Italian Bean and Farro Soup

Heat oil in a 4 to 6 quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, parsley, basil and garlic; cook, stirring often, until the onion and carrot begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and broth; increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Add farro (or barley) and beans. Season with pepper.
When the soup returns to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the grain is tender, 30 to 35 minutes for farro or 40 to 45 minutes for barley. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

Grain:

Farro [1]

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, ﬁnely chopped

1 medium carrot, ﬁnely chopped

1 stalk celery, ﬁnely chopped

⅓ cup loosely packed fresh ﬂat-leaf parsley, chopped

2 tsps ﬁnely chopped fresh basil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 14 ½ ounce can diced tomatoes (not drained)

4 cups vegetable broth

½ cup farro or barley

1 can (14-19 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Active time:

15 minutes

Yield:

4-6 servings

Nutrition:

Calories: 270 , Total Fat: 4.5 g, (Saturated Fat: 1 g), Sodium: 690 mg, Carbohydrate: 45 g, Fiber: 11 g, Protein: 11 g

Author:

Recipe courtesy of Judith Barrett, Eating Well. Visit the Eating Well website [2] for more delicious, healthy recipes. Oldways photo.

Diet:

Mediterranean DietVegetarian & Vegan Diet

Course:

Soups & Appetizers

Dietary choice:

Vegetarian

Rating:

Description:

This soup was a big hit at the Whole Grains Council’s 2011 conference in Portland, Oregon. The creative chef there cooked everything together, then separated the broth from the vegetables, beans and farro. We had the fun of adding hot broth to our cup o’ goodies – a great alternative to having lukewarm soup with mushy contents.