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 right meal for summer season or any season.
It’s no secret that bowl meals are an excellent satisfying, enjoyable option to eat all of the veggies. Right here’s Alex and my newest in a stream of straightforward dinner concepts: the hearty farro bowl! It’s our superb Mediterranean weight loss program 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 our new innovation: hummus dressing! It’s so easy to make a sauce utilizing hummus, which you will or might not have readily available. It comes out creamy and bursting with taste with solely 3 elements—type of a like a tahini sauce, however even simpler. This one is on repeat in our kitchen: and we hope it is going to be in yours!
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. We now have recipes for a rice bowl and plenty quinoa bowl recipes, however that is the primary official farro grain bowl in our recipe library. Listed here are the important elements 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 truly an historic grain that has been eaten for the reason that Roman occasions! We find it irresistible for its chewy texture and nutty taste.
- Recent 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. You may also use different proteins like tofu, shrimp, or hen.
- Cucumber, tomato, and Kalamata olives: These Mediterranean-style greens have large, daring taste. Substitute different uncooked veggies if desired!
- Feta cheese: It’s not required (omit for vegan), however feta provides a pleasant salty counterpoint to the flavors.
- Greens (non-obligatory): We used a handful of child arugula, however different greens like spinach, butter lettuce, or romaine work nicely.
- Hummus dressing: The very best a part of this bowl in our opinion! It’s creamy and irresistible hummus, olive oil, and lemon juice.
Ideas for the hummus dressing
Should you’re making the hummus dressing, ensure that to make use of a top quality model of hummus! We advise steering away from the favored Sabra model: the flavour has a powerful chemical aftertaste (presumably as a result of citric acid used as a preservative, at the very least in accordance 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.
Variations: sauce and vegetable concepts
This farro bowl is ideal for wholesome dinner concepts or wholesome lunch concepts, and it’s simply customizable to your tastes and dietary wants! It’s type of like making your individual Candy Inexperienced menu (certainly one of our favourite restaurant ideas for bowl meals). Listed here are some concepts for various the elements:
After all, you can too range the entire grain, particularly if you happen to’re cooking for gluten-free eaters. For gluten-free, use quinoa or rice.
Protein adders
One other option to customise this farro bowl recipe is with including completely different proteins! It presently makes use of chickpeas as a plant-based protein, however we’ve discovered this generally just isn’t sufficient for hungry eaters (particularly if you happen to’re serving it for dinner). Listed here are just a few protein adders we love:
Storing leftovers and make forward notes
This farro bowl recipe is straightforward to make forward. You may 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. We urged chopping the contemporary greens immediately earlier than serving.
Extra farro recipes
There are such a lot of enjoyable methods to eat farro! This primary farro recipe is a good aspect dish, and you can too use it in farro with mushrooms, farro salad, or farro soup.
Steadily requested questions
Farro is an historic 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 elements, so your bowl gained’t get soggy.
Completely! Should you can’t discover farro or wish to attempt one thing completely different, you possibly can substitute it with quinoa, brown rice, barley, and even couscous. Simply alter the cooking time accordingly.
Sure, you possibly can! The farro and chickpeas will be cooked upfront and saved individually within the fridge. The dressing may also 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 possibly can add different greens like roasted crimson peppers, grilled zucchini, or chopped kale. You may also swap the feta for goat cheese or omit it for a vegan possibility. Experiment with completely different herbs and spices to alter up the flavour profile.
Description
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 right meal for summer season or any season.
For the farro
- 1 cup raw farro, pearled or semi-pearled (not complete)
- 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 (non-obligatory)
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 fantastic mesh strainer. In a big saucepan, place the farro, 3 cups water and ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt and convey 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 bundle 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 possibly can 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.
- Class: Most important dish
- Technique: Stovetop
- Delicacies: Mediterranean
- Weight loss program: Vegetarian
