This Tomato and Basil Farro is almost too good to be true. Honestly, I was a little hesitant when I first tried this recipe, because I simply didn’t think it would turn out. Needless to say, I was completely wrong and actually blown away by how flavorful and easy it turned out to be!
I have only recently begun cooking with farro, but I am hooked on its roasted, nutty flavor and distinctive chewy texture. Additionally, farro is an excellent source of iron and protein. A cup of farro contains 24 percent of the recommended daily intake for iron. Iron is especially important to help eliminate different causes of fatigue. Plus, a cup of farro packs in 14 grams of protein—amazing!
I love that I can just throw all the ingredients into one pot, set a timer for 30 minutes and voilà dinner is served! This recipe is a must try, especially during weeknights when we are undoubtedly rushed to cook dinner.
Also, look for pearled or semi-pearled farro. Because part of the grain has been removed, these varieties of farro will cook more quickly than whole grain farro. Depending on which variety you buy, you may have to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Adapted from the Smitten Kitchen blog.
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Tomato and Basil Farro
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2 -4 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup semi-pearled farro
- ½ large white onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 9 ounces cherry tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
- Few basil leaves (cut into thin ribbons)
Instructions
- Place water and farro in a medium saucepan to presoak for 10 minutes while you prepare other ingredients. Add each ingredient to pan as you finish preparing it.
- Cut onion in half and thinly slice it.
- Thinly slice garlic.
- Halve tomatoes.
- Add oregano, rosemary, salt and olive oil to pan and set timer for 30 minutes. Bring uncovered pan to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally.
- After 30 minutes, the farro should be perfectly cooked (tender but chewy), and the water should be almost completely absorbed.
- Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle farro lightly with additional olive oil and top with basil.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Chris
Thank you! I love how easy this is to make! I will be making it for lunch once a week now!
Lindsey
🙂
Michael
Very good and easy to make, but for my taste, next time I'd use a little less oregano. Freezes well. For one meal, I had some left over vegetable which I mixed in.
★★★★★
Lindsey
Cool! Good to know it freezes well, I haven't tried that yet 🙂
Lindsey
I made this tonight with the following changes - I started by soaking the farro in vegetable broth. For the garlic, I used a garlic press, which is one of my favorite tools. I didn’t have dried rosemary on hand so I substituted 2 tsp of Italian seasoning in place of 1 tsp each of dried oregano and rosemary. The Italian seasoning had both dried oregano and rosemary along with a handful of other yummy herbs. Last but not least, I drizzled diary free pesto and sprinkled fresh basil top and it was beyond!!
★★★★★