduced and the sauce is fairly thick, about 3 minutes more. Return the corn and zucchini to pan the and cook with the sauce for 2 minutes. Add basil and stir to combine.
Add farro, water, and 1 more teaspoon of salt and stir to combine. If you need to transfer this to an ovenproof dish, do it now. Stir in diced mozzarella and half of parmesan. Sprinkle remaining parmesan on top, and cover with a lid or tightly with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until farro is cooked. Cooked farro should be tender but a little chewy. If the pan is dry and your farro still seems undercooked, add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup water and return it to the oven until it reaches the right texture.
Transfer dish to your broiler, or to the hottest part of your oven (and crank the heat) and cook until browned and crisp on top, about 3 to 5 minutes under a broiler or 5 to 7 in the oven. Serve warm.
Do ahead: Leftovers will keep for 5 to 7 days in the fridge. Rewarm in a 350-degree oven. This dish should also freeze well.
Oh this looks *SO* perfect. I can’t wait to hit up my market tomorrow afternoon so that I can make this for dinner tomorrow night.
I read this and thought the exact same thing. Hitting up the store tomorrow as soon as I get off work.
Is the recipe amount of fresh and dried oregano supposed to be the same?
I use the same here.
I drained my tomatoes and it still came out watery! Gah! I blame my terrible apartment electric stove. Still delicious!
Made this tonight! A big hit! Could you add protein to this? Maybe some chicken or shrimp or even some chicken sausage? Would I have to cook it ahead of time or add it raw?
I may have missed it, but when are the corn and zucchini added back in? Before or after the farro?
My bad! (See above: Copyeditors!) Just fixed. They get added to the tomato sauce, before the basil. Thanks for the heads up.
This looks amazing. Since we are experiencing hundred degree weather this week, could this be cooked on bbq in cast iron? I do that with my enchiladas and they come out great. I am thinking a bit more water since it cooks about 450 in bbq
I think so! I haven’t done it but it should work the way other casseroles do.
This question is for the mega-lazy (i.e. me!). Is there a reason to saute the vegetables separately? Why not just start with onion, add zucchini, finish with corn? Then I wouldn’t have to scoop hot veggie out and put them somewhere.
I have the same question! Because I am trying to reduce steps and dishes even more
I also had the same question. Loved the end result but it was very time consuming, between all the chopping and then sauteing the veg separately. I may just try cooking them altogether next time, but I’m thinking the veg could end up too mushy.
Also same question! I loved this dish but taking veggies out each step was a bit of a chore.
The point of the seperate cooking steps with the vegetables is to be able to season and brown the vegetables. If you add everything in at once you’ll end up steaming them. Cooking the vegetables in batches allows you to build the layers of flavor and keep the texture of the individual vegetables.
Thanks Joanne! Can’t believe it’s been more than a year since I made this, but getting ready to make it again for a Thanksgiving main dish (vegan, using vegan cheese which turned out awesome), so will just do it the way she says in the original recipe. Makes sense now that you explained it.
This looks delicious! I am not seeing when to add the cooked corn & zucchini back into the pan, is that with the cheese just before it goes in the oven? Thanks!!
Sorry, fixed after publishing. It gets added to the sauce, before the basil.
Please talk to me about the pasta version! While I adore farro, most of the people I cook for (aka husband and children) would like pasta. Did you add par cooked penne to the sauce and bake for 30 minutes like a traditional baked pasta dish? Uncovered and skip the broiler?
There’s a link to the original recipe right above the recipe. It had 1/2 pound of penne and it was cooked separately, then baked together.
My family won’t eat faro either. Since I’m in the UK I can’t see the W&S – I’m guessing you make the sauce and then mixed it with precooked pasta and then you bake it – does it need to be baked or can the sauce be used as a sauce?
Made this with pearl barley. Tasty, but needed a bit of lemon juice to give it some zing.
Suppose I could use cherry tomatoes if that’s what I’ve got on hand? This looks exquisite.
Yes, but you’ll want to use more since 1 cup cherry tomatoes will be less than 1 cup chopped tomatoes.
Hi!
Love watching your videos.
I’d like to make this but not sure about semi-pearled farro. You have a “see note” next to it, but I didn’t see it. I may have missed it?
The “note” is the recipe headnotes, after the story of how it came about and before the ingredient list (right under the recipe name).
I wondered about that myself as all I had was a bag marked “farro” that looks darker than the semi-pearled that I have used before. I had to cook mine a bit longer – about 43 minutes and then 5 under the broiler, but it turned out really good.
Could you incorporate eggplant somehow? At which step or in replacement of which veggies?
You could easily add it with the zucchini.
Thank you for asking this! Came to ask the same.
My grocery store was either out of farro or doesn’t carry it. What would be the best grain sub here? I have quinoa in the cupboard already
I’ve made this three times and we all adore it! Do you have a suggestion on a meat to make as a good side to it, or even sliced and served on top?
This looks amazing and perfect for a vegetarian main dish! I have a dinner coming up for a vegetarian who is gluten-free. Any farro substitutions recommended besides pasta?
Thanks!
I was going to try it with brown rice.
Good idea! Let us know how it turns out. I’m looking for a GF substitute as well.
I made it last night using Royal Blend rice, which includes brown rice among others. It was delicious! The rice said to cook 15 minutes so I did 25 as per Deb’s instructions but it wasn’t enough. I used 1 C rice and 1 1/2 cups water and it took about 40 minutes to cook. Still had some water but once i broiled it for 5 minutes it dried out. I followed the recipe for everything else.
I used barley
Do you suggest freezing after completely baking? Then defrosting and reheating at ~350? Would like to make for a friend in need and provide reheating instructions.
Hi,
Do you have a suggestion for a gluten free substitute for the farro?
Thanks.
I would try it with short-grain brown rice. It *might* need more water so check and see if it appears to be getting too dry as it cooks.
Do you recommend fresh or low-moisture mozzarella?
I buy fresh mozzarella that’s wrapped in plastic — i.e. just not the kind in water. Fresh or grocery is fine.
What would you think of adding some diced eggplant in with the zucchini? My fridge is full of both right now!
Sure! It will probably fall apart in the farro but otherwise taste delish.
Yes! Our local farmers market has eggplant and tomoatoes right now but no more corn or zucchini, so I subbed eggplant for the zucchini and frozen spinach for the corn. It turned out delicious! As Deb mentioned, the eggplant does fall apart a bit but I did still have chunks and they taste like savory eggplant puddles. Worked perfectly!
Noticed a missing step as I made this today. Doesn’t say when to mix back in the corn and zucchini that were set aside. I did it along with the farro and water. Otherwise looks delicious! Can’t wait until dinner tonight.
I think you must have saved it in the first 10 minutes before I fixed the error — and I love your enthusiasm. :) I hope you enjoy the dish.
Yum —this was delicious and used up some of my garden veggies — I added eggplant and small green beans and a red pepper only because I had them. The eggplant melted into the dish. Anything that grows together goes together. Thanks Deb!
This was fantastic!!! I used ‘10 minute’ farro and didn’t change the water amount – ended up needing 30 min covered and then I did 5 uncovered. Prep took a little while – ended up being 90 min total time, so not a weeknight meal for us.
Can you used canned diced tomatoes instead? I’m time-starved and hungry!
Yes, you’ll want to match the cup measurement here — i.e. 1.5 small cans or 2/3 to 3/4 of a big one.
Yes, you’ll want to use about 1.5 15-ounce cans and they might need longer to get “saucy.”
Hello! This recipe looks great. So I have a ton of grains that are not faro? Would you think barley a good substitute? Thanks!
I used a large can of diced tomatoes. I drained them and set aside the liquid. I then used the tomatoey liquid and with the water that is added when you put in the farro. It worked perfectly!
Do you think this would still taste good without the cheese? Is the cheese necessary to get everything to kind of stick together? (I have a dairy-allergic toddler, who also doesn’t like vegan “cheese.”)
Cheese makes it stick together but it can still taste good without it.
You could top it with breadcrumbs, maybe even tossed in a bit of nutritional yeast, to add some extra oomph without cheese.
Great! Will try this (not a fan of cheese)
This looks great. I love the one pan farro. Will this work with goat cheese? My partner is lactose intolerant, and the yeast sub someone is recommending sounds too powerful (I think if it as a Parmesan sub in pesto). Thanks!
I have not made this yet, but the ingredient list is similar to the Moosewood Kitchen’s Midsummer Risotto, which is vegan. That has been a staple at our house for years. I think this recipe would be fine without cheese.
I made this last night without putting any cheese mixed in, and just put a little feta on the top at the end. It was delicious!
I made without any cheese and it was still delicious. Added ~1.5 cups of cannellini beans + some of their broth and that gave it some cohesion too. Love the breadcrumbs idea!
Okay to use frozen (thawed?) or canned corn(well drained)?
Sure!
Absolutely delicious. I made for dinner guests tonight and everyone loved it. I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing. I will definitely double next time and freeze as suggested. Loved the one pan does it all method. I served with a Caesar salad to complete a meal.
Thanks Deb!
BRAVO
When you say “next fall” for the arrival of your new cookbook, does that mean fall of 2021 or fall of 2022?
Fall 2022. :) Editing, designing, and printing take a long time.
Saw this recipe today and immediately had to give it a go since one-pan farro and tomatoes is a household favorite. It’s in the oven right now and I can’t wait for dinner! 🥂
Awww, I am blushing! It looks great with the farro. As my family was patting me on the head, they asked why I hadn’t made this yet this summer. So it’s for dinner tonight! I am lucky to have all the ingredients on hand as I do have a CSA from the wonderful SEPS FARM in East Marion, NY. I think it must be National Hug your Cooks and Farmers day.
The flavors in this are amazing! Mine came out very watery even though the farro is cooked. Maybe because I used heirlooms instead of Roma tomatoes. Next time I’d increase the amount of farro! Otherwise fantastic!
Saaaame! Watery, and I followed the recipe to a T, except used heirlooms instead of Roma. It was still delicious, though I don’t know if it was that much more delicious than your tomatoes and farro recipe, which is so, so easy. This was a lot of chopping and separately sautéing. It did taste like summer, though!
Did not know about Farro so I Googled. This is very interesting: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/farro-benefits
Thinking about using this to stuff peppers (lots of ’em in garden). Any thoughts?
Not that you necessarily asked me, but I think it’s brilliant, TJ! My poblanos are busting out, and thanks to you I now have a plan for them. I think I’ll toast a bit of cumin and chili powder when the onion goes in, sub queso fresco for the mozzarella, finish the filling with some cilantro, and serve the stuffed poblanos with a dollop of whipped cream. Thanks for the inspiration, Deb and TJ!
Not that you necessarily asked me, but I think it’s brilliant, TJ! My poblanos are busting out, and thanks to you I now have a plan for them. I think I’ll toast a bit of cumin and chili powder when the onion goes in, sub queso fresco for the mozzarella, finish the filling with some cilantro, and serve the stuffed poblanos with a dollop of whipped cream. Thanks for the inspiration, Deb and TJ! (Sorry this appeared as a reply to somebody below by mistake.)
Delicious, and very, very forgiving! I cooked the zucchini with onions and some sliced chicken sausage, added green beans, jalapeno, kale, sage, thyme and chard to the mix (garden bounty – yay!) and since the tomatoes aren’t ready yet, added some canned tomatoes with the water and corn and farro and cheese. This recipe is a keeper for any veggies that are in the fridge I think – love the idea of cooking the farro into it and love a one pot meal! Thank you!
I just made this for dinner and it was delicious! I’m not the kind of cook that follows recipes exactly, so I probably used more tomatoes and corn than called for, less water since my tomatoes were extremely juicy (I used 2 big ones from the garden). I also tried to streamline things a bit by cooking the zucchini/squash first, then added the corn and dumped in a bowl. Then came the onions and tomatoes wine etc, and tossed in the farro to get that started so I didn’t need to cook as long in the oven. In went everything else – plus some homemade meatballs – for a hearty dinner. It needed about 25 minutes in the oven.
Wow, this was so good! Or as my husband said, “beyond yummy”. It took me almost an hour to prep the veggies and get it to the stage of putting it in the oven, so nearly 1 1/2 hours total – I wasn’t sure it was going to be worth so much time, but it definitely was! I followed the recipe to the letter, though I had to use dried oregano instead of fresh. Hubby said it should definitely be on the “make again” list.
