Simple Mushroom Farro Recipe (Stovetop)
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Earthy mushrooms and nutty farro come together in this hearty, wholesome dish that’s both comforting and delicious. Our simple Mushroom Farro recipe is perfect for cozy dinners, it’s packed with flavor and simple to make!
When I cook, I like to use simple, unprocessed ingredients, when possible. I think if I eat well most of the time, and exercise, I have a better chance of staying healthy. No grandstanding folks, I’m human and love enjoying my desserts once in a while (o.k. more than once in a while, more like regularly). This incredible Mushroom Farro Recipe is one of those healthy and delicious side dishes I never regret eating.
What is Farro?
Farro is a hearty ancient grain with a delicious nutty flavor and chewy texture, that cooks up like al dente pasta. It has been a mainstay food in the Mediterranean since ancient Rome and continues to be featured in traditional Italian dishes today. Farro is high in fiber and a good source of iron and protein. Best of all, it’s delicious.
Note: Farro is a wheat grain and not gluten-free.
Why Should You Cook our Farro Recipe today?
Farro is quickly becoming one of our favorite side dishes. This dish takes less than 30 minutes to make. The first time I made this recipe, I’d had a busy day, and actually stopped at the store and bought a broasted chicken. Even though that meal was quick and easy, you sure wouldn’t have known it when you sat down to eat.
For a healthy side dish, replace brown rice with farro which has more protein and fiber. Or, add it to a fresh salad for a delicious flavor that will keep you satisfied longer. Farro is delicious in hearty soup or stew recipes too.
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Ingredients for Farro with Mushrooms
- Farro. Because this grain has protein, it shows up a lot in vegan or vegetarian cooking. But it’s incredibly delicious alongside grilled meat and works especially well as a base for salmon. Farro is one of our favorite grains to add to salads too. It’s so versatile!
- Vegetable Oil. Any oil would work with this recipe. Mushrooms act like little sponges so make sure it’s an oil that you like the flavor of. A drizzle of olive oil or walnut oil would be a great way to add flavor.
- Mushrooms. I am partial to shitake mushrooms. A mushroom blend will work well with this recipe. Really, you can use any mushrooms you find at your grocery store. Dust any debris from them and slice them if they’re large but don’t rinse them.
- Yellow Onion. Sweet onions will also work but I don’t recommend a red onion. The texture changes when cooked
- Fresh Thyme. Nothing beats fresh herbs. You can usually find thyme growing at your grocery store in little pots, or small sprigs of it refrigerated near the produce. You can replace or add herbs of your choice.
- Dry Sherry. Adds a crisp flavor to your sauce when it is used to deglaze the pan.
- Fresh Parsley. In addition to flavor, parsley adds a beautiful color to the dish.
- White Wine Vinegar. Adds brightness at the end. You can replace the Dry Sherry with White Wine Vinegar or vice versa.
- Kosher Salt.
How to Make this Farro Recipe
Boil the farro.
Simmer the rinsed farro until it’s tender in three quarts of water with a little salt. Then drain it and set it aside.
Sauté the Mushrooms and Onions.
You’ll want to get a large skillet hot over medium-high heat, add oil, and sauté the mushrooms and onions with the thyme and salt. When everything starts to brown, you can go on to the next step.
Combine it all.
Add the sherry first and when all of the browned bits are scraped off the pan, add the farro and cook it until heated through. Remove it from the heat, and add the parsley, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.
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Hostess Tips
Add a couple of minced garlic cloves after the onion and mushrooms begin to brown for flavor variation.
Substitute the Dry Sherry with the white wine vinegar called for in this recipe, apple cider vinegar, or a spritz of lemon juice.
Add more veggies such as yellow bell pepper, diced zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, or asparagus, corn, or peas. Please note that dense vegetables require more cooking time.
Add grated parmesan cheese or fresh herbs for a change of pace. Rosemary, parsley or sliced green onions would add extra flavor and color to this simple recipe.
FAQ
Which kind of farro should I buy?
There are basically two different types of farro. Pearled Farro is the most common in the United States. It removes the outer bran, making it cook faster but reducing its fiber and nutrient content. The other type is whole farro which contains the germ, bran, and inner endosperm. It can be found in some specialty grocery stores.
Three different types of ancient wheat grains you may find at your local grocery store include einkorn, emmer, and spelt. Any of these three types will work for this recipe.
