Farro With Blistered Tomatoes, Pesto and Spinach

By Yasmin Fahr

Updated Feb. 16, 2024

Farro With Blistered Tomatoes, Pesto and Spinach
Julia Gartland for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
5(7,535)
Comments
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Here is an Italian-inspired recipe that uses store-bought or homemade pesto to season farro, which is then tossed with fresh spinach, roasted tomatoes, red onions and mozzarella for a complete vegetarian meal. Make it with fresh-from-the-market cherry tomatoes when they’re in season, but during the rest of the year, use grape tomatoes, as they tend to be more flavorful than cherry during the colder months. If you’d like, substitute arugula, or cooked broccoli rabe or kale, for the spinach. It tastes delicious warm or cold the next day — and topping it with shrimp, chicken or scallops can make it feel new again. Before reheating, add a bit more spinach, drizzle it with a little olive oil and give it a good stir.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1cup farro, rinsed
  • 2pints cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1small red onion, peeled, quartered and cut into 1-inch wedges
  • 2tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the farro
  • ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • ¼cup store-bought or homemade pesto, plus more to taste
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 2packed cups baby spinach
  • 1(4-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, torn into chunks, or ½ cup ricotta salata, crumbled (optional)
  • ¼cup fresh flat-leaf parsley or basil leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

398 calories; 20 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 742 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large covered pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the farro and adjust the heat to maintain a medium boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom, until tender and not too chewy, about 30 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, on a sheet pan, combine the tomatoes and onion wedges with the oil, making sure everything is well coated and glistening, then season with salt, pepper and the red-pepper flakes. Roast until the tomatoes blister and slightly deflate, 25 to 30 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    When the farro is done, drain, then pour into a serving bowl or back into the pot. Toss with some olive oil, then mix in the pesto. Add the lemon zest and juice, then stir in the spinach. Set aside to cool slightly.

  4. Step 4

    Scrape the onions, tomatoes and their juices into the farro; season with salt and pepper as needed. Add the cheese, if using, then garnish with herbs and serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
7,535 user ratings
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Comments

Amber

This works *much better* if the farro is cooked in a pot of water like noodles, not simmered like rice. Cooking in more water lets you get it to the right grainy taste and chewiness without gunking it up. Simmering it until the water boils off results in a pasty texture.

ann

Never used farro before, and this was a great introduction! I found 10-minute farro at Trader Joe’s and it cut down the overall cooking time. Made exactly to recipe, and I added a splash of balsamic vinegar at the end because the mozzarella, basil & tomatoes were practically begging for it. Will be adding to my rotation.

Kate B

This is so delicious! A couple of notes: -Don't bring a whole pot of water to boil for the farro. If you're making 1 cup, like the recipe calls for, just bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Then, when the water cooks off, the farro will be done. -I added a bulb of fennel to the sheet pan of tomatoes and onions and it was delicious!

Sam

This was awful. I followed the recipe closely, but the dish came out incredibly soupy, and the flavors just didn’t work—too cloyingly sweet from the roasted tomatoes and onions, yet also overwhelmed by the lemon juice. I barely detected the nutty farro flavor, much less the spinach. I’m not sure how a recipe based on such simple, individually delicious ingredients could come out so badly, but this really did.

Paula CoopTip

Herby, lemony, grainy deliciousness! Prepared as written except skipped the cheese (didn’t need it) and used an entire TJs quick-cook bag of farro so not sure if the amounts match up with regular farro. This with a slice of crusty bread and simple salad was an amazing meal. Fed two adults with 3 servings for leftovers.

samrem

The proportions seem off. The original version (as written) had too many veggies to farro. I cooked and added an additional cup of farro to the left overs and it was much better. I would also recommend adding 2x the mozzarella if I creasing the farro. And salt.

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