Farro Stuffed Peppers
This recipe for stuffed peppers without rice features farro, mushrooms and spinach.
Farro is a beautiful grain and if you haven’t tried it yet, you should make it happen! Soon! Grab some next time you are at the store.
There are three kinds of farro: whole, semi-pearled and pearled. In most grocery stores in the United States, you will find the pearled kind, which requires less cooking time and no need for soaking. If the brand you find doesn’t specify what kind of farro they are offering, it’s probably the pearled kind.
Farro is very hearty, it hits nutty tones and has a chewy texture. It’s quite addictive.
First time I cooked it was a recipe by Michele Scicolone, Farro with Brussel Sprouts, Sage, and Garlic. I was sold! After that, I’ve made dozens of other dishes with this grain.
There are many ways you can cook farro. You will find dozens of farro recipes online, since it has becoming more popular between homecooks.You can eat it as risotto, in a salad (warm or cold), in soups, and even desserts. Laura B. Weiss from the Kitchen Window, recommends to layer cooked farro with roasted fruit and yogurt! Swoon! Such a classy dessert! No matter how you enjoy your farro, it will soon become a staple ingredient in your pantry, if it already isn’t!
And if you want to know, Farro is a high-fiber grain, rich in iron, protein and B vitamins, among other nutrients.
Here we provide just one of the ways you can cook farro, by making stuffed peppers!
First, we toast the farro and then cook it in water infused with onion, garlic and bay leaf.
Drain and mix with mushrooms and spinach sauteed with garlic…
…and some parmesan cheese.
Fill the peppers with this farro stuffing, bake and enjoy by itself or accompanied by a salad.
I like to make this ahead and leave it in the fridge and bake it at night, after a busy day.
Everyone is ensured a hearty and satisfying meal, that is healthy and so good for you
Learn how to cook this grain that is rich in nutrients and full of flavor and step your cooking game up!
Farro Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 cup Farro semi-pearled or pearled
- 1 garlic clove whole
- 1 onion halved
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 thyme sprig
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 oz or spinach stem off (I like to use baby spinach)
- 16 oz portabella mushrooms sliced
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 6 small to medium bell-peppers
- 3 tablespoons of chopped chives
Instructions
- In a large pan add 3 cups of water, the bay leaf, the thyme sprig, the garlic clove, and the onion. Bring it to a boil. While the water comes to a boil, heat a cast iron pan or frying pan over medium heat. Add the farro
- to the pan and toast for about 7 minutes, until fragrant, shaking the pan around to turn the grains. Add farro to the pan of boiling water and aromatics. Let it boil for 20 minutes or so. Cooking time will vary a lot depending on what type of farro you use. Pearled and semi-pearled farro will cook faster. It’s best to taste for doneness constantly. You want the farro to be al dente, since it’s going to finish cooking in the oven in the pepper.
- Cut the tops of the peppers and carefully remove the stems and seeds from the inside. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and brush a little bit of olive oil all over the peppers, inside and out. Set aside
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for a few seconds, stirring. Add chopped mushrooms and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Add salt to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Mix the farro with the vegetables and half a cup of parmesan cheese. Place peppers in a muffin tin, so they will be standing without the possibility of falling. Stuff the peppers with the spoonfulls of the farro mixture. Cover with a little more parmesan cheese. Cover the tray with aluminum foil. Bake on pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes, remove foil and bake 5 more minutes until golden. Sprinkle some chopped chives over peppers and serve with a salad.
