I’ve been desperately craving a really healthy meal lately. The Gavin house has been indulging these past few weeks, enjoying every last drop of ice cream and bites of savory BBQ ribs as summer comes to an end. September is time to get back on track, and I plan to share as many easy and nutritious meals that I can with you! Let’s start with a comforting bowl of hearty garden vegetable farro soup to soothe and reset your body. It’s so simple and you can make a huge batch enjoy for a few days, let’s get cooking.
I like to start off any soup with a classic mirepoix; onions, carrots, and celery. This adds a nice base of earthy flavors to the soup while it infuses into the broth. This soup is meant to have chunkier pieces of vegetables, simmered with hearty healthy white beans and cooked farro.
I’ve been looking for an easy, healthy grain to add to my dishes and pearled farro 
was my answer! Farro is an Italian emmer wheat, an ancient strain of hard wheat from the Fertile Crescent in western Asia. It is high in fiber and a good source of iron and protein, cha-ching! It’s also very easy to digest, so your body can absorb all of those great nutrients. It is cooked directly in the simmering soup liquid until tender. It really helps made this soup more filling, it’s similar to rice with a little bit more of a chewy texture.
was my answer! Farro is an Italian emmer wheat, an ancient strain of hard wheat from the Fertile Crescent in western Asia. It is high in fiber and a good source of iron and protein, cha-ching! It’s also very easy to digest, so your body can absorb all of those great nutrients. It is cooked directly in the simmering soup liquid until tender. It really helps made this soup more filling, it’s similar to rice with a little bit more of a chewy texture.
This soup is like your garden just jumped into the bowl, ha! Carrots, peas, ripe grape tomatoes, onions, leeks, celery and fresh basil, all are ready to party.
Since farro is an ancient Italian grain, I thought it was only right to add a little bit of grated Parmesan cheese on top. It adds a nice salty and savory flavor, marrying all those tender ingredients together.
Do you love crusty bread as much as our family does? If I can find a whole wheat artisan loaf at the market, I snatch it up and warm it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the outside right before I serve this soup. A few dunks of bread to soak up all of the savory flavors is wonderful. Baby James enjoyed the soft vegetables in the soup, it’s so nice being able to share our meals with him now! Enjoy friends 
TIP: What is the proper way to cook Farro?
Select pearled farro, as it will cook more quickly than whole or semi-pearled. Farro is not like rice where it swells and absorbs all of the water. You want about a 1 part grain to 2.5 parts water, for example, 1 cup farro to 2.5 cups water. Farro is cooked on the stove top, with the water brought to a boil and then reduced to a simmer until the grain is tender but not mushy, about 25 minutes or what the manufacturer suggests. It can be cooked directly in the soup, or drained and cooled if added to a salad. It’s so versatile plus all of thefarro’s health benefits!
Select pearled farro, as it will cook more quickly than whole or semi-pearled. Farro is not like rice where it swells and absorbs all of the water. You want about a 1 part grain to 2.5 parts water, for example, 1 cup farro to 2.5 cups water. Farro is cooked on the stove top, with the water brought to a boil and then reduced to a simmer until the grain is tender but not mushy, about 25 minutes or what the manufacturer suggests. It can be cooked directly in the soup, or drained and cooled if added to a salad. It’s so versatile plus all of thefarro’s health benefits!
Blogger Comment
Facebook Comment