Fresh Herb and Tomato Farro

For, uh, obvious reasons, I’m kinda obsessed with one-pot/one-bowl/please-don’t-make-me-do-lots-of-dishes meals lately. If pretty much all I have to do after dinner is rinse out one pot and pop it in the dishwasher, I’m a very, very happy girl. As much as I wanted to stock pile my freezer with lots of meals while I was pregnant, it just didn’t end up happening to the extent I wanted (it’s amazing how quickly that 40 weeks of pregnancy flies by), so for now, we’re living on one-pot miracles.

I did a lot of research and cooking with all kinds super whole grains for my second cookbook, and while there are lots of yummy grains out there (and in the book), all that cooking just reaffirmed that my absolute favorite whole grain is farro. There is something magical about farro. When cooked, it’s chewy, creamy and nutty. It actually reminds me a lot of a whole grain version of Arborio rice (the rice used in risotto). The magic part is that it manages to taste creamy and smooth, and have a slow-cooked flavor with barely any work. Quite literally, I just put everything in the pot for this farro, turned on the stove, and ignored it for a half hour. I came back, stirred in some Parmesan and scooped it into bowls. And the result was this totally luxurious dinner that tasted like I spent hours slaving away at it.

Since we’re trying to keep things simple, this was a main dish for us, but of course, this farro would make an awesome side dish if you aren’t trying to avoid doing dishes. I think this would be a beautiful companion to chicken or eggplant Parmesan. Or even just with some simple grilled chicken seasoned with Italian herbs. Yum.

I used fresh herbs in this dish because they are pretty much banding together and invading the little herb garden we have outside our kitchen door (seriously, no matter how much I clip off, they’ve doubled in size the next day), but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work out decently to try this with dried herbs, too—just make sure you use enough to really get the herb-y flavor!

Enjoy.

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Fresh Herb and Tomato Farro

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

This one-pot vegetarian Fresh Herb and Tomato Farro tastes like it takes hours worth of work, but it's ready in about a half hour and takes little effort more than just some chopping.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup farro
• 1 large onion, sliced thinly
• 1 clove garlic, sliced thinly
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup each fresh minced basil, parsley and oregano
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Bring all ingredients, except the cheese, to a boil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the farro is tender and has absorbed all the cooking liquid. Stir in the cheese, taste for seasoning, and serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 166Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 625mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 7g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.

Do you have any one-pot meals you can share with me to add to my repertoire?