Would you suggest freezing before baking (which is what I usually do with the kind of baked pasta dishes that this reminds me of), or after (because it’s not really all that much like a baked pasta in terms of how it cooks)?
I think you could do either. I’d probably at least bake it through so there’s less work to do later and maybe save the crisping on top for after you rewarm it.
I had all the ingredients so I made this for dinner, first day. Wow – it’s sublime, like a summer pizza (no crust) — tomatoey, cheesey, and savory. Confession: I used a can of corn (heresy, I know) and shredded mozzarella, but my husband and I still gobbled this up like crazy people. An amazing, easy dish and definitely going into our summer rotation. Can’t wait to try the leftovers!
I just made this and devoured more portions than I should have. At least it has a lot of fiber right?! Haha only substitute I made was to use smoked mozzarella cubes, and while it was really good…I would only do about 2 oz of that and 4 of regular. Or just do regular. It was really good in it but maybe a bit overpowering in some bites. Otherwise the flavors in this were on point. Thanks!
We are plant based and would like to make this. You stated…”the sauce is so good”…so we are wondering if the sauce, in your opinion, will still be soooooo good if we omit the cheese? Thank you for your input.
Yes, I do think so!
We did this with plant based mozzarella (violife) and it was bangin :)
Can orzo be used here?
I definitely think so! Will probably need less cooking time to tenderize.
Love this! I had to make some substitutions —eggplant from my garden, frozen corn and peas, canned peeled tomatoes—and I precooked the farro in my instant pot. Baked for 30 minutes to melt cheese and meld flavors. I used the cooking liquid from the farro to sauté the vegetables to decrease the olive oil. Made such a big batch that my daughter gets dinner tomorrow night!!
Love this idea to saute in the liquid. I also like to find ways to reduce the olive oil and this is a great one! Thank you!
Thinking about using this to stuff peppers (lots of ’em in garden). Any thoughts?
Love this idea!
Could I substitute the farro with actual pasta instead – like a small grain-shaped one like risoni?
This sounds amazing! I’m looking for recipes to prep and freeze before a surgery- any more freezing and thawing tips? I’ve never frozen a dish like this before. Thanks!!
Hi Deb! As always, this looks amazing. Making it tonight. I have always rinsed my farro first. Don’t use the quick cook…but yhe old school kind.
Is this necessary here?
I don’t usually rinse farro but I always rinse rice so I’d say it’s up to you.
I love your one pot farrow and tomato recipe. I just made it again yesterday! Very excited to try this recipe as well! Looking forward to your new cookbook!!
I love your pan; looks very versatile. May I ask what it is? Adding the recipe to my list!
Yes, I love it. You might see it here often because it’s my most-used Dutch oven-style pan. It’s a 4-quart braiser, and unfortunately Staub seems to be discontinuing it for slightly different sizes and shapes. Here’s one in stock; if you find it, sometimes on clearance, I’d grab one. I can do a full 1-pound pasta bake it in, most mid-sized soups, as well as various roast chicken parts with vegetables.
When you say farro, do you generally use spelt, emmer or einkorn? Or will either of them do? We don’t have such a general term in my country so I never know which one to use.
Not Deb, but just a note that most American farro is emmer and semi-pearled.
Just wanted to mention that I’ve learned the hard way that spelt is not at all equivalent to the farro I usually find at US grocers and (in opinion) not a great substitute. I think emmer is likely what you want here.
I used ‘quick cook spelt’ as it was all I could find in our UK supermarket and it worked fine — cooked in 25 mins (I brought the liquid to the boil before putting the pan in the oven) and was delicious! Probably had more bite than the farro would have, but it was fine.
Love farro! But with an adult-onset allergy to wheat and barley, can no longer eat it. Would brown rice work or would it get too mushy? Wondering what else might have a similar “chew.”
I haven’t tested it with rice, but hunch is that a short-grain brown rice here would be as close as rice can get in terms of size and nuttiness. It might need less cooking time and/or less water.
Hi Deb – could you substitute something else for the corn? I love everything about this recipe but I can’t eat corn! Thanks so much.
Another SK cookbook! Yay!!
This looks yummy, but the last thing I like to do in the summer is turn on my oven! Would this work cooked covered on the grill?
OMG Deb, this looked so darn good I made it the day you posted! and it was SO GOOD. I subbed vegan cheese for the mozz and parm and it worked great.
Not that you necessarily asked me, but I think it’s brilliant, TJ! My poblanos are busting out, and thanks to you I now have a plan for them. I think I’ll toast a bit of cumin and chili powder when the onion goes in, sub queso fresco for the mozzarella, finish the filling with some cilantro, and serve the stuffed poblanos with a dollop of whipped cream. Thanks for the inspiration, Deb and TJ!
So sorry this reply appeared in the wrong spot! See TJ’s idea above…
If I have pre-cooked farro would it work just to sauté the vegetables then skip to the broiler step? Turn on my oven for any significant amount of time in the summer always makes me a bit wary.
This was great! I used heirlooms instead of roma tomatoes (about three) and skipped the corn since I didn’t have any – really great and hearty but also somehow light? Will be making again!
So simple and fantastic flavor!! I was going to show you my pic but it doesn’t look like it’s allowed. Can’t wait to riff on this one again, may go Greek!!🤩
When do I add the fresh basil?
Where oh where do I get farro from? I am not seeing it at my grocery store!
Thanks I am making this tonight! Got everything here already!
I see in the ingredient list, “see note” after farro entry but I don’t find the note. Am I missing it? Thanks.
This is super tasty. When I make it again, I will significantly reduced the salt.
And reduce the water. I used 10 farro but it took almost 45 minutes to cook down
Made this evening, and it was *very* good, although a little salty as per Leigh Ann’s comment… even though I used rather less salt than specified. But I have just realised that I used fine table salt, not Kosher, so that may have been my undoing (and it might have been inedible had I not halo-moderated)… doh! (I have annotated my printed copy accordingly!)
I’m obviously not Deb but I operate under the assumption that any recipe is referring to kosher salt like Diamond Crystal unless stated otherwise. If you use the same quantities with table salt it can certainly lead to disastrous results!
Made this and had to drain some liquid off at the end because even after an hour in the oven it was still soupy! It was about 1/2 cup liquid less if that’s helpful.
I also reduced the salt slightly, but will reduce it even more next time as it was too salty for me (although my husband thought it was great, so maybe it’s a matter of preference). I used sea salt, which I know is different than kosher but it’s what I usually use in other recipes with no problems.
I made this tonight and it was so delicious. My 6 year old son who normally won’t eat zucchini gobbled it up. Thank you for the recipe! It was so easy to make and will be in weekly rotation from now on.
This was VERY delicious! It did take me about 1.5 hours start to finish between all of the chopping, sautéing etc. but I never mind taking that time when the end result is as delicious as this. I’ve been just loving farro lately, a recent discovery!
This dinner was a big hit in our house and we’re excited to have plenty of leftovers for round two tomorrow evening. Served it with caesar salad as a side and it was a very satisfying meatless meal.
Had everything in the house except white wine and tomato paste, so I subbed red wine and blended some sun-dried tomatoes into a puree which did the trick.
Will definitely be adding this to our summer dinner rotation.
Had this for lunch and loved it! Similar taste to your one pan farro with tomatoes but feels so much heartier with extra veggies. I subbed frozen corn and shredded mozz and baked 40 min. Definitely a keeper!
Made this tonight for dinner with orzo because it’s what I have on hand in my cabin in the woods. So good!!! I added the uncooked orzo to the tomato sauce when you add the water. Cooked in oven for 25-30 minutes and it was incredible!! Thanks!
Should the corn kernels be cooked or cut raw from the cob?
Omg it’s like you looked on my fridge and saw the bountiful summer produce that needs to be used up RIGHT NOW!! This will be dinner tomorrow!
Wow, wow, wow, was this ever DELISH! I’m thinking this will be on repeat for sure!
Absolutely delicious, but I didn’t realize how much prep this required. Worth it.
This looks great and what I need to use up some party pans and other veg in our bounty… however I sadly can’t eat tomatoes. Do you have any suggestion on what I could replace them with? Are they for liquid – would a broth work? Thanks.
I bet you could sub in a bit of broth or even just water and maybe a dollop or two of pesto—or maybe the salsa verde from Deb’s summer gratin? The farro needs the moisture to plump up properly, but I think using full chicken stock as a replacement might take away a bit of the “summer-y oomph”, as I think of it 😸
I didn’t have tomato (fresh or my canned ones) on hand, so I extra tomato paste, doubled the wine (…tbh, it was vermouth, not white 🤷🏻♀️ ) and simmered some chopped fresh market bell peppers to mimic the fresh tomato texture—it was quite good, if I might say so myself 😛
So good! Everyone requested leftovers for lunch tomorrow, This recipe will stay on rotation in our house.
Made this last night. Amazing. Couldn’t find farro, which I love, so I substituted barley. Seemed just as good?? Really delicious recipe!!
I made this today for lunch, although I used the recipe as a guide! I didn’t have corn, but tons of green beans and kale to use up, so those went in. Didn’t have mozzarella, so left that out. I used zaatar as I love it. Made the topping out of breadcrumbs and parm, which was tasty. I also didn’t cook the veg separately as I’m lazy.
It probably would taste better with the mozzarella,but it was pretty darn good without. Filling and a great way to use up whatever summer ingredients are kicking around your fridge.
Made this with quinoa because I had it on hand. Also delightful.
Did you use the same cooking time as the farro?
If one wanted to make this gluten free, do you think you could substitute quinoa for the farro?
My first choice would be a short-grain brown rice, for more texture.
Just made it tonight and it is sooooooo good!
This was delicious! It’s definitely more prep than you think it will be, but it’s totally worth the effort. Thank you Deb for another winning recipe.
If I make this in a 12” cast iron pan, would you recommend upping any of the ingredients (farro? If so, add any water and how much?). I cook for my family of 5 and wouldn’t necessarily mind winding up with more volume. Thanks! So excited to make this tomorrow!
I think you could cook it in a 12-inch without any changes. But you could scale it up, too, just a bit. (My pan shown here, for reference, is 11″ across.)
Thanks so much for the quick reply! I followed your guidance (increased the farro and water by just a tiny bit) and it was amazing! So incredibly tasty and so satisfying! Thank you!!!
Could you make the farro separately and then combine to bake with the veggies in oven ?Would that help avoid excess water in the finish product ?
This was amazing! Quick enough to make on a weeknight, but fancy enough to serve to veggie guests. My Roma tomatoes were not super ripe, so they didn’t release that much liquid, but I compensated by adding more water. Next time I will try heirloom or cherry tomatoes, and maybe a drizzle of balsamic glaze on top. Thanks Deb!
If I can’t locate semi pearl Farro my I use regular Farro?
Yes, might just take longer. Default to the cooking time on the package to start, then add as needed.
I made this as described except for not having enough basil for the full amount. It tasted ok, but I didn’t love it. My only advice is more is more when it comes to the cheese and don’t scrimp on the salt even though it may seem like a lot. Also, I included the wine which I felt added an interesting flavor. I might try again with more basil and double the wine.
I read this post and knew I had to make it immediately….but felt there was just no way this is actually a 60 minute meal (happy to be wrong!) or attainable for a week night. I cooked the farro al dente in my instant pot with broth/wine/tomato paste, then made all the veggies separately. Baked everything for 15 minutes and broiled for 3. Fabulous. I’m sure the real version is even better.
I also made this in the instant pot, with a few changes based on what I had on hand. It turned out great! Here is my adaptation, using the 10 minute farro from Trader Joe’s:
Heat olive oil in pressure cooker and sauté onions for 2-3 mins. Add salt, pepper & red pepper flakes, garlic & zucchini, stir & sauté another 2-3 mins. Add tomato paste, corn (I used 1.5 cups frozen kernels) & stir, cook for a minute or two.
Add tomatoes, oregano, farro and 1 only cup water (1.5 cups will turn out too soupy in pressure cooker. I also skip wine in pressure cooker as alcohol can be a combustion hazard if not fully evaporated).
