Farro Recipe (with Tomatoes, Basil and Parmesan)

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Try this farro recipe 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.

Types of Farro

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 Farro?

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!

Farro with Tomatoes (and Basil and Parmesan)

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

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Side

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 279kcal

Author: Kylee Cooks

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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 

Instructions

• Add the water and farro to a small saucepan, and let it sit while you cut the onions, garlic and tomatoes.
• Add the sliced onion, sliced garlic and halved tomatoes to the saucepan, along with the salt and olive oil.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally for around 15-20 minutes.
• 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)
• Transfer to a serving dish,
• Garnish with with the basil and parmesan.
• Devour

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 800mg | Potassium: 313mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 395IU | Vitamin C: 15.3mg | Calcium: 181mg | Iron: 1.8mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @kyleecooks or tag #kyleecooks!