This hearty farro bowl recipe is filled with 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 preferrred Mediterranean eating 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 elements—sort of a like a tahini sauce, however even simpler. This one is on repeat in our kitchen: and I hope will probably be in yours, too!
Components 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 elements for this farro bowl:
- Farro is an entire grain that can be utilized as a substitute for rice, barley or different grains. It’s really an historical grain that has been eaten for the reason that Roman instances! I like its chewy texture and nutty taste.
- Contemporary herbs, olive oil, and garlic: These important elements 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. It’s also possible to use different proteins like tofu, shrimp, or rooster.
- Cucumber, tomato, and Kalamata olives: These Mediterranean-style greens have massive, daring taste. Substitute different uncooked veggies if desired!
- Feta cheese: It provides a pleasant salty counterpoint to the flavors (omit for vegan).
- Greens (optionally available): 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.
Ideas for the hummus dressing
When you’re making the hummus dressing, be sure that to make use of a top quality model of hummus! We recommend steering away from the favored Sabra model: the flavour has a robust chemical aftertaste (presumably because of the citric acid used as a preservative, no less than based on Reddit).
Regardless of the case, use a hummus model with a creamy, tangy and easy taste. Experiment to discover a model you’re keen on (one in every 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 sort of like making your individual Candy Inexperienced menu (one in every of my favourite restaurant ideas for bowl meals). Listed below are some concepts for various the elements:
In fact, you can even differ the entire grain, particularly should you’re cooking for gluten-free eaters. For gluten-free, use quinoa or rice.
Add protein to make it a principal dish
One other solution to customise this farro bowl recipe is with including totally different proteins! It at the moment makes use of chickpeas as a plant-based protein, however we’ve discovered this generally just isn’t sufficient for hungry eaters (particularly should you’re serving it for dinner). Listed below are a couple of 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 upfront, the chickpeas as much as 1 to 2 days upfront (open chickpeas are solely good for as much as 3 days), and the hummus dressing 1 week upfront.
Refrigerate all parts individually. I instructed chopping the contemporary greens straight earlier than serving.
Regularly requested questions
Farro is an historical grain with a chewy texture and nutty taste. It’s filled with fiber and protein, making it a hearty and satisfying base for this bowl. It additionally holds up nicely when blended with different elements, so your bowl gained’t get soggy.
Completely! When you can’t discover farro or wish to strive one thing totally different, you’ll be able to substitute it with quinoa, brown rice, barley, and even couscous. Simply alter the cooking time accordingly.
Sure, you’ll be able to! The farro and chickpeas may be cooked upfront and saved individually within the fridge. The dressing can be ready forward of time. Assemble the bowls simply earlier than serving to maintain the greens contemporary and crunchy.
Be happy to get inventive! You may add different greens like roasted crimson peppers, grilled zucchini, or chopped kale. It’s also possible to swap the feta for goat cheese or omit it for a vegan possibility. Experiment with totally different herbs and spices to alter up the flavour profile.
Farro Bowl
This hearty farro bowl recipe is filled with 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
- Cook dinner Time: quarter-hour
- Complete Time: half-hour
- Yield: 4 1x
- Class: Foremost dish
- Technique: Stovetop
- Delicacies: Mediterranean
- Food plan: Vegetarian
For the farro
- 1 cup raw farro, pearled or semi-pearled (not entire)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped contemporary 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 (optionally available)
Hummus Dressing
- ½ cup top quality hummus (keep away from Sabra)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (extra water if crucial)
- Rinse the farro beneath chilly water in a tremendous 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. Cut back the warmth to a simmer, cowl, and prepare dinner till the grains are tender, about 15 to twenty minutes for pearled farro and 25 to half-hour for semi-pearled farro. Style take a look at a grain to see whether it is tender (if the package deal is unmarked, simply prepare 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 extra 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 several other grinds of black pepper. Cook dinner 2 minutes till warmed by means of.
- Make the hummus dressing by mixing collectively the elements in a medium bowl. Style and if desired, you’ll be able to 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. Prime with feta cheese, if utilizing, and drizzle with hummus dressing.
A couple of extra farro recipes to strive
There are such a lot of enjoyable methods to eat farro! This primary farro recipe is a superb facet dish, and you can even use it in farro with mushrooms, farro salad, or farro soup.