Farro with Tomatoes (and Basil and Parmesan)

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Nutty farro paired with onions, garlic, tomatoes, basil and parmesan. It’s a heavenly side dish, made in one pan!

I saw a recipe for this floating around months ago, and have had it on my meal plan forever. I just never got around to making it, and now I’m kicking myself.  It is super easy, and although the cook time might seem long – it’s mainly hands off, so you can get on with other things.

What is Farro?

Farro is a new-to-me grain. Much like quinoa, it really didn’t hit my radar until fairly recently. I’d heard of it, but wasn’t entirely sure how to cook with it. I’d describe it as a chewy brown rice type consistency, with a nutty flavor – perfect for blending with some quality ingredients. There are a few types of farro (pearled/perlato, semi-pearled/semi-perlato, whole/unpearled). Pearling basically describes how much of the exterior bran is removed, and will determine cooking time. Pearled will take about 15-20 minutes, semi pearled 25-30 and whole/unpearled up to 80 minutes! In this recipe, I used pearled, and the cook time reflects that.

What to serve with it?

I made this as a side for some grilled pork chops, and usually… there’s leftovers of sides, and no pork chops.

When I put this on the table though, there were leftover pork chops, and there was NO farro. I call that a win. Combining tomatoes, basil and parmesan was ALWAYS going to be a winner – but I had no idea how much! Give this a try and let me know what you think!

4.43 from 7 votes

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Farro with Tomatoes (and Basil and Parmesan)

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

Nutty farro paired with onions, garlic, tomatoes, basil and parmesan. It's a heavenly side dish, made in one pan!

Course: Side

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Calories: 1117 kcal

Author: Kylee

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup pearled farro
• 1 medium onion cut in half and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
• 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes halved, basically the whole clamshell/punnet
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 5-6 fresh basil leaves large, cut into thin ribbons

For Serving

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded 

Directions

1. Add the water and farro to a small saucepan, and let it sit while you cut the onions, garlic and tomatoes.
2. Add the sliced onion, sliced garlic and halved tomatoes to the saucepan, along with the salt and olive oil.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally for around 15-20 minutes.
4. The farro is cooked when the liquid is almost all absorbed, and the farro is tender (will have a chewy bite to it but will not be hard)
5. Transfer to a serving dish,
6. Garnish with with the basil and parmesan.
7. Devour

Nutrition Facts

Farro with Tomatoes (and Basil and Parmesan)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 1117 Calories from Fat 261

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 29g 45%

Saturated Fat 10g 50%

Cholesterol 34mg 11%

Sodium 3199mg 133%

Potassium 1253mg 36%

Total Carbohydrates 178g 59%

Dietary Fiber 34g 136%

Sugars 12g

Protein 41g 82%

Vitamin A 31.8%

Vitamin C 73.9%

Calcium 72.6%

Iron 39.8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.