Lock lid & cook on manual, high pressure for 10 mins. When cook time is up, natural release after 8-10 mins., stir in basil & cheese (I didn’t have fresh basil so added a heaping Tbsp of pesto instead which was delicious!).
It was perfectly cooked, but I wanted a cheesy crust, so after adding the cheeses I transferred to a baking dish and baked for 15 mins. It probably would have been fine with just a few mins under the broiler.
I’m not sure how much time this saved, and dirtied 2 pots instead of one, but in the current heat wave I wanted to reduce the oven time. If you want to avoid the oven altogether, it would have been very good straight from the pressure cooker – even without the extra dish and time in the oven. Just make sure not to add the cheese until after pressure cooking.
I made this instant pot version tonight and it was delicious. Thank you for the thoughtful tips! I used pepper jack instead of mozzarella because that’s what I had, but otherwise followed this version as written. It was a huge hit with my family and we will definitely be making it again!
Just made this in the IP with your instructions and included the oven time. Loved the time it saved. And Was so delicious! Thanks for sharing with us!
I also used the Instant Pot, but used short grain brown rice, as Deb suggested. Summary: make a risotto in the IP with the tomato sauce ingredients and while it’s cooking, chop and caramelize the other veggies on the stove. Combine everything and dump in the gratin pan; broil for 5 minutes for that crispy crust. Done in an hour, start to finish. Was a big hit, on a week night!
I didn’t have tomato paste, but this still turned out delicious. Even my 5 year old twins liked it (although one told me it looked disgusting). Thankfully he took a bite and realized how good it was. :-)
We made this tonight. My mom was to just chop the veggies before we got home from work and did not read the directions. She saw the farro and just cooked it separately. So, I followed the rest of the directions except for baking in the oven. I added the farro in the pan and let it sit in the juices with lid covered for 10 min. It was so good! Not sure how much better the recipe can be with baking in the oven, but this was good and cut down on time to prepare!
My husband and I made this last night and it was delicious. We found it to be a forgiving and very versatile recipe. We had additional vegetables to use up so we added them (eggplant, Italian sweet peppers) and they worked great; we also skipped the step where you roast the corn kernels and simply sautéed them with the onions. Aaaand we also skipped the mozzarella because we didn’t have any. All that to say – the two of us are going to nosh on this goodness for days.
Made as written. Perfection! Thank you Deb for all the veg-centric recipes. They are always amazing
So good! It works with barley, too. I made some for dinner,and now for lunches, too. Your recipes are ALWAYS perfect, thanks Deb!
Made this last night. Simply fantastic! I threw in a green bell pepper at the corn stage since we had one from CSA but that was our only edit. I’m considering making it again tonight since there aren’t any leftovers! Deb, you’ve done it again.
Delicious! I used three large-ish heirloom tomatoes which may be why it was a bit watery (I had read someone else’s comment that the same had happened to them, so I purposely tried to cook off more of the liquid before the final step in the oven but I guess I didn’t do enough!). It still was delicious, but I didn’t get the top to turn crispy under the broiler…
Ooooo. I just got back from New Mexico and have an ungodly amount of Hatch chile in my fridge and if you look at this sideways and squint & add chile it’s almost like a calabacitas bake with farro.
I think I will have to investigate further. Possibly with Oaxacan cheese.
De-li-cious!! Even without oregano and basil, and millet instead of farro. A new summer favorite, thanks!
Millet – brilliant!! Thank you. Loving all the grain subs, even though farro is a favorite.
Can you make a full recipe, halve it after adding the basil, and bake half now and freeze the other half?
Absolutely!
Okay so this is DELICIOUS!! Made with Pearl barley instead of farro, and taleggio instead of mozzarella, just because I had some to use up, and both worked so well. Also forgot the basil but it was still SO good! Hurrah for summer veg!
can veg stock be used instead of water in this recipe?
Yes, but there’s enough flavor without it.
I made this last night and it is easy and incredibly delicious. I do more of your baked goods but this one caught my attention and I’m glad it did. I honestly think it could go in a regular rotation at my house!
Absolutely delicious! And it made my whole house and patio smell amazing during every step. It took me quite a while to get it in the oven, but it was absolutely worth it!
Thanks so much for this recipe! My husband, who “avoids” vegetables, loved it so much that he suggested I make it for his friends. The farro is a welcome change from pasta, while still being tender enough for my son, who has cerebral palsy, to easily chew. Taking the time to get that crispy top makes it heavenly.
Thank you, Deb. This was scrumptious! All the veggies happily came from our farmer’s market. I didn’t have mozzarella, and it was delicious without it…though next time I make it I’ll be sure to add it. Will make on repeat through the remainder of summer. Even my husband, who claims he doesn’t care for farro, loved it.
Simply delicious.
Love this recipe. I made the tomato & cheese version about a month ago and so I had to try this one. I had to use diced canned tomatoes due to a shopping error but it worked fine. I used one and a half 14oz cans. There are only two of us so this recipe made enough for a few meals. Thanks for another great recipe.
This was a wonderful Sunday evening dinner, using up garden tomatoes, 2 lonely ears of corn, and an almost empty can of tomato paste in the back of the fridge. I followed the recipe and after 30 minutes the farro was cooked and still chewy, which was perfect. Thanks for another great recipe!
This was wonderful! Well worth lol the prep time!!!!
The dish was delicious- i have a suggestion- either parcook the farro for a few minutes, or add boiling water at the appropriate point in the recipe. This will ensure that the dish will be cooked at the noted time.
I’ve found that adding room temp water to a casserole takes too long to come to a boil/ create steam required to cook grains.
Did you have trouble with the cooking time here? Since we are adding water to a very hot pan of vegetables, I’d not expect it to save much time to boil it first.
I know no one wants to hear this (because cheese > no cheese), but I made this without cheese by subbing nutritional yeast to taste, and it was still delicious! I also sautéed some peppers and eggplant add in, because I had them on hand.
Good suggestion! I am making it right now with both cheeses, but I bought a container of nutritional yeast when I already had a full one and a half used one already on hand so need more summer recipes to use it with. I tend to use more nutritional yeast in fall and winter recipes.
I needed extra 10 mins of cooking time for my Bobs red mill semi pearled farro.
Thank you, Savannah – vegan here and was looking at giving this one a whirl here soon. Appreciate the note about nutritional yeast working well.
This was de-licious! I didn’t have enough zucchini so I substituted some green beans and it was awesome. I’ll definitely be making it again. Thanks Deb!
This dish is delicious! I swapped brown rice for the farro as a gluten-free substitute and it worked perfectly. Thank you for another amazing recipe, Deb!
This was GREAT! My 3YO loved it and requested it for lunch at school the next day and my 7MO ‘chomped’ on all the big / thick slices of zucchini. It definitely worked as a ‘main’ for us without anything added.
As advertised, this did require time/a good amount of hands-on work, but none of it is difficult. It’s certainly not a weeknight meal in our house (unless it’s made ahead), but absolutely a great one for weekends when there’s a little more time to prep.
Thanks – we’ll be making this lots more!
I’m in the middle of making this right now and I can’t stop eating the corn and zucchini just straight from the bowl! My tomatoes and onions are still cooking down and I can’t even wait for it, it’s already so good!
This is absolutely delicious. I finally got my husband on board with farro by using this recipe!! I could not find semi pearled, so using regular farro it was perfectly done at 55 minutes and 1 3/4 cups water. I think you could even do 2 cups. I did not need to broil, it got a lovely crust just from the 55 minutes (and WHAT a crust – salty, crunchy, etc). I made this in my enormous cast iron and it was perfect. Don’t skimp on salting each veg step! Deb, this recipe is DIVINE. Thank you!
This was a huge hit! I used tomatoes from my garden, plus an extra 1/2 cup or so of sauce left from making pizza this weekend. Prepped all the veggies and sauce Sunday, combined with cheese and grains day of. Barley instead of farro (store was out, used same amount of water as recipe suggests), doubled the garlic. Will definitely go on the rotation.
Can I use the 10 minute farro from Trader Joe’s?
I’d think so, but I haven’t tested with it. You might need less liquid (check what the package recommends).
I made it with TJ’s – used 1-1/4 cups water instead of 1-1/2 cups and baked it for 30 minutes – perfect! (I checked it at 20 minutes, but the farro was still a tad underdone, and there was still quite a bit of liquid.)
This was outstanding! I had to use frozen corn instead of fresh, but that didn’t take away from the amazing flavors. I’m trying to experiment with different grains (I’m a pasta addict) and the farro was so yummy. It even came out well after I preheated the top oven, only to realize my dutch oven didn’t fit with the lid on (!!!) and I had to just hope that putting it in the bottom oven while it preheated wouldn’t mess with the cooking – it didn’t!
This is time consuming, but I don’t think it’s necessary to cook the zuccs in batches, especially given the pan I was using. To save time again, I would probably just toss them in with the corn in the beginning.
Thanks Deb! This one’s a keeper.
I can’t just print the recipe, I am missing the print button somewhere?
Thanks
There is a print icon that leads to a print template at the bottom of each recipe, where it says “DO MORE:” You can also click CTRL or ⌘ + P from any recipe post and it will take you to a streamlined print template. We will definitely make it easier to find when we next redesign.
I made this last night, cut all ingredients in half, for a smaller dish (that would easily serve 4 people). It was delicious! I am excited to have the leftovers tonight. I can’t wait to make this for family and friends. I made no changes except that I did use canned shoepeg corn because I didn’t want to go to the market for fresh, but that was the only change I made. This is going in to my favorites file.
I made this today. It just begs to be served when it is cold outside, maybe after a day of shoveling and snow blowing. Okay, I am in and from Iowa so I have frozen my sweet corn for the rest of the year from 5 dozen ears of Fairfax sweet corn. I had some meatballs I added and used about half zucchini and eggplant. Otherwise, everything else was as per recipe. Very yummy, thanks Deb.
Oh this is a winner. Going into the regular rotation. Thanks!!!
In the oven as I write! I did the standard substituting everyone else here has done: more zucchini, no corn, had a little eggplant and okra on hand so I tossed that in, chickpeas also. Thought I had farro but when I started cooking realized I had freekeh instead, so used that. Added a bit of rosemary and fennel seed to the oregano-basil mix. House smells incredible.
For next time: this is a *lot* of prep time, definitely more of a weekend meal than a speedy weeknight dish. But pretty sure I’ll make it again! Thinking of adapting it in a more New Mexican direction: zucchini, tomato, corn, soyrizo, roasted green chile, keep the oregano but sub in cumin for basil. Thanks as always, Deb!
Delicious!
Fit well in my 12” Le C. shallow, cast iron lidded braiser, however a few drops baked over so next time I’d line a pan with foil for that.
I confess I allowed myself one blasphemous shortcut— tinned corn. Only because I was making this in a hot apartment kitchen with a fussy, sick with a cold baby strapped to my chest and I needed to speed things up just a titch.
I’ll be making this again for my freezer! A really nice meal. Don’t miss this one
This was very tasty. It uses up a lot of vegetables and, unless you’re serving a crowd, leaves you with good leftovers. I would probably leave out the corn next time. I didn’t like its texture in the dish (esp leftovers),. There are a couple reasons I probably won’t make this regularly. It’s a pretty wintery preparation of summer veggies. And it was too much work. A solid hour of labor in the kitchen plus cooking time.
This was delicious, and also took me a full three hours to make. Chopping, then cooking each veg separately in two batches…that was the first 90 minutes, then the faro took another 90… I started cooking after work at 6 and we were certainly hungry when it was ready at 9! Good thing it was so tasty. Still trying to tell if I have it in me to make again.
If we are in the throes of another book, may I make a request before the layout is finalized? While I was thrilled to get copies of both your books for last year’s birthday, I find them almost more difficult to navigate in the actual cooking than the tablet which always snuffs itself out at crucial times. It’s clear that people who do these gorgeous layouts, with your appetizing photos and witty stories, don’t actually cook. Almost every single recipe is laid out so the ingredients and instructions are not just on different pages, but on different pages that require turning to see both at once. So sticky/greasy fingers have to be used many times in the cooking of anything, and confusion often ensues. I probably should blame the pandemic attention span, but really I can’t imagine I am the only one experiencing that difficulty. And it’s particularly galling because clearly there’s room on most instruction pages to put the ingredients alongside, it’s just that none of these graphic designer kids have ever used a cookbook.. So please, please, have pity on us, and insist on getting that fixed while you can!!
