If you haven't tried cooking with farro yet, you really should. It's high in fiber, protein, and complex carbs. My first experiment was simply to cook a pot of farro in vegetable stock and add it to my tossed salads for work lunches. I love the texture and flavor it adds to a salad. More recently, I decided to try it as a substitute for our typical quinoa side dish. I wanted something risotto-ish, hence, Creamy Farro with Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomatoes was born. I will admit that while I loved the flavor and texture, Russ was not a fan of the chewier texture. If you like grains like barley or wheat berries, I think you will enjoy the mild flavor of farro.
While farro does take a little longer to cook than rice, Creamy Farro with Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomatoes is still a very simple dish to prepare. Simply bring one and a half cups farro and four cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock or water) to a boil in a medium sauce pot. Once the mixture comes to a boil, cover with a lid, and set for simmer for twenty to twenty-five minutes.
While the farro is cooking, cut the asparagus into one-inch pieces and sauté until just tender. Set aside until ready to add to the farro.
When the farro is cooked, drain the excess stock from the pot and return to the low heat. Add the cream cheese and grated Gruyère, and stir to combine. If the farro and cheese mixture seems a little to0 thick, add a little milk one tablespoon at a time (I added about two tablespoons of milk.). Add the sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, and pepper. Stir again to combine all ingredients well.
Serve alongside your favorite main dish or even enjoy it with a side salad for lunch. I served Creamy Farro with Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomatoes with Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Thighs and a dinner salad.
Creamy Farro with Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
If you haven't tried cooking with farro yet, you really should. It's high in fiber, protein, and complex carbs. While farro does take a little longer to cook than rice, Creamy Farro with Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomatoes is still a very simple dish to prepare.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups farro
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ cup gruyere cheese
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes
- 1 cup asparagus
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Add the farro and vegetable stock to a large sauce pan, and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and set to simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
- While the farro is cooking, cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces and sauté until just tender.
- When the farro is cooked, drain the excess stock from the pot. Add the cream cheese and grated gruyere, and stir to combine. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, and pepper. Stir again to combine all ingredients well.
- If your farro mixture seems too thick, add a little milk a tablespoon at a time. Enjoy
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 239Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 23mgSodium 970mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 6gSugar 7gProtein 11g
Note: Nutritional information is an approximation. Different brands and/or quantities will change the nutrition profile.
Patricia
This sounds amazingly dekicious