This hearty farro bowl recipe is full of Mediterranean flavors! Juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, briny olives, and a creamy dressing make a satisfying grain bowl that’s the proper meal for summer season or any season.
It’s no secret that bowl meals are an excellent satisfying, enjoyable solution to eat all of the veggies. Right here’s Alex and my newest in a stream of simple dinner concepts: the hearty farro bowl! It’s my supreme Mediterranean food regimen dinner or lunch, pairing plump grains of farro with tangy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, salty olives, and seasoned chickpeas.
The icing on the cake (er, bowl) is my new innovation: hummus dressing! It’s so easy to make a sauce utilizing hummus. It comes out creamy and bursting with taste with solely 3 components—form of a like a tahini sauce, however even simpler. This one is on repeat in our kitchen: and I hope it is going to be in yours, too!
Elements on this farro bowl recipe
This farro bowl is a spin on a basic grain bowl: a meal constructed round an entire grain, veggies. a sauce, and protein. Through the years I’ve created recipes for rice bowls and plenty quinoa bowl recipes, however that is the primary farro grain bowl! Listed below are the important components for this farro bowl:
- Farro is an entire grain that can be utilized as an alternative choice to rice, barley or different grains. It’s really an historical grain that has been eaten because the Roman instances! I like its chewy texture and nutty taste.
- Recent herbs, olive oil, and garlic: These important components are for flavoring each the farro and the chickpeas. We like to make use of parsley, dill or cilantro.
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas are the plant-based protein right here. You may also use different proteins like tofu, shrimp, or hen.
- Cucumber, tomato, and Kalamata olives: These Mediterranean-style greens have huge, daring taste. Substitute different uncooked veggies if desired!
- Feta cheese: It provides a pleasant salty counterpoint to the flavors (omit for vegan).
- Greens (non-compulsory): I used a handful of child arugula, however different greens like spinach, butter lettuce, or romaine work nicely.
- Hummus dressing: It’s creamy and irresistible, made with hummus, olive oil, and lemon juice.
Suggestions for the hummus dressing
When you’re making the hummus dressing, make certain to make use of a top quality model of hummus! We propose steering away from the favored Sabra model: the flavour has a robust chemical aftertaste (presumably because of the citric acid used as a preservative, at the very least in keeping with Reddit).
Regardless of the case, use a hummus model with a creamy, tangy and clean taste. Experiment to discover a model you’re keen on (certainly one of my favorites is Esti hummus).
My favourite sauce and vegetable variations
This farro bowl is ideal as a wholesome dinner concept or wholesome lunch concept, and it’s simply customizable to your tastes and dietary wants! It’s form of like making your personal Candy Inexperienced menu (certainly one of my favourite restaurant ideas for bowl meals). Listed below are some concepts for various the components:
In fact, it’s also possible to differ the entire grain, particularly when you’re cooking for gluten-free eaters. For gluten-free, use quinoa or rice.
Add protein to make it a predominant dish
One other solution to customise this farro bowl recipe is with including totally different proteins! It presently makes use of chickpeas as a plant-based protein, however we’ve discovered this typically just isn’t sufficient for hungry eaters (particularly when you’re serving it for dinner). Listed below are just a few protein adders we love:
Storing leftovers and make forward notes
This farro bowl recipe is straightforward to make forward. You can also make the farro as much as 3 days prematurely, the chickpeas as much as 1 to 2 days prematurely (open chickpeas are solely good for as much as 3 days), and the hummus dressing 1 week prematurely.
Refrigerate all parts individually. I instructed chopping the recent greens immediately earlier than serving.
Often requested questions
Farro is an historical grain with a chewy texture and nutty taste. It’s full of fiber and protein, making it a hearty and satisfying base for this bowl. It additionally holds up nicely when blended with different components, so your bowl received’t get soggy.
Completely! When you can’t discover farro or need to attempt one thing totally different, you may substitute it with quinoa, brown rice, barley, and even couscous. Simply regulate the cooking time accordingly.
Sure, you may! The farro and chickpeas could be cooked prematurely and saved individually within the fridge. The dressing will also be ready forward of time. Assemble the bowls simply earlier than serving to maintain the greens recent and crunchy.
Be happy to get artistic! You may add different greens like roasted pink peppers, grilled zucchini, or chopped kale. You may also swap the feta for goat cheese or omit it for a vegan choice. Experiment with totally different herbs and spices to alter up the flavour profile.
Farro Bowl
This hearty farro bowl recipe is full of Mediterranean flavors! Juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, briny olives, and a creamy dressing make a satisfying grain bowl that’s the proper meal for summer season or any season.
- Prep Time: quarter-hour
- Prepare dinner Time: quarter-hour
- Complete Time: half-hour
- Yield: 4 1x
- Class: Fundamental dish
- Methodology: Stovetop
- Delicacies: Mediterranean
- Weight-reduction plan: Vegetarian
For the farro
- 1 cup raw farro, pearled or semi-pearled (not entire)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped recent herbs (parsley, dill or cilantro)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
For the bowl
- 15-ounce can chickpeas
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon every cumin and coriander
- ¼ teaspoon every smoked paprika and onion powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 English cucumber, chopped
- 1 handful olives, sliced in half
- 1 handful child greens (like arugula)
- Feta cheese, to serve (non-compulsory)
Hummus Dressing
- ½ cup top quality hummus (keep away from Sabra)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (extra water if essential)
- Rinse the farro beneath chilly water in a superb mesh strainer. In a big saucepan, place the farro, 3 cups water and ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt and produce it to a boil. Scale back the warmth to a simmer, cowl, and cook dinner till the grains are tender, about 15 to twenty minutes for pearled farro and 25 to half-hour for semi-pearled farro. Style check a grain to see whether it is tender (if the package deal is unmarked, simply cook dinner till tender). Drain any extra water. Add the extra ¼ teaspoon salt and olive oil or butter. Stir within the minced garlic and herbs. Style and add further salt if desired.
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Mince the garlic. In a small bowl, combine the cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, onion powder, and salt. In a big skillet, warmth the olive oil over medium warmth. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute till aromatic however earlier than it browns. Add the chickpeas, spices, salt, and a number of other grinds of black pepper. Prepare dinner 2 minutes till warmed by way of.
- Make the hummus dressing by mixing collectively the components in a medium bowl. Style and if desired, you may add a pinch or two of salt or sugar.
- Place the inexperienced in a shallow bowl (if utilizing), then the farro, tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, and olives. High with feta cheese, if utilizing, and drizzle with hummus dressing.
A number of extra farro recipes to attempt
There are such a lot of enjoyable methods to eat farro! This fundamental farro recipe is a superb facet dish, and it’s also possible to use it in farro with mushrooms, farro salad, or farro soup.