Thank you! This is definitely on the to-tackle list and I wish there was an easy solution. The reality is that with 1 to 2 paragraphs-long headnotes, there’s no way to fit both the ingredients and entire recipes on one page without using a font that’s unpleasantly small. For the second book, we made sure that no ingredient lists spilled over two pages but the recipe directions often did. We’ll be working on book layout this fall and it’s definitely my number one concern/priority. Do let me know, if you don’t mind, if there are cookbooks where you feel the layouts have been done particularly well. I’ve always got my eyes peeled for new solutions, but have yet to see all three parts (headnote, ingredients, directions) neatly on one page unless it’s a two-line intro, a very quick/short recipe, or an unfortunately small font.
I so agree with your request, MC. Of course this is a common gripe among cookbooks. I wish they would format it so the recipes start on the left and finish of the right if two pages are needed. Some recipes are just going to be super lengthy and require multiple pages but there were several times I went to make an SK dish and flipped the page to see the next set of instructions, and to my horror realized that the ingredients continued on the next page as well, leaving me in a bind. I feel at the very least, it should be formatted so all ingredients are listed on the first page of the recipe.
I’m glad to hear these formatting issues are already in consideration for future cookbooks!
In Smitten Kitchen Every Day, my second cookbook, no ingredient lists spill onto a second page. I do want to say how much I appreciate your investment in making this next cookbook as good as it can be; we’ve had many, many, many conversations about layouts over the years and this is always the central issue — how to fit a headnote, ingredient list, and directions on a single page when I write longer headnotes. If you see any cookbooks that have handled this well, definitely let me know as it’s very helpful to visualize. Thank you!
Jubilee by Toni Tipton-Moore has a beautiful, intuitive layout as she weaves in stories with the recipes.
I have no expertise to offer, but did have a thought and am really looking forward to your next book. My thought is that many recipes take up three pages: one page for a picture, one page for the head note and ingredients and one page for the instructions. Would it be possible to alternate the position of the picture?
For example, for the first recipe, the first page (left page) would be the headnotes and ingredients, the second page (right page) would be the instructions (so that the headnotes, ingredients, and instructions would both be visible with the book lying open), third page (left page) would be the picture.
For the second recipe the first page (right page would be the picture, the second page (left page ) would be the headnotes and ingredients and the third page (right page) would be the instructions (again, the headnotes, ingredients, and instructions would both be visible with the book lying open).
This might take more finagling than the publisher is willing to do, especially if some recipes take up more pages, but it would be really great to be able to see the two pages with text with the book lying open.
The Ottolenghi/Sami Tamimi books are very good with this (Jerusalem, Plenty, Plenty More). Ingredients listed in the left margin, headnote at top (sometimes 2 paragraphs), then the recipe below, and it typically fits on one page with quite readable font; if it goes over to the next page, it’s usually only the end of the recipe after you’ve incorporated all/most of the ingredients anyway. True, those are big format books (pages are 27 by 19 cm), but I’ve got an old copy of Madhur Jaffrey’s early 80s book, small format (pages are 23 by 15.5 cm), that uses the same layout and it works very well, though admittedly her headnotes tend to be short.
I love your funny headnotes and great recipes, but find Smitten Kitchen Everyday annoying to cook from due to recipes going on to second pages. It’s hard enough to prop up and keep open a hardcover book in the kitchen work zone, let alone flip pages back and forth. (I am a cookbook editor and a serious home cook!)
Please take a look at Dinner by Melissa Clark. Its trim size is just an inch taller, its font is close in size to SK Everyday, and she writes long headnotes on some, not all, recipes, and the entire ingredient recipe and headnote are on the same page. The main difference I see is that often SK photos lap over the centerfold, hogging space, and Dinner’s are never more than 1 page and sometimes smaller; also, some of her shorter recipes are not photographed (which just means 2 recipes on a spread, which just means more recipe bang for your buck – most cooks I know do not want a coffee table cookbook so much as they want great recipes in a format they can use).
The photos in both books are lovely, but honestly, a cook like me is fine with smaller, more tightly cropped photos that exclude some props in favor of recipes on one page.
I love your approach to kitchen life and all that you share with your readers here! Thank you!
This tasted super delicious but was super watery and took over an hour for the farro to be edible (the package said 15-20 minute cook time).
Totally worth it, but next time, I’ll probably use less fancy mozzarella, all roma tomatoes instead of two romas and a bigger standard tomato, and a different brand of farro (this one took a century to cook in your quick tomato farro recipe, too). Also, I used used thyme instead of basil, and it tastes like it was meant to be!
This dish was the most delicious thin ever! Perfect for a hot summer night.
I followed the recipe to a T and it came out amazing.
FYI…i used one whole bag of Trader Joe’s farro (it was a little more than a cup), and I added about 1 cup of water. It was perfect and not soupy at all (which I was afraid of bc TJ’s farro is the quick cooking type).
Thanks for a great recipe!
I made this at a vacation rental…it was a perfect way to use some farmers market purchases and not have too many odds and ends left behind, and not so fussy that it would be a hassle in a poorly equipped kitchen. Great recipe! I think it might also be nice with feta or halloumi. The gooey bits of mozzarella were great, but I think a cheese that holds its structure would work here too.
This is so flavorful and so easy to bring together! I made it almost exactly as written (could not find my red pepepr flakes, used a bit of red cayenne chili powder instead) and took 40 minutes to bake. It definitely takes a while to chop everything, but I was glad to have prepped everything before I started. This is a perfect summer dish and is nice and filling if you eat an entree portion!
I used 10-min farro (from Costco) and cut the water down a smidge (1 1/4 cup) and put all the mozarella on top instead of stirring it in, because we are big fans on crunchy cheese-topped things in this house. It took 15 min in the oven and a few more under the broiler, and we loved it.
Also, to make this weeknight-possible for me, I prepped and sauteed the vegetables the night before, and then just warmed it up in the pan, and then continued from the point where you add farro and water.
The flavors in this were so rich, sweet and delish — it was like vegetable candy! in the best way. I used 1/8 cup of mirin with a splash or red wine vinegar in it in place of the wine and skipped the basil, plus half fresh tomatoes and half canned. I couldn’t bear to turn on my broiler so I didn’t get the cripsy bit which i imagine would have vaulted this to “otherworldly”!
Made this just as written and it was SOOO delicious. I used Bob’s Red Mill farro. It is not semi-pearled, but their website says it’s “scratched” so you retain all the nutritional benefits but it still cooks in a shorter amount of time. I baked mine for 40 mins just as Deb’s recipe said and didn’t have to add any liquid. It came out perfectly chewy. Can’t wait to make this again!
This recipe is so great for baby led weaning! I left out the salt and Parmesan, and my 11 month old LOVED it!
Just so insanely delicious, but I wouldn’t expect anything less. I màde as written but may make revisions in the future as I had to add on 30 min to cook down the liquid. I’m also wondering if the veggies can’t be sheet roasted I stead of individually sauteed.
Ok, this took forever to make and I’m not known to be a fussy cook! About 1.5-2 hours start to end but I did need to uncover awhile to get it less liquify. That said, delicious! It almost tastes like a huge, delicious, drippy pizza. Really lovely way to use so many summer veggies.
Followed the directions and added yellow crookneck to replace one of the zukes, French grey shallots, large and somewhat pasty albenga tomatoes, and made it vegan w Miyokos mozzarella and Violife Parmesan.
Thankyou! Truly delicious.
I made this with a few modifications – loved it!
I only had frozen corn so added it to the dish along with the cooked zucchini. And couldn’t find farro, so swapped in bulgur wheat without any other adjustments.
Served it with Italian sausages one day, and on its own for leftovers, which were still amazing.
Thanks for another good one.
Another fabulous recipe with farro!! So good!! Thanks!
This was amazing. One suggestion: use the tiniest tomatoes you can find, cut in half, or scoop out the juice and seeds for the main cooking and roast the tomato “meat” separately and stir it in at the last minute. This isn’t dried tomatoes; it is just slightly concentrated. A touch of sugar on the roasted tomatoes is good too.
This was really good! Kind of similar flavor profile to the burst tomato galette, but slightly more “healthy” since you replace pie crust with farro … Anyway I agree with others that the prep for this is time-intensive, and I was glad I ended up doing it the night before. I used a lot less olive oil than called for–1 tsp per batch of veggies vs 1tbsp–and not as much salt, but it was still really flavorful. Oh, and I used cherry tomatoes instead of whole, just because that’s what we had, and pearled farro because that’s all they had at the store. Cooked perfectly, although the top got a little overly browned because my husband forgot to turn off the broiler. Delicious, regardless, and I can’t wait for leftovers!
I made this and its so freaking good. One question, though: why do we cook all the vegetables separately, including the zucchini in two stages? Can I do it all together and will it still turn out well? Doing everything separately added a lot of extra time, so I’m wondering if there’s a shortcut here. Thanks!
It’s more about browning and caramelizing them. You could it all at once but they’d seem more steamed/wet.
Yes! I made this e.x.a.c.t.l.y as written, and it was so very good. Medium-high heat scares me a bit with sauteing vegetables, but I got my corn “golden” and my zucchini “brown” doing separate batches and with olive oil added each time. It also cooked the zucchini volume way down (I had been worried about too much zucchini) AND left my saute pan with lovely, intensely-flavored, brown gunk that deglazed in the next three steps (onion and tomatoes and wine). Definitely worth the extra time, as is the whole recipe.
So, so good! Subbed in graffiti eggplant and cherry tomatoes because that’s what I had on hand from a farmers market trip.
Made this last night, and it was so good! Yes, the preparation is a bit fussy, but the results are wonderful. I always follow the recipe carefully the first time I make a dish, but I think you could definitely add more or different vegetables, use pasta, or rice. We had it as a main dish but will serve the leftovers tonight as a side dish. Yumm!
Oh my gosh! This was soooo good! I’ve been looking for good ways to use up my summer veggie CSA and this did the trick. It’s even better the next day! Will definitely add this to the dinner repertoire!
If anyone needs an amazing breakfast idea, I warmed some leftovers in a small skillet and then cracked a egg over the top and scrambled it together. It was incredible!
Absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to make again. I did in instant pot, with a couple modifications based on what we had in the house-barley instead of farro and medium cheddar instead of mozzarella.
Cooked the veggies in stages as directed in recipe in IP-except did zucchini all together. Once all was combined with barley, cooked on manual for 13 min. Quick release, then finished under broiler.
My daughter made this for us the other night. It was delicious, and I am making soon.
This is a delicious summer entree! I have made several corn/tomato/zucchini dishes that were very good, but this outdoes them all! Winner all the way around!
Thank you.
I made this tonight and it was FANTASTIC! A good Saturday night dish when I had the time to make it. It took me 3 hours from start of chopping to sitting down to eat so don’t start cooking this if you are hungry. Next time I may put more than just 1/4 cup of wine in the sauce — it was really good.
I’m just eating my first batch of this and made it as written. I’ve been eyeing the recipe for a while, but since I live sans air conditioning, I had to wait until a cool enough day to make it. We are expecting a hurricane here in the Boston area so I seized the opportunity. It is a lot of prep, so definitely more of a weekend meal. I read in the comments people considering adding different cheeses. Has anyone tried that? While I enjoy the flavor of the mozzarella, I could do without the stringy texture. I’m wondering if anyone has tried feta.
WINNER.
It’s a template for all kinds of veg. I used a bag of frozen kale when I discovered my grocery order didn’t fulfill my request for zucchini. Fabulous. Next time, I’ll add a dash of cream.
PS) I soaked the farro in the water while sauteing. It was cooked in 30 minutes.
This is so delicious! The water ratio worked perfectly for me with Bob’s Red Mill Farro and I followed the instructions as written.
My 13 year old declared it her new favorite dish!
Worth turning my oven on for—was perfect!
Good golly, SO GOOD! Thanks for a recipe that is healthy and freakishly delicious and will move my family forward to more plants and less meat. Xoxo
This recipe is the bomb. So beautifully unfussy. I made mine with chick peas and artichoke hearts. Thank you!
