One Pan Farro with Tomatoes is a hearty and delicious meal! Farro is cooked with tomatoes, onions, and garlic and it soaks up all the great flavor leaving you with an unforgettable and super simple dinner.

After nearly 12 years of feeding Kyle, I’ve pretty much got it figured out about what he’ll like, love, or not care for when I’m menu planning each week. 

And then there are those meal that I know he’ll tell me don’t appeal to him but I know he’ll love.  It happened with the black bean burgers, skillet baked ziti, fajita chicken salad (based off of my fajita chicken burrito bowls), and most recently this strawberry poppyseed chicken salad.

It may seem strange to cook things he thinks he’s not keen on but how else do you get people to try new things? I’m not about to beg! This really isn’t all that different than feeding a child is it?

This one-pan farro with tomatoes was one of said meals. He actually turned his nose up at this one! 

But like a Washington politician, I did a little spinning and told him this one was similar to his favorite caprese pasta salad that we’ve been making for nearly all 12 years, except with whole grains instead of pasta and no mozzarella.  It basically sold him immediately and he ended up really really loving this meal.

As the name suggests, everything is cooked in one pan (I love that!!) and while you don’t think the tomatoes could possibly soften in 15-20 minutes, they turn out close to my favorite 3-ingredient quick sauce while helping to flavor the farro. 

What Does Farro Taste Like?

Farro, if you’ve never had it, sort of cooks to the consistency of risotto but without the classic risotto creaminess. It’s a little nutty and it’s definitely a hearty whole grain that will keep you full for longer.

There’s a little bit of a chewy bite left to the cooked farro that I find addicting and when combined with garlic, basil, tomatoes, and some sharp pecorino-romano cheese, this meal has become one of our favorite healthy meatless meals in the past few months.  

No surprise to me, of course!

What to Serve with Farro

This is a hearty meatless meal that can stand completely on its own. However, if you want to stretch it to serve extra people or have a meat-eater in the house who needs his/her meat at every dinner, consider roasting or grilling some pork, chicken, or turkey sausages to serve on the side of the farro.

Or slice up the cooked sausages and mix them into the farro! Grilled or sauteed chicken would be a great option as well.

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One Pan Farro with Tomatoes

Yield: 2-4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

One pan farro with tomatoes is an awesome and hearty meal that's cooked in - yes, you got it - one pan for super easy clean up! The farro soaks up the flavors of tomatoes, onions, and garlic. You'll top the farro with grated cheese and fresh basil, leaving you with a truly delicious dinner.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup semi-pearled or pearled (which is sometimes called Italian-pearled or perlato) farro
• ½ large white or yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 9 oz grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt
• Up to ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• Small handful of fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons
• Grated hard Italian cheese, like pecorino-romano, parmesan, or asiago, for serving

Instructions

1. Place the water and farro in a small saucepan to allow the farro to soak while you prep the other ingredients. Slice the onion in half and thinly slice the two pieces. Thinly slice the garlic and toss the onion and garlic into the pan with the farro. Slice the tomatoes into halves or quarters if they are on the larger side and toss them into the pan along with the salt, red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon of oil; stir to combine. ½
2. Bring the pan to a boil then reduce to a simmer over low heat and cook for about 30 minutes if you use semi-pearled farro or 20 minutes if you use pearled (or according to package instructions). I can only find pearled and cook it for 20 minutes every time I've made this dish. Most of the water should have absorbed - cook for a little longer if you don't want any broth. Stir in the basil and cheese then drizzle with a little extra olive oil before serving.

Notes

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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