Warm Farro Vegetable Medley (Printable)
Tender farro tossed with sautéed veggies and fresh herbs, ideal served warm as a side or light dish.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Grains
01 - 1 cup farro, rinsed
02 - 3 cups vegetable broth or water
→ Vegetables
03 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
04 - 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
05 - 1 medium carrot, diced
06 - 1 celery stalk, diced
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
09 - 2 cups fresh baby spinach
→ Seasoning & Herbs
10 - 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
11 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 - 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
13 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
14 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
→ Optional
15 - 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
# How-To Steps:
01 - Combine rinsed farro and vegetable broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until farro is tender yet chewy. Drain any excess liquid.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery, sautéing for 5 to 6 minutes until softened.
03 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add halved cherry tomatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly softened.
05 - Add cooked farro to the skillet along with fresh spinach, sea salt, black pepper, and dried thyme. Stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until spinach wilts and mixture is heated through.
06 - Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsley and lemon juice. Adjust seasoning with additional salt if needed.
07 - Plate warm farro mixture and top with crumbled feta cheese if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It comes together faster than you'd expect, with most of the time spent letting the grains do their thing while you prep vegetables.
- The combination of textures and flavors feels restaurant-quality but tastes like something a friend would actually make on a weeknight.
- It's endlessly flexible, so you can build it around whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand.
02 -
- Don't skip rinsing the farro, even though it seems like an extra step, because the starch rinses away and the grains cook more evenly.
- Taste before you finish and be willing to be generous with the lemon juice, because that's what makes the dish taste alive instead of just filling.
03 -
- If your farro is still slightly firm after 25 minutes, give it another 3–5 minutes and check again, because every stove is different and farro from different sources can have slight variations in cooking time.
- The lemon juice is non-negotiable, so don't skip it or substitute it with vinegar, because the brightness it brings is what transforms this from good to memorable.