Am I the only one who buys my farro from the bulk foods section? I have no idea if it’s semi-pearled or not. In any case, it took much longer to cook than Deb’s directions suggest, but it turned out absolutely delicious. I used sungold cherry tomatoes because that’s what we have in our garden right now, and I don’t think it made any difference. I hope to make this again but only during the peak of summer; it really highlights summer produce.
I have a ton of heirloom tomatoes ripening as I write. Mostly, black/purplish variety. I think one of them is Black Krim. Anyway, can I use these heirloom varieties in this recipe? I know that they are more juicy than plum tomatoes.
Black Krim are amazing! But so juicy. When I’ve used them in other recipes, they produce a lot of liquid so you will need to cut the water.
This recipe is delicious, I’ve already made it twice and received rave reviews at both meals. I always follow the recipe the first time I make something new and after seeing how it goes adjust and improvise to reflect the contents of my fridge/garden. For the second go around I used what I had: red onion instead of yellow, dropped the red pepper flakes and added 2 fresh peppers (pasilla or poblano, I can’t recall which I planted), added a cup of chopped mushrooms that needed to be used up and substituted fontina for the mozzarella. Both versions were stellar. I just love a recipe that is amenable to variations and foresee substituting brown rice for farro, spaghetti squash for summer squash, and adding spinach, kale, bell pepper or beans.
Made this tonight and the flavor was incredible but it was very very watery, almost like a soup. I followed the receipe exactly except that I left out the white wine. I’m wondering what I could do differently next time as I loved the flavor and all the veggies.
I’m thinking if you cook the farro separately and then mix in it would help with the watery texture? I am going to try that!
Don’t cook the farro separately unless you’re removing the liquid from the casserole — it’s there to cook the farro.
This was delicious! I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, so I wasn’t sure how it would turn out but now I want to make it again. I didn’t have corn on hand and didn’t want to go shopping so I used what came in my CSA box which turned out to be tomatoes, eggplant, and bell peppers and some zucchini and basil from my garden. I followed the rest of the recipe exactly though. Now I want to try it with corn. Well worth a make!
Made this last night–by sautee-ing (sp?!) onion till soft, then throwing in all the zuke & garlic, then tomatoes, etc. And it STILL came out great. Much faster. I admit, it may have lost a degree of deliciousness, but it was worth it to shorten the work. My fussy husband loved it too. Oh yes: before anything else, I poured boiling water over the farro in a bowl, so it could vaguely pre-cook. As it soaked up more water, I added more, just to the top. Worked fine.
looks amazing. may make this for company this weekend. do yo have a printer friendly version?
There is a print icon that leads to a print template at the bottom of each recipe, where it says “DO MORE:” You can also click CTRL or ⌘ + P from any recipe post and it will take you to a streamlined print template.
Although it’s 95 degrees here in Austin, your photos lured me in. I listened to some Patti Griffin and considered the veggie chopping a meditation. Results were delicious. Thanks for another great recipe!
This ended up taking two people about 2 1/2 hours to make from start to finish, including the extra time to cook down the dish (ours ended up really watery). I wouldn’t recommend making this if you don’t have the exact cookware sizes specified.
This was so delicious! Initially mine came out a bit soggy, but after an hour of sitting, the extra liquid all absorbed, so I’m sure the leftovers will be even more yum tomorrow!
Do you think this could be frozen to enjoy later?
Absolutely.
My grocery store only had bulgar wheat, which was a perfect swap! It was delicious, even my little one gobbled it up!
I have a few questions before I make this tonight (I started prepping the vegetables last night and my husband complimented on how amazing the house smelled!)
1) Could i prepare the farro separately as directed by package and then mix with the tomotaes, veggies and cheese, baking for about 25-30 min as the original Williams Sonoma recipe calls for? – I think this could help abate the watery finished result some reviewers have mentioned
2) Could I use red wine or rose instead of white wine (as that is what we have on hand)
1. Yes, but remove the water too.
2. Yes, of course.
I do not have any Parm in the house and used up my ball of mozzarella last night so: can/should I use some creamy feta in place, use the bagged shredded mozzarella, or just skip cheese altogether? I noticed suggestion for bread crumbs on top for the crispy-effect, but am asking about the cheese in the recipe proper.
Thanks
Hi there I’m not Deb but I just assembled this and used shredded low moisture mozzarella. I may top with some fresh but I think you use feta and shredded mozzarella
Delicious! I used pearled barley instead of farro, which I couldn’t find nearby. I will use less salt next time (I’m not allowed this much) but it is SOOO good!
Yummy…added some fresh green beans and topped with some homemade thyme breadcrumbs. What a great way to use up the generosity of my veg-gardening friends, and now have five frozen servings to enjoy when the snows start flying.
Made this as quickly as I could after seeing it. Sooooo delicious! Hearty and healthy and super tasty. And love a one-pot situation. Thanks!
I made this exactly as the recipe reads and we loved it! I used 10 minute farro from Trader Joe’s and baked it all in my Dutch oven for 20 minutes. The farro was perfect! The additional broil for 5 minutes made for a nice, bubbly Parmesan topping. I will say the prep time with all the dicing and chopping took a while. Allow at least 45 minutes to one hour for that. I will certainly make this again.
I agree that this is spectacularly delicious. Since I made it in advance, I kept the second half of the parmesan back, then combined it with some sautéed panko and sprinkled the mixture over the top when I reheated in the oven. That added a nice crunch.
Made this last night based on a recommendation from my sister – it was definitely more work than I usually put into a weeknight dinner but worth it! I did some steps ahead of time in the afternoon (chopping and cooking the veggies and making the tomato sauce) and then put it all together and baked later. For anyone in Canada, I found organic farro at Bulk Barn so I used that but it took a little longer for mine to finish cooking (about 50 minutes plus broiling) and was still a little watery underneath. Taste was great though! So cheesy yet also fresh tasting with all the summer veggies, and I loved the chewiness of the farro. I also reduced the salt while cooking and just added a bit more to taste for each serving.
Well, I made a bunch of changes, and ended up with a delicious lunch! I only had one zucchini and one squash and zero tomatoes, so I put in in a can of tomato puree (no paste). I had a bit of tempeh that needed using so I crumbled that in. No mozzarella, used twice the amount of Parmesan cheese (cut into little squares, not grated). The amount of salt seemed really excessive to me (1 whole tablespoon of kosher salt), so I reduced that by 1/3 or so and was happy I did. Maybe someday I’ll make it as written, but the point is that I love the overall idea! Another winner. :D And I bet it’d be good with an egg on top.
This really is fantastic. I also love that it makes so many servings, since the leftovers are excellent as well. Like others, have made some changes based on what I had. My garden tomatoes are big & more watery, so reduced the added water. Made once with smoked gouda and once with smoked mozzarella. We actually preferred the texture and flavor of the gouda over the mozzarella.
To save time, I actually used 2 saute pans (which I wouldn’t normally do), but it was worth it to me to have dinner ready faster by being able to do 2 batches at once. Finally, I transferred everything to a cake pan to bake & this worked well. Have had the leftovers for breakfast with an egg on top. Didn’t regret it.
very delicious. made it pretty much as described. coincidentally, I made the one pan farro w/ tomatoes for the first time just 2-3 weeks ago and it was delicious too.
Oh, it took about 1 hr 20-25 mins for both the farro to be cooked completely and all the water to disappear. I did use heirloom tomatoes.
This was fantastic and even my teenaged son loved it. I’ll definitely make this again.
https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/07/one-pan-farro-with-tomatoes/ I much preferred the clear summer flavor of the one pan farro- plus it’s half the prep time and half the cook time!
This is absolutely delicious. It is going into my dinner rotation. It is a lot of chopping, as most vegetarian recipes are, but the flavor is amazing. I omitted the cheese, and added roasted yellow peppers because I had them in the fridge. Yum!
I made this tonight and it was perfection. I followed the recipe, except I used a little less oil. It was hearty, flavorful and easy to make. In my oven it took a little bit longer to cook, about 50 minutes. My husband raved about it.
This was amazing, with heirloom tomatoes from our garden. I’ve been wanting to make something with farro as a feature player for a while – I got introduced to it in a restaurant where it’s kind of a salad topping sprinkle (farro braised with apples). This totally did the trick and let us experience farro… ours needed a bit more water (as you suggested) and we couldn’t stop eating it and all day and were happy to eat it for dinner. Not sure about the cheeses. Next time I might just add feta on top at the end. Thanks for this and all you offer all the time – you’re my go-to when I need a good recipe for something and I love the search function, as well as browsing through your books. You always make me believe I can make these things.
This looks great. I love the one pan farro. Will this work with goat cheese? My partner is lactose intolerant, and the yeast sub someone is recommending sounds too powerful (I think if it as a Parmesan sub in pesto). Thanks!
Made this today. It was delicious. I did add diced eggplant that I sautéed after the zucchini. Love the comment if it grows together it goes together.
This was delicious! I increased the tomatoes and squash by roughly 1/3 and the recipe totally accommodated it. My husband was skeptical of the farro but ended up loving it.
Looks unique and delicious!!
Made this. Delicious. Thank you for offering dishes that never steer me wrong!
Also, I’d love to have a winter vegetable version of this dish!
Do you think you can use fregola in this instead of farro?
I made this for dinner and it was delish! I didn’t use white wine and I didn’t use any mozzarella, I did use some parmesan. I also skipped the broiling step because I was hungry, so for me, this was like a yummy tomato-ey risotto. I think that this could easily be made vegan without any cheese.
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Amazing and delicious. I made this and was blown away by how good it turned out. Thanks for helping out a newbie cook like me to enjoy a delicious meal.
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Yummm! I need to make extras and stuff some into a bell pepper!
This. Is. Awesome. (And it makes great leftovers!)
Thank you for sharing it!
Oh wow that looks comforting and tasty great for autumn.ive never eaten faro before
I made this with several deviations but stuck to the main structure of the dish. First of all, I discovered I did not have any corn or enough tomatoes. So I substituted some green beans cut small and carrots sliced thin for the cup of corn. For the tomatoes I used the only two that I had from the garden abd supplemented them with a small can of San Marzano tomatoes. I cut up the tomatoes and and strained the juice into a measuring cup which I then filled with water to equal the liquid portion. I used Gouda instead of mozzarella and only 3 ounces as I like less cheese in my food food then most. It turned out delicious and is just as good as a leftover. I am keeping it in my rotation as it is extremely flexible. Thank you!
I made this last weekend and BOY was it tasty! It was a goulash vegetarian dish and good left over as well. Looking for freezer meals for my daughter who had a new baby. This is a keeper!
Sorry Tracie again… I was not a fan of corn, probably the first time in several years I have eaten corn. Want to omit it next time.
Kids (2 and 5) loved this! Thanks again for a great family recipe. I used cherry tomatoes and smashed them while cooking, and otherwise followed the recipe as written. My kids also love your one-pot farro, and it will be nice to switch it up.
so delicious even though I had only half the amount of zucchini, used shredded mozzarella, my tomatoes did not soften much, and I could only find 10 min farro which was still liquidy at the end (is it supposed to be dry? or liquid?). I put it in for 20 min with foil, uncovered halfway through. Will make again for sure.
Great , it look amazing .
Do you think the sauce can be made in advance a day or so and then the whole lot baked up later? This was so good it’s been elected as our Rosh dinner option this year, and I’d like to prep as much as I can.
Thank-you, Deb, for such a great recipe! I love great vegetarian recipes, especially ones with farro!! This was DELICIOUS! Before putting in the oven, I first simmered everything once I added the farro and the water (for about 12 minutes). I did that because I wanted to wake sure the farro would get tender enough. Thanks again for such a yummy dish!
Absolutely delicious, comforting late summer dish! I substituted half of the zucchini with an eggplant, and it was perfect. I love dishes that make use of so many vegetables, and the chewy melty bites of mozzarella throughout are so delicious. Thank you so much!
