24 Hearty Farro Dishes, From Salads and Soups to Risotto and Breakfast Porridge
With its nutty flavor and pleasantly chewy texture, farro is a fun addition to your grain rotation.
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Mat Gibilisco
Nutty, chewy farro is an ancient grain — emmer wheat — that can be used in everything from burgers to stews, showing off its versatility and ability to work as either a delicious main dish or a perfectly complementary side. Start your day with farro breakfast porridge, make it into a creamy risotto , or fry it up for a crunchy salad topper . No matter what the season, we've got a fantastic farro recipe that'll be right at home on your table — here are some of our favorites.
Salmon and Farro Bowl with Honey Mustard Dressing
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
This satisfying grain bowl from F&W recipe developer Julia Levy ties together pearled farro, seasoned salmon, avocados, black beans, tomatoes, and arugula with a tangy honey mustard dressing.
Triple-Pea and Asparagus Salad with Feta-Mint Dressing
Caitlin Bensel
"Barely blanched peas mingle with pan-fried sugar snaps, snow peas, and another of my favorite spring ingredients, asparagus," says cookbook author Hetty McKinnon of her verdant dish. "I've chosen farro as the workhorse grain in this salad — its distinct chewy, nutty texture is substantial both to the bite and to the appetite."
Peach, Tomato, and Fried Farro Salad with Burrata
© Jen Causey
This elegant summer salad features the season's juiciest peaches and tomatoes, luxuriously creamy burrata, and a sprinkle of fantastically crunchy fried farro. Use any extra farro to add a little crunch to creamy soups, casseroles, pasta tosses, scrambled eggs, or even an ice cream sundae.
Grilled Grape Tabbouleh with Tahini Sauce
Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Mat Gibilisco
For this herbaceous sweet-savory take on tabbouleh from chef Dylan Patel at Chicago's Avec, grilled grapes make fast friends with farro, honey-roasted peanuts, lots of herbs, and a nutty, creamy tahini sauce.
Farro Salad with Radishes, Snap Peas, Olives, and Pecorino
Eva Kolenko
Chewy, sweet, and earthy, farro makes the perfect base for a springtime salad. (This one tastes even better the next day.)
Restoration Salad with Farro, Orange, and Blue Cheese
Alison Miksch
"Whole-grain farro gives this seasonal salad a whole lot of satisfying substance," writes recipe developer Ann Taylor Pittman. "In addition to the grains, shaved brussels sprouts, pungent blue cheese, and toasted walnuts also give the salad heartiness." Oranges, raisins, and the white balsamic dressing offer refreshing notes of sweetness.
Farro Salad with Roasted Root Vegetables
David Malosh
Crisp roasted carrots, parsnips, and celery root add a caramelized depth to this earthy, elegant farro salad, dressed simply in olive oil and red wine vinegar.
Pan-Roasted Chicken with Warm Farro Salad
© David Malosh
This simple chicken is seasoned with sage and accompanied by a full-flavored farro salad. For the salad, cooked farro is mixed with roasted carrots and mushrooms, then tossed with the chicken's pan juice, lemon juice, and crunchy toasted hazelnuts.
Farro and Green Olive Salad with Walnuts and Raisins
© Greg DuPree
Longtime food blogger Heidi Swanson contributed this incredible farro recipe to F&W back in 2013; in 2018, we named it one of our 40 best recipes. Swanson's salad gets all the ratios just right, ensuring there's a bit of chewy farro, toasted walnut, fresh scallion, and briny green olive in every forkful.
Farro-and-Sausage Parmigiano
© John Kernick
Use your choice of sweet or hot Italian sausage in this thick, hearty recipe. After it's finished in the slow cooker, the dish takes a quick pass under the broiler to melt the doubly cheesy topping of mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Farro Breakfast Porridge with Raspberries
© Constantine Poulos
2010 F&W Best New Chef Missy Robbins tops her farro porridge with a quick raspberry-honey sauce and chopped pistachios for a terrific breakfast that's ready in half an hour.
Farro Salad with Winter Fruit, Pistachios, and Ginger
© Tina Rupp
Chef Annie Somerville's farro fruit salad features golden raisins and dried sour cherries in a tangy citrus-ginger dressing; to finish, it's topped with sliced scallions, roasted pistachios, and a combo of mint and cilantro.
Toasted Farro with Greens and Tahini
© Lucy Schaeffer
The key to Top Chef alum Kevin Gillespie's fantastic dish is to roast the cooked farro in a skillet to bring out its toasty sweetness. A bit of lemon juice stirred in at the end provides a bright finish.
Farro Salad with Fennel and Arugula
© John Kernick
Adding a whole grain to salad not only increases textural interest, but it also makes the dish all the more satiating. Here, chef Art Smith boosts a simple salad of arugula, parsley, and fennel with farro, tossing everything in an easy lemon-garlic dressing.
Cheesy Farro-and-Tomato Risotto
© Lucy Schaeffer
Farro stands in for arborio rice in this stick-to-your-ribs risotto made from pantry staples — it takes about 40 minutes to put together.
Short Rib Farrotto with Carrots and Parsnips
© Con Poulos
Chef Marco Canora cooks this farro risotto-style, which makes it creamy just like rice. Be sure to seek out unpearled farro here, not the quick-cooking variety.
Summer Farro Salad
© John Kernick
Cucumber, grape tomatoes, red onion, and basil stud this warm-weather farro salad that makes for a hearty side or a satisfying lunch.
Vegetable Farro Stew with Figs and Pine Nuts
© Christina Holmes
Grant Achatz is a fan of making this Italian vegetarian stew at home, in his slow cooker. It showcases eggplant, artichokes, and peppers along with chewy farro and sweet dried fruit.
Farro Salad with Fried Cauliflower and Prosciutto
© Kana Okada
Ethan Stowell gives his farro salad a true Italian spin by adding nutty, deep-fried cauliflower florets and salty prosciutto.
Farro Salad with Turnips and Greens
© Michael Turek
Tamar Adler uses both turnips and their greens in this hearty cold-weather salad that can either be served warm or at room temperature.
Sunchoke-Kale Hash with Farro
© Con Poulos
This soul-satisfying winter hash is vegetable-laden comfort food. With crispy sunchokes (aka Jerusalem artichokes), umami-rich oyster mushrooms, tender kale, and nubby farro, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo's dish is a sensational side or meatless main.
Cabbage-and-Kale Soup with Farro
© Lucy Schaeffer
2004 F&W Best New Chef Melissa Perello gives her broth a boost by adding an umami-rich Parmesan rind along with a bit of pancetta. Like most soups, you'll be rewarded with an extra-flavorful bowl if you can make it a day ahead.
Farro Risotto
© Matt Armedariz
Barbara Lynch's creamy farro risotto skips the add-ins for a versatile dish that can easily be paired with your protein of choice.
Black Bean Burgers
© Cedric Angeles
Farro is an excellent addition to veggie burgers, providing substance for patties you can really sink your teeth into. Paired with black beans and topped with a roasted red pepper spread, these burgers are moist, delicious, and satisfying.
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