Tags: Hidden Veggies Quick Recipes Weekday Meals
I’m always on the hunt for vegetarian meals. We’re big meat eaters over here and my weekly menu usually ends up heavy on the meat. I don’t intentionally plan it that way. I always start my menu planning with every intention of having a few vegetarian options on the list, but then Adrian says he’s craving Korean tacos and Liev wants pasta and meatballs and before I know it, I have a menu planned with nothing but meat, meat and more meat. We needed to break the cycle, but I needed something that my family would love as much as they love meat.
Farro is an ancient grain very similar to barley and has amazing health benefits. It’s an excellent source of protein and fiber and is rich in iron—which is a MUST for me since I’m chronically anemic. It has this wonderful nutty flavor and is very versatile. It reminds me of barley, but the texture is smoother.
There are many ways to prepare farro, but this is by far my favorite. The mushrooms add a meatiness, the peas freshness and the parmesan…well, doesn’t a good parmesan make everything better?
Farro with Mushrooms, Peas and Parmesan:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup farro
- ½ cup white wine
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup peas, frozen
- 1 cup parmesan, grated
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven (or other heavy bottom pot) over medium/high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent—about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until just golden brown—about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and cook until softened—about 8 minutes. Remove mixture and set aside. In same pot, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and add farro. Stir to coat the farro in oil and toast 1 minute. Add white wine and cook until evaporated—about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 cup vegetable broth and season with salt and pepper. Cook until absorbed. Add ½ cup vegetable broth at a time and cook until absorbed in-between each addition. Add peas, mushroom mix and parmesan. Serve immediately with your favorite biscuit recipe.