This is spectacular. My husband and I absolutely loved this dish. I, too, used heirlooms instead of Romas, but we really enjoyed this very much. After sitting in the fridge as leftovers, the excess liquid was absorbed sufficiently — but even with extra liquid, the flavor were spot-on. This is going into the rotation, most definitely. My husband commented that this is like warm-weather comfort food. Very satisfying. Your recipes are always a hit when I make them. I not once made a bad recipe from your site.
Made this a few weeks ago and loved it, especially because it uses farro. Made a modified version last night, less zucchini and corn and adding eggplant. Worked quite nicely, though a little wetter, even after salting and sweating the eggplant first.
The most delicious thing I’ve made all summer. I want to eat meals like this everyday. Was not a quick meal to put together, so maybe I’ll try experimenting with making the vegetable portion the night before. But this is worth every bit of time and effort. Thank you!
So let me start by saying my husband hates zucchini (well hate may be a strong word because what’s to hate? Zucchini doesn’t have enough flavor to hate!) and he hates farro. He’s not a picky eater, but those two things, along with sun dried tomatoes and capers are his no-go foods. But I saw the picture of this recipe. It kept showing up in all of my feeds. It was stalking me and taunting me. It looks so good. So I made it, and it was everything I hoped it would be and more. And my husband LOVED it. Devoured all of the leftovers without saving me a bite.
Loved how well this baked farro turned out. I am glad I went with farro as loved the chewy and crispy texture after the bake. All the vegetables added such a fine summery feel to this dish.
Love this recipe. Second time around: reduced water by 1/2 cup; reduced salt by 50%; added a can of cannelini beans (for protein); eliminated the oregano.
Deb, there isn’t a thing you made that I don’t want to run out and make! This looks fantastic and I must try it soon! Thanks for always making me hungry LOL.
This was flipping delicious!!!! Will make again. Made it and had left-overs for very delicious lunches.
This is salad that I love too much. It includes all – greens, grains, veggies and cheese!
This was excellent! I used some fire roasted canned tomatoes because I only had one fresh tomato and added a jalapeno. The textures and flavors were wonderful and it is the perfect late Summer dinner. I served it with Italian sausages for the meat-lovers, but I think it would be fantastic with a lemon-parmesan salmon on the side. My family (husband and three teen guys) wanted it to be added to the meal list a second week in a row so I’ll be making it again in a few days. I am going to try to add some black beans for extra protein and color which I will gently stir in and then top with the final parmesan and broil.
Lovely and yum. Made it for dinner and it was one of the best dinners I have made in the last few months.
Cucumbers and tomatoes are difficult to cook together. You can put some onions, garlic, green peppers, peanuts, oil, vinegar and soy sauce on cucumbers. This makes the salad delicious. Stir-fried tomatoes and eggs are especially delicious. https://www.bodywarmer.cn
Tacky.
I made this last week and we ate it for three nights in a row. It is my new favorite dish. I prepped all of the ingredients and thought I had enough Farro but did not, so using the weight measurement I tossed in everything I had—two different types of Farro and the rest pearled barley. I ended up adding a little bit of water at the end and leaving it in for maybe 15 minutes more and it was absolutely delicious. I am definitely making this again before corn/zucchini/tomato season is over.
This was a big hit at my house last night! Really great depth of flavor and was such a hit it was suggested it become part of holiday meals. Thanks!
Wow, was this good…I love farro but never quite know how to prepare it. As a vegetarian I appreciate that it incorporates so many delicious veggies that I just happened to have on hand. I also love that this is baked – I threw it in the oven and was able to clean up and chill while it was cooking. I’m looking forward to leftovers for lunch…yum.
Just fabulous. This now becomes one of my top favorite recipes. Thanks! Pam
was beautifull
Delicious!!!! Sad that the farmers market will be running out of the ingredients soon.
I made this for the second time tonight. My first bake, I followed the directions almost to the letter (I believe I swapped Asiago in for Parm) and it was delicious. Tonight we were cooking for a friend who has olfactory complications from long term Covid and at the moment cannot eat onions. I roasted a head of garlic and used half of that alongside the fresh sliced garlic to add a depth of flavor in place of the onions. Other adjustments: used one 10oz zucchini and 1 lb of eggplant, and cut the eggplant into large cubes in the hopes of maintaining some of its structural integrity (it worked!); used frozen corn (corn has been sparse at the farmers market this year), and cooked it from frozen on the stovetop; used quartered cherry tomatoes for half of the weight of toms; for cheese, used half smoked mozzarella and half aged provolone, and then subbed Asiago for the Parm. Baked for the full 40 minutes both times and my farro was cooked just right. Will definitely make again, and love how adaptable this recipe is to what I’ve got in the fridge.
I made this for dinner tonight and although it came out a bit soupy (my fault for subbing in whole peeled, canned tomatoes for fresh – we had none) the flavors were amazing. We loved the hint of heat from the chili flakes and for using very basic seasoning, the flavor level was off the charts. My husband loved it, I loved it and my eye rolling, picky, 9 year old even gave it a thumbs up (and that’s saying a LOT). Thanks for the great recipe, I will be making it again & again, but will be sure to use fresh tomatoes.
Hello, i believe am far much behind and I will need a lot to catch up!
I really need to be able to get my family to enjoy the food on the holidays. Thanks! this is helpful!
Amazingly delicious, followed the recipe exactly
Definitely too much liquid as written! Crank up the heat and cook off the liquid when making the tomato sauce and maybe only add 1 cup of water. The flavors are delicious tho!
Looks and sounds delicious. To make this a freezer dish, do you recommend baking before freezing, or after?
You are a goddess. I made this and wow – so good, so fresh and full of flavor!
This is a fabulous recipe and a veggie staple that can be made all year. The farro gives this a wonderfully hearty feel.
This is my first time commenting but everything I have cooked from your recipes I have repeated or intend to. I wanted to say that we LOVED this Farro dish! We liked the flavor and the texture. I have made it twice. The first I followed the recipe exactly and used it as a main dish. The one dislike was the mozzarella. We thought it added no flavor but made the dish kind of rubbery. I even picked it out of the leftover portion before serving it again. The second time I made it I omitted the mozzarella and all said it was ten times better. I served it as a side with a grilled pork tenderloin and a big green salad…Thanks!
Attn: anyone looking for a gluten free farro sub! I made this the other night with buckwheat groats and it was *chef’s kiss* Perfectly delicious and adaptable fare to celebrate late summer produce.
Thanks for sharing this blog.Thank you for sharing this with us.
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I’ve had a packet of fregola in my cupboard for ages and used it to make this — delicious. I also threw in some leftover baked tofu, cubed to the same size as the mozzarella. It’s not a quick and easy dish, but how many veggie dishes are, really? Most good veggie food = chopping, chopping, chopping, not to mention building layers of flavour by seasoning throughout the cooking process.
If you’re looking for a Staub alternate, this fit perfectly in my 3.5 litre Le Creuset braiser.
This looked absolutely delicious, but I can’t have gluten so both the farro and past were out for me. I tried it with Arborio rice and it worked perfectly! Definitely recommend for anyone on a gluten free diet
I made this with brown rice and it turned out really well. The rice took about 25 minutes longer to fully cook than the recommended cooking time on the package.
Loved this!
I split it between two pyrex containers; saved one of the two in the freezer for future enjoyment.
I added spinach, and reduced the quantity of zucchini to about half. Used fresh mozzarella.
Can’t wait to heat up the second batch!
This is an amazing recipe! At the last moment I found my fridge wasn’t as full as I expected, so I made many substitutions, and it was still so fantastic. Only half the amount of tomatoes? No problem. Substitute peas for corn? Delicious. Only had fresh mozzarella? Worked great. Add a little more tomato paste? No problem. And, perhaps the best surprise of all, I had to make supper in a hurry, so didn’t sauté the vegetables in sequence. Just did them all together. I can’t imagine how fantastic it will be when I actually follow directions. Thank you, Deb!
I made this and it was absolute perfection! Would highly recommend, made exactly as the recipe said as Deb knows best.
I made this with orzo pasta because the farro was sold out at my grocery store. The prepping took me about 45 minutes. I brought it to a friends bbq and everyone loved it. Cannot wait to try it with farro.
I love your blog and I love your recipes. But I don’t enjoy cooking shows or cooking videos, not even yours. (I just don’t have the time or energy to watch someone else cook. It’s not relaxing to me.)
I prefer reading as my way to learn new things. Books, cookbooks, news articles, magazines–all good. TV, YouTube–not so much. Since you seemed to have switched over from a blog to a vblog, should I go ahead and unsubscribe or will you occasionally return to your previous format?
She isn’t switching to video, she just had a cookbook deadline and so didn’t blog for a bit, she will be back!
Dear Deb,
I miss you. SK has moved steadily up in my Shortcut lineup on Chrome because I keep checking back to see if there’s a new recipe posted. I thought I couldn’t stalk your archives more than when I was up late at night nursing my most recent baby, but this last month is definitely giving that a run for its money.
Hoping you post a new recipe soon. Also. I LOVED reading about your trip to Iceland, and now I’ve got “wanderlust” to add to my list of cravings. :)
I’ve never cooked with farro before and this was delicious! I followed the instructions but I used a bunch of CSA veggies that I had on hand – Swiss chard, garlic, onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Felt really healthy but satisfying!
This was so so so good! Really good. Memorable-dish-I-must-make-this-again-soon good!! My only change was to sub feta for the mozzarella, based on my frig contents, and I’m glad I did. The extra salty punch from feta was just eye-rolling good.
To those experiencing wateriness using beefsteaks/heirlooms, I find the difference in water content from Romas to be substantial and very important in dishes like this that depend on a certain level of juiciness. Stick with Romas, or expect to make fairly major adjustments to proportions. But no matter what, make this right away and then expect to eat twice what you should!
We absolutely loved this dish. It takes some time and effort with all the chopping and multiple steps, but was well worth the effort. Tastes like summer and sticks to the ribs.
Do not hesitate to make this dish! It was incredibly delicious. I might pull back on some of the salt added at each step next time I make it, but I will make it again and again. Fabulous.
oh this is amazing recipe. This looks delicious!
I made this with fregola, and it was perfect! Then, I added some crumbled sausage and used it to stuff peppers. Just as fine! The fregola was sitting in the pantry calling to me, and I did not have farro – which is not my favorite anyway. Thank you!
I made this a few days ago, so good! Made with fresh mozzarella (in liquid) and it was great. Also added a bit of shredded cheese on top before broiling. Lots of steps but all worth it! Great way to use up veggies from my CSA box, and we also had yummy leftovers for lunch. I was even annoyed at my husband for eating the last of it… Can’t wait to make it again, and maybe freeze a batch.
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Hello?
This is delicious – I sauteed some italian sweet sausages after the corn/zucchini and before the onion for some protein. Added it in with the farro in the oven. Made it a little more filling and tastes amazing!
Made this a few weeks ago as (nearly) written: Yum!
Tonight’s substitutions: Eggplant rather than zucchini. Red wine rather than white. Big dollop of anchovy paste as a lower calorie umami substitution for the parmesan. Also Yum!
I also took shortcuts both times, tossing each subsequent veg into the same pot rather than removing each as I went. Fewer dishes to wash and easier to do the prep while the step before was sautéing. Probably didn’t get the same browning as I would have by separating out the steps, but hard to argue with such a delicious outcome.
Made this last week, turned out great and provided lots of yummy leftovers. thanks for the recipe!
Deb!! Are you alive?! I kid–I know there is a new book you’re working on, but I can’t help being slightly worried by the radio silence at your end.
Please let us know you’re still around? Maybe type up a “coffee break” post like some bloggers do? I (cough) — okay, maybe WE ALL — miss you!
ditto jamieinpdx!
Made it extra spicy with more red pepper flakes and extra cheesy, and it was really good! My family kept sneaking spoonfuls from the leftovers which is a very good sign. Next time I will try a more assertive cheese, maybe feta or gouda. But there *will* be a next time. The chewy farro is delightful.
Just a note to say we can’t wait for your new cookbook, we know you’re busy in a dozen ways . . . And we miss your blog posts!
This was outstanding! I’ve made it twice since it popped up on Instagram, and forwarded it to my friends and family.
I love all the whole grain recipes.
This was good! I didn’t love it as much as the family did.
I think it’s probably because I made it with canned, not fresh tomatoes (1 28-oz can of chopped tomatoes, drained, and used the juice to sub some of the water).
