I love making soups on the weekend that I can take to work with me throughout the week for lunches. Very Veggie Farro Soup turned out delicious, and the farro is filling enough to carry me through the rest of a long shift. Most importantly, as you know, homemade soup packs so much more flavor and is so much healthier than those cans or boxes that you find in the grocery store aisles. Plus, you know that you are using quality whole food ingredients with no additives.
Why use farro instead of another whole grain in Very Veggie Farro Soup?
Farro packs seven grams each of protein and fiber into a quarter cup serving. That's more than either quinoa or barley, which I've also used in soups and stews. Plus, I love the texture of farro. It really has a nice bite to it. It's a great substitute for pasta in soup recipes. You still get a bit of chew in your bites, but without the refined grains used in most pastas. Additionally, while farro is not gluten-free, it is much lower in gluten than standard wheat, making it much easier to digest. If you do need to keep this recipe gluten-free, try substituting quinoa or wild rice for the farro.
While I am not gluten-intolerant, I do feel so much better when I limit the amount of gluten (especially from highly processed breads and pastas) in my diet. Very Veggie Farro Soup is just as nutritious as it is delicious.
A note about white miso paste:
I recently learned about white miso paste from The How Not to Die Cookbook. A number of the recipes and sauces in the book incorporated this ingredient that I had never cooked with before. The flavor is hard to describe--definitely savory, slightly earthy. I'm so glad that I decided to try it. Since first using it, I've been adding it to a number of soups and stir fry recipes. There are actually a few varieties of miso, but the white (actually more beige in color) has the mildest flavor. I'm also told that it's fantastic added to homemade dressings and marinades as well. I will definitely let you know as I experiment more. If you are gluten-free, make sure to check the ingredients. Although the main ingredient is fermented soy beans, many may contain wheat or barley as well. I found Miso Master Organic at Whole Foods, and it is non-GMO and gluten-free.
Let's get cooking.
Begin by chopping the carrots, celery, onion, broccoli, and red pepper. Mince the onion, fresh basil and thyme. If you don't have fresh basil and thyme, you can substitute two teaspoons dried basil and one teaspoon dried thyme for the fresh.
Next, heat a tablespoon of avocado oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. (I absolutely LOVE my Lodge cast iron dutch oven.) Add the onions and bell pepper, and sauté for about five minutes until beginning to soften. Add the minced garlic, and sauté for about three more minutes until the garlic is fragrant. Pour in the vegetable broth, and add the chopped carrots, celery, broccoli, and all the spices. Cover and simmer for about thirty minutes. You will need to turn the heat down a bit if using cast iron since it conducts the heat so well.
Once the carrots and broccoli stems have softened, add the sliced mushrooms and farro. Stir well, then recover the pot and turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer about twenty minutes. Finally, add the kale, stir again, and simmer about twenty to thirty more minutes until the farro is tender.
Serve warm with a side salad and/or some crusty bread.
If you make Very Veggie Farro Soup, please leave me a comment or rate the recipe.
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Very Veggie Farro Soup
Very Veggie Farro Soup is just as nutritious as it is delicious. The red pepper flakes give it a bit of a kick, and the miso paste adds a slightly earthy umami flavor.
Ingredients
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cup onion, diced
- 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 2 cups broccoli stems, chopped
- 10 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cups kale, chopped and hard stems removed
- 1 cup farro (wild rice or quinoa for gluten-free)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt (less if using vegetable broth that contains salt)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
Instructions
- Begin by chopping the carrots, celery, onion, broccoli, and red pepper. Mince the onion, fresh basil and thyme. If you don't have fresh basil and thyme, you can substitute two teaspoons dried basil and one teaspoon dried thyme for the fresh.
- Next, heat a tablespoon of avocado oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and bell pepper, and sauté for about five minutes until beginning to soften. Add the minced garlic, and sauté for about three more minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, and add the chopped carrots, celery, broccoli, and all the spices. Cover and simmer for about thirty minutes. You will need to turn the heat down a bit if using cast iron since it conducts the heat so well.
- Once the carrots and broccoli stems have softened, add the sliced mushrooms and farro. Stir well, then recover the pot and turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer about twenty minutes.
- Finally, add the kale, stir again, and simmer about twenty to thirty more minutes until the farro is tender.
- Serve warm with a side salad and/or some crusty bread.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 206Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 0mgSodium 1337mgCarbohydrates 38gFiber 9gSugar 11gProtein 9g
Note: Nutritional information is an approximation. Different brands and/or quantities will change the nutrition profile.
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