But also it was a lot of basil for me. I like basil but that was all I could taste.
I think next time I’ll try it with the butter and cherry tomato sauce from NYT’s crispy gnocchi, which I adore (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022024-crispy-gnocchi-with-burst-tomatoes-and-mozzarella).
Deb, you’ve given me the confidence to experiment (a bit).
We made this using the veg we had on hand: zucchini, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and acorn squash. I roasted all the veggies in a 500 degree oven earlier in the day to speed things up at dinner time. I was worried about the squash making the dish too sweet so I added 12oz of spicy Italian sausage (I know this is cheating, it makes everything delicious). I stupidly did not read the instructions on my fancy-pants Anson Mills slow-roasted farro and didn’t pre-soak, so my cook time was far longer. The vegetables were absolutely obliterated by the time we served it and it was DELICIOUS. Basically, you can’t go wrong with this recipe, even if you go far-afield.
Thank you! I made this over the weekend and even my pickiest child liked it! I made it vegan without the cheese (replaced with 1/8 cup of nutritional yeast) and it was still delicious!
Delicious! Made it as written and we loved it. There were leftovers, but they didn’t last long.
I have made this three times in the last month. an incredible recipe, that i can now make almost without looking at the recipe. I love a recipe that allows me to use up whatever summer veg i have kicking around – i love adding eggplant at the stage after the onion and before the tomatoes, letting them cook for some time before continuing on with the recipe. I’ve also used freekah when i was out of farro, and it was fantastic as well.
i just finished making a double batch and putting them into individual foil containers to freeze; my future self cannot wait to pull this package of deliciousness out of the freezer on a cold and lazy evening! thank you for this incredible recipe.
Thank you so much for this Post and all the best for your future
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It’s not only me thinking this–whew!
I forgot to mention, we made this recipe and it turned out delicious. Still good as leftovers, heated up. Genius. Farro is a fav in our household. Rice is so bland, farro punches things up a bit.
This recipe was fantastic! Perfect and delicious vehicle for using up summer vegetables but also felt filling and cosy for fall. Have shared widely and will definitely make again!
Deb:
We miss you!
Ditto.
Hi Deb, I’m excited about your upcoming cookbook! I know you must be very busy, with work, and family. On the other hand, I kept checking in on the blog, only to find the same, kind of drab looking dish front and center.
I finally gave in and made it, with a combo of farmers market, and home grown vegetables and herbs.
Deb, you deserve for me to say it loud! Delicious, and the essence of late summer wholesomeness!
I had to make a few small changes. We’re beyond local corn season, so I used a frozen corn. I had a large shallot from the farmers market, so I used that instead of onion. We’re also at high altitude, so I gave the dish slightly more liquid, and 10 extra minutes. We loved the decadent texture of melting cheese in the whole mix of things.
Thanks for your inspiration!
SALT BOMB! As written this recipe uses 3 Tsp of kosher salt. That is probably about 1-1.5 tsp too much considering the cheese added at the end. It was on the verge of being inedible to me. I followed the recipe exactly (weighed and measured everything) and used Morton Kosher Salt. Otherwise, liked the use of veggies, grains and cheese together and would make again. Got to use zucchini, paste tomatoes, garlic, and basil from my garden!
I believe Deb uses Diamond kosher salt. I also use Morton’s so I reduce her amounts by 1/3 or so. You can google the conversion of Diamond to Morton’s. This seems to be a common issue with cookbooks & blogs now and I’m not sure why so many recipe writers use Diamond and why so many of us grocery shoppers use Morton’s but it seems to be the current way.
Awesome baked farro. Loved the crunchy texture.
are you ok? we haven’t heard from you in awhile.
can you replace farro with wheat berries?
Love the versatility of this delicious recipe.
– No farro, so used half couscous (pearled) and half barley — that alone was such a textural delight .
– Added one very finely chopped jalapeno (with onions) for a bit of extra heat (this did NOT make the dish spicy…just provided a warm mouth feel.
– Used a slew of roasted garlic cloves instead of raw garlic since I had just made a bunch of these.
– Used 1 C pinot grigio and 1 C vegetable broth instead of the water.
It was heaven on a plate. This tastes like it’s decadent and unhealthy…but it’s honestly good-for-you deliciousness. I don’t know what those who said it was watery did…mine was perfect. I used angel grape tomatoes, and while chopping those, I did squeeze out the liquid, maybe that was it. Thank you for a wonderful treat.
Just want you to know you are missed. Whatever might be going on is really nobody’s business but there are many of us sending positive thoughts.
Wish I could be more excited about your new book – but this page is so stale that I am so disappointed that you couldn’t at least fit something in once a month. I loved the first book. The second book promised “every night’ COOKING, but wasn’t. So waiting on a new book requires a lot of trust, and I can’t make this dish one more time. Sorry. Your faithful readers deserve just a bit more, even though we are rooting for you.
But… this website is completely free and has been for over fifteen years… of course we miss her, but to say readers “deserve more” is so silly to me! Deb will be back. She has an archive of 1000+ recipes. I think we will survive <3
Be nice to Deb!
Hello! I miss you and I’ve hated being away so long. It was vacation (too short), and then a deadline for my next book (too quick), and then a two-week photoshoot for it (I’m the photographer!) and I think any recipe you have to wait for should absolutely be worth the wait. Sometime delicious is coming later this week (and then next) and good luck getting rid of me ever again. :)
Good to hear you’re healthy and just overworked like the rest of us. I look forward to the new recipe this week. :-)
Ah! Glad you are OK and can’t wait for what’s next! :))
So glad to hear you’ll be back at the blog, though I TOTALLY understand that you’ve been working on the book–deadlines and all that. Fortunately, you have such a large archive of recipes that kept me busy, as well your first two books to consult! I’m looking forward to the new book as well. Thank you for what you do for the rest of us, your recipes do not disappoint.
We miss you Deb!
Love this dish! I changed a few ingredients up to fit what I had on hand but the flavours were PERFECT.
I’ve made this several times this past summer when corn when at its peak and it was SO delicious. The first time I didn’t use the mozzarella as I didn’t have any and it was excellent without it. Th second, I used the mozzarella and that was fabulous too…the mozzarella become chewy. Yum! :) Thank you.
This was so good and will be on regular rotation in my house. As with most Smitten recipes, so flexible. I didn’t have the summer squash so used kale, corn and sundried tomato and some white beans. I also had to leave it half way through baking in a warm oven while I picked up the kids and it was just fine. Love that I can follow it well enough and sub ingredients. Thanks Deb!
This was fantastic! I had planned to make it for a few days, but had to throw it together quickly for a family gathering. Despite rushing through the whole process to get dinner on the table in a hurry, it was one of the best dishes I made this year. Wonderful flavor and simple technique. (I skipped the broil at the end and it was still great.)
Can orzo be used here?
I like this idea! It might disappear a bit with so many vegetables, but it should work.
Made this with the last of my garden tomatoes, zucchini, and herbs. Added the full amount of water and baked for 40 minutes and the consistency was perfect, not watery at all. Really enjoyed the farro, it was so hearty. Seasoning was perfect. Absolutely delicious dish that I will definitely make again!
I made this exactly as written, and it was delicious. It is a fair amount of work, but I allowed myself plenty of time. I served it with fish and stole elements of this dish—tomatoes and basil, plus olives—for the fish. I expect this to be in my rotation next summer.
I made this almost exactly as suggested. Slightly more corn, a little less zucchini, a mix of Roma’s and cherry tomatoes simply based on what I had on hand. I chopped the veggies as each cooked to reduce hands on time. The mozzarella really took this up a level. I’m team farro all the way. Great dish!
I seem to be having a problem searching on the website. If I try to lookup cake recipes, the response I get is there are no matches. It has happened for the last two days.
Is it my problem or your website.
Hi — Sadly, the search is down right now. They’re working on it. I bet it will be fixed by morning.
Thanks for sharing this amazing information. Well, This method this so well If anyone wants to improve your life within 45 days from today You can easily do this with these simple steps.
This has become a special favorite in our house, and I’ve made it multiple times since you posted. Even my zucchini hating children love it. I wanted to note that I sometimes use feta instead of mozzarella and parm, and am torn about which way I prefer more- would encourage folks to give the feta a try!
What vegetables can be used during the winter for this recipe??
I just made it thinking we had zucchini but realising that what zucchini we did have had been made into Deb’s zucchini butter spaghetti. So I used a mixture of carrots, Savoy cabbage, frozen corn and canned tomatoes. Plus I didn’t have farro, so I used quick-cooking spelt. And then I chucked in some of the leftover zucchini butter spaghetti for good measure, chopped up. It was great — not as totally delicious as the recipe as written, which I have also made, but definitely a good way to make it in the winter. I think it would have been nice with some very small cubes of potato in it, too, for additional firmness.
I usually don’t comment, but this is a really nice blog, and I am learning many new things.
Thank you a lot. Keep writing and spreading more useful information with us.
I love your recipes but I don’t see the nutritional info for them. Do you have it for this recipe?
So wonderful and adaptable! We needed to do this plant based and in Winter so frozen corn (caramelized it!) and used a topping from Veganomicon, 10th Anniversary Edition that was 1/2 c. nutritional yeast, 1/2 c. walnuts, zest of 1 lemon and salt, put into a mortar and pestle to crush then added 3+ Tbsp olive oil and put it on in the final 10 min. The lemon essence was wonderful with the vegetables. Thank you for another great recipe–we love your site!!
My family loves farro so I’m always looking for new simple delicious ways to make it. This recipe did not disappoint! It was so easy to make & packed with SO many amazing flavours. Thanks for this, its a keeper!
I had a large crowd to feed so I decided to double this recipe. It worked perfectly. It was delicious and received compliments from all ages.
Thanks for a great recipe.
I made the farro with summer veggies last night. It was incredible. Very easy to make and full of flavor.
Thank you.
Lovely recipe! I saved time by starting the farro in a separate pot as I started prepping and sautéing the veg. Now it is in the oven, and I anticipate pulling it out at 30 minutes.
Can you use spelt or Kamut grains instead? That’s what I have in my cupboard. I have followed you for years and love so many recipes thanks
I think so for sure — it will probably need more cooking time but should work. Hope it’s a hit!
This is really, really good. Worth all the chopping and sautéing.
This was wonderful! Well worth lol the prep time!!!!
Hi,
Do you have a suggestion for a gluten-free substitute for the farro?
Thanks.
I made the farro with summer veggies last night. It was incredible. Very easy to make and full of flavor.
Thank you.
A little time consuming but totally worth it! Everyone in my family loved it.
I just made this again. Excellent recipe. Kudos to Deb for using farro instead of what could be soggy pasta, especially for leftovers.
The flavors in this are delicious! Unfortunately, the kind of farro I used (from Trader Joe’s — cooks in 10 min) required way less water. I think I could have gotten away with just 1/2 of liquid. Eager to make this again with different grain to liquid proportions.
Thank you for this delicious recipe. It came out well when I made it but I did not find it very filling. Do you think it would still taste good if I added blackbeans for some protein? If so, would I need to adjust the liquid and what do you think would be a good amount to add.
This was really an excellent dinner. We loved the flavors of all the vegetables and herbs, although I did leave out the basil as I hoped the flavor of the veggies would shine through more clearly. It was delicious. My husband and I ate almost half the pan! We feel full, but not weighed down. It’s a great use of summer produce and we will definitely make it again. Hoping the left-overs reheat well.
This was delicious! My whole family loved it as our main course for Meatless Monday. I used Trader Joe’s precooked Farro (only one I could find that day) and it only took about 10minutes to cook. Should have reduced the water by a touch, but the minor extra liquid didn’t detract from our enjoyment
So worth making this despite turning on the oven in the summer. I had no problems and didn’t have a watery dish. The only difference was that I’d omitted the parm altogether and used oaxaca cheese instead of mozz. One of my absolute favorites.
When I took this out of the oven last night, my spouse said “hubba hubba!” Needless to say, I think we’ve added another one of your dishes to our regular rotation. And, like your summer squash pasta bake, I love that it’s a vegetable packed meal in one dish.
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Delish, loved this one! Your recipes are consistently awesome, thank you!
Can you make this without cheese?
My daughter in law is expecting their first baby next week and I want to prepare some good for their freezer. Can I prepare it up to the baking stage and freeze it? Looks so good!
Yes, I think it’s a great idea!
Where is the “see NOTE” regarding Farro? Dying to make this.
Up top of the recipe, about how farro cooking times can vary.
My partner said this is the best thing I’ve ever made him. This is high praise because his previous favorite was Deb’s pasta with chickpeas. Thanks for a delicious way to use up a bunch of tomatoes and zucchini!!
This was great. Fresh and “summery”. Really beautiful.
I added in some chicken sausage for more protein.
One note: I should have put a pan underneath, because it did bubble over and start burning on the bottom of my oven – a bit smokey! :)
Thank you again for a great recipe!
I’m looking forward to making this! I have a family member allergic to oregano. What herb would you recommend as a substitute?
You could use thyme or more basil.
Made this last night and it was SO good and flavorful. It was enough for about 5 servings for me and my husband (so lasted us a couple of days).
I topped it with store bought crispy fried onions and it was NEXT LEVEL.
Another person made a comment about sauteeing the veggies all separately. I had the same question. Deb, is this a must? I think I could prep this meal on a weeknight if I didn’t have to take each veggie out and put it in a separate bowl.
But if I must saute them all separately, I will. It was that good.
I, too, wanted it to work more simply but this was really the best way to do it. The pan will get too full and you won’t get the best flavor or texture.
I made this for book club and everyone went back for seconds! This might be my new favorite recipe from you site. Thanks for another Keeper and can’t wait for the new cookbook! I assembled and baked the day before. Before the party, I removed it from the fridge an hour before putting in the oven. Topped with parmesan. Reheated with cover on at 350…took almost 40 minutes to get bubbly. Broiled for 5 minutes or so.
Holy Crap Jack!!!! This is delicious! Mine too was a little soupy. I cooked it for an additional 12 min, uncovered at 450. It still had a little liquid. I scooped a bit out, the rest reabsorbed. So, So, Good!!
I just made this dish. It turned out perfectly, and was so delicious. It was my first time making farro. I have friends coming for dinner this week. I can’t wait to make it for them!
Can’t wait to try this! Making a batch and freezing for a friend expecting a little one. How long should I tell her to put in the oven to thaw back out? Thanks!
Looks amazing! Does the second batch of zucchini stay in the pan when the onions are added or taken out first?
The recipe says to add to bowl with corn and repeat with second batch of zucchini, meaning add the second batch to the bowl with corn. The onions and seasoning should be in the pot by themselves until translucent. I hope this helps. It’s a great recipe and I just made it again last week.
This dish is SO DELICIOUS.
Deb, can you please concoct a Baked Farro with Winter Vegetables? I feel like I need this same vibe all year round.
Love it!
This is so so good. Used up a tonne of stuff from my garden. And folks who feared farro also loved it!
Deb,
I too have been getting miffed every time I hear ” the end of summer”!
Especially since September in Southern California is the hottest month of the year with Santa Ana winds.
Live in the present folks! You’ll have plenty of time to sell your pumpkin spice and Uggs!
In case anyone’s still lingering around the comments, I found the leftovers to be absolutely delicious cold (as a salad), no need to reheat. Still not sure where all this flavor comes from! Terrific recipe.
Just made this exactly to the recipe. I would not call it delicious, as so many did. For me it was just okay. That was an incredible amount of prep, lengthy cooking times and the end result was watery. I will freeze the rest and have it later in the year with a loaf of French bread. Probably will not make again.
I was served this dish a couple of months ago by a friend. When I said, wow this is delicIOUs, she said, “yes, I just love Smitten Kitchen” and I’m like, me too!!!!! So just made this one at home and my DH even turned down pizza to have leftovers of the casserole instead. I did use some extra tomatoes I stead of the paste since I didn’t want to open a whole can for that.
They sell tomato paste in tubes now. It’s been a game changer for me. The black tube has less sugar and tastes fresher.
I’ve made this twice and it’s been delicious both times. Unfortunately, it’s also a little watery at the bottom. Do I need to salt and drain the zucchini before cooking it? Use less water for the farro? Is anyone else having the same issue?
This is so delicious! Comfort food. I’ve made it twice in the last month.😋
This was to die for. Very hearty and full of veggies. The fam raved about it. The only thing I did differently is add some fresh rosemary because I’m slightly obsessed with rosemary.
I love this dish. It is so yummy. Great as a meal or a side… I used the entire mozzarella package which was 8 oz not 6 oz, but I love cheese!! I sent it to my daughter to try.
We had this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!! Even though it’s Baked farro with summer vegetables we will be eating this all winter long. I followed the recipe exactly as written and we had it by itself as a main dish. It’s very filling, comfort food. Thank you for sharing.
Wow, this is delicious!
Hi Deb! I made this last week and it was spectacular! I’m going to add it to my end of summer repertoire. Thanks for this stunner!
I’ve made this a few times and my family LOVES it. I understand why you do the veggies separately, it gives it so much flavor. I have been cooking the corn on the cob before browning it…..I guess it doesn’t say but it still works out fine.
I made this and it was a huge hit. I had been to Italy over the summer and discovered the joys of farro. Found this recipe and it just brought together all those Mediterranean vibes. Everyone, even the meat eaters, just loved the dish. I plan to make it again very soon. I’m thinking I can use eggplant as the base rather than the zucchini or in addition to. Anyone else try this?
Thanks again for another scrumptious recipe.
I absolutely love this recipe and thought about adapting it for the fall. What vegetables would you recommend?
I’ve made this as is and absolutely love it! My husband was diagnosed recently with type 1 diabetes. Is it possible to skip the farro altogether and make this a vegetable bake as a side dish or will it really lose something without the farro?
I went ahead and made it as just a vegetable bake without the farro. Still fabulous without the farro!
The farro really makes the dish. Farro is also high in fiber as it is a whole grain which is good for diabetics.
I’m only finding pearled farro in the stores. Will this make a difference?
PS love your website and your cookbooks
It might just have a different cooking time but will be fine.
Made this as written a few weeks ago in honor of beloved friends who we haven’t seen for years. They requested a vegetarian dinner and I love farro so figured I’d give it a try. It was *amazing*!
Everyone–including my picky eater husband–gobbled it up. There were barely any left-overs. DH requested I make it again so he could have it for some lunches. I added a bit of sharp cheddar to the topping which kicked things up an additional notch. Thanks @Deb, we adore this recipe!
I made this almost as written a couple of weeks ago (sub Romano for parm) and it was fantastic. I definitely think you can omit the mozzarella- I am not sure it adds all that much. Next time I might try adding a can of chickpeas instead.
My substitutions: frozen corn instead of fresh; dried Italian seasoning blend instead of oregano; shredded mozzarella instead of fresh.
This was super delicious! Like a pasta bake but “healthier” with the whole grain farro. I used Trader Joe’s brand farro and it cooked up perfectly in about 30 minutes. It actually came out a bit soupier than I anticipated, but eating it on the second night it’s firmed up a lot more. The addition of shredded cheese makes it VERY cheesy. Next time I would try using fresh mozz (which would hopefully limit the cheese to smaller pockets), or use about half the amount listed. Honestly this would probably even be good without the mozz, or without cheese at all.
Would wheat berries work in this recipe in lieu of farro?
My family LOVES LOVES LOVE this dish. Any suggestions for freezing? I froze two batches last summer for this past winter and they were really watery when thawed and baked. This summer, I may try just making it up to the sauce/basic step, freezing the veggies/sauce and then adding the rest when we are ready to eat.
Anyone else have a problem with the residual corn sugar burning and causing issues with cooking the zucchini? I am thinking when I make this next, I’ll start with sauteing the zucchini. Better yet, sauteeing them together.
Made this tonight and loved it but had to use vegan and nut-free alternatives for the parmesan/mozzarella and it came out kind of… soupy?? Even after extra time reducing the tomato sauce and extra time under the broiler which made only the top crispy. Any recommendations for making this vegan?
Seems like others have had the same *soupy* issue, as did I the first time I made it. I had just commented on another that it could be the tomatoes, but generally if you use Roma that’s not an issue. I baked mine longer, including more time under the broiler (watching it carefully) and the liquid dissipated. As for the vegan question, I have made this dish several times, both vegan and vegetarian. My nephew commented that he wanted it (vegan) every Thanksgiving for his main dish! I used Miyoko’s brand mozzarella and Violife parmesan and it’s excellent! If you’re lucky enough to have a Sprouts market they sell those brands there, otherwise Whole Foods, although expensive, does have a nice selection of vegan cheeses. Hope this helps!
This does help, thank you! I realize now I used the tomatoes I had on hand, which were unlabeled (and likely not Roma) so that’s probably what contributed to the texture. I baked it, uncovered, about 20 minutes longer than the recipe called for (which, with feels-like temps of 113 degrees, was NOT easy or fun!) and that resolved most of the liquid, and the rest I just ignored by serving with a slotted spoon and allowing the leftovers to soak up the rest. Still delicious, and absolutely worth trying again!
Your galette with zucchini was amazing & that created trust for my skeptical teen. My husband eats basically anything with gratitude and disproportionate adulation! So your galette is the trust factor for skeptical parties in our house for the unexpected low temp and humidity snap here in boston which allows us to turn on the oven. We have squash, toms, and basil in raised beds on the driveway. This recipe is PERFECT for that. Except for the white wine, we followed to the letter, and the smell is AMAZING. I’m grateful for how you give so much in your recipes to equip non-foodie folks to enjoy cooking possibility. Many thanks Smitten Kitchen team and most especially Deb!
I made this tonight and it was so soupy coming out of the oven. I followed the directions to a T, and did not include optional wine. Any ideas what may have gone wrong for me? It still smells great and I’m going to enjoy it, but would love to tweak as needed next time!
I had the same issue the first time I made it. I took the foil off and cooked for a longer amount of time until it seemed like most of the liquid was gone. I also cooked for it longer under the broiler, about 5-7 minutes, with watching it carefully so as not to burn. It got a nice dark crisp on top, which was delicious. The only thing I can think of is if your tomatoes provided too much liquid, but I think that’s hard to tell. I also had followed the directions exactly the first time and also omitted the wine.
This dish was very delicious but so salty that the delicious taste was almost obscured. After cooking, I read and appreciated reader comments that offered clarification about salt. One person said that by “kosher salt,” Deb may mean the Diamond Crystal brand specifically. I used Morton sea salt, probably akin to regular table salt, not kosher When using table salt instead of Diamond Crystal in this recipe, I would recommend using half (or less) of the amount called for. The following internet post about salt conversion was enlightening: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/prevent-measurement-mishaps-with-this-simple-salt-conversion-chart-article
I tried this recipe and it was delicious! But too salty for me. I’d suggest cutting the salt by 25-50%.
Since people were asking about substitutions in the comments, this recipe is super forgiving. Just sub in whatever grains and vegetables you have on hand. Add cheese or leave it out. Do whatever you want!
Tonight I made it with cauliflower (blitz small), spinach, bell peppers, diced canned tomatoes, pesto, farro, green lentils, and goat feta. It was delicious. Just play around. I added a bit more water than the recipe called for because I added the lentils.
I want to second lentils in this recipe! Tonight I made it with half lentils, half farro, and it is delicious. Easy to work this with lentils!
I made this and the only change I made was to use feta instead of mozzarella, because I had it on hand. I used 2 cups of thawed frozen corn as well just to make it easier. It was delicious and will totally do this again. Thank you for the tasty recipe!
Oh my gosh – an absolutely delicious dish using late summer corn, plum tomatoes and summer squash. Made this in my enameled dutch oven. Served this with a slightly soft poached egg on top. Absolutely delicious. Will make this again while fresh corn is still in season.
OMG I love this recipe so so much. It’s a decent amount of chopping, but totally worth it. So flavorful! Reheats beautifully. A great dish to serve for vegetarians, it’s one of my favorites, and I’ll grill some sausages on the side for the meat eaters.
You should really speak to the protein that farro provides, even though it’s a grain! I know it’s a pain because I hate trying to figure out the macros for a posted recipe, but it would be greatly beneficial if you could post macros for your recipes!