- Einkorn is easily digestible and has a more delicate flavor.
- Emmer has a beautiful, firm texture, and rich texture.
- Spelt is larger grains and a slightly sweet profile.
How to Store Cooked Farro
Keep your leftovers in the refrigerator and microwave them to reheat and enjoy.
We are sure you are going to love these other recipes!
If you enjoyed our Mushroom Farro recipe, take a look at our Ground Turkey with Spelt, Turmeric Chicken with Rice, and Bulgur Wheat Sausage recipes. They combine delicious whole grains for delicious recipes that are healthier to eat.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Don’t forget to pin it for later and follow me on Pinterest for more delicious recipes like this one!
Farro with Mushrooms
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup farro rinsed
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 oz mushrooms trimmed and chopped coarse ( or a mushroom blend of your choice)
- ½ yellow onion chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme or more if desired
- 2 tbsp dry sherry
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley roughly chopped
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Bring 3 quarts of water to boil in a dutch oven or large saucepan. Stir in farro and 1 tablespoon salt. Return to boil, reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
- Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently until moisture has evaporated and vegetables start to brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add sherry and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until pan is almost dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Add farro and cook, stirring constantly until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat, stir in parsley, white wine vinegar, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.
Originally released on January 21, 2016, this mushroom farro recipe has undergone updates to enhance our readers’ experience, including simple details and new images. No changes were made to the actual recipe.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Don’t forget to pin it for later and follow me on Pinterest for more delicious recipes like this one!
It’s really a lovely looking dish. I’d loooooooove to try your recipe
Farro is not very familiar here, but I must try
Thank you Winnie! We really love Farro. It is easy to make and delicious.
You are a mind-reader Julie! I was actually looking for a recipe for Farro! This looks super-easy, healthy and delicious! Thanks for sharing. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Thank you! If you give it a try, let me know what you think. Have a great day my friend!
Looks delicious and really tasty. I love to use Faro inside my soup too! Enjoy the rest of the weekend! 🙂
Thanks Linda! Faro would be great in soup. You enjoy your weekend too!
You know for all the things I have cooked, farro still isn’t one of them. I must get on to it! This looks so delicious – such great photos too!
Thank you Caroline! We’ve only been eating it a couple years now and it is one of our favorites. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
I’m also a fan of farro, having tried it for the first time in a salad from SweetGreen, and I love how delicious and versatile it is. I also love that Trader Joe’s sells quick cooking farro so I don’t have to wait as long to eat. This recipe sounds delicious!!
Thank you Justine. I didn’t know that there was a quick cooking variety. I love trader joes and will have to check it out. Thanks for the info.
I have never heard of farro and I must keep an eye out! It sounds, and looks delicious.
I also love mushrooms so what a perfect combination. I will go online and have a look where I can buy it straight away. I prefer grains to rice but I usually end up using bulgur wheat as it is so quick, this looks like I need to try it as well; 🙂
Happy Fiesta Friday and I hope you are having a great weekend 🙂
Thank you Petra. I’ve never tried bulgur wheat so will give that a try! Thank you for co-hosting this week!
Lovely Julie, so simple, yet packed with nutrients and flavors. Sometimes those dishes are the absolute best! I could eat a bowl right about now for breakfast. We’re being slammed on the East Coast, but I’m trying not to complain as it is our very first snowfall of the season, which has turned out to be a blizzard 🙂
Loretta, I’ve been watching CNN and they are talking about NYC getting 3 inches an hour and are expecting 30 before it’s over. That is crazy. I hope you stay warm and safe and don’t have any problems with this storm. Its cold and dreary here but that’s not unusual. This dish is simple and one of our favorites.
I think this is my first time to hear about Farro, but your dish looks so enticing! Happy FF, Julie. x
I hope you do try it Jhuls. It is delicious!
Farro is something I have not been able to get but I really cant wait to try it as soon as I can get my hands on some. The flavour of mushroom and thyme sound just delicious!!
Thank you! We seem to be getting more ingredients at our grocery store, and it’s fun to try them.
I haven’t ever had Farro, but it sounds delicious! I will have to try this!
Thank you Nancy. We really love it.
I have never heard of Farro, but it looks delicious. I’m definitely going to look for it the next time I go grocery shopping. Thanks for introducing me to something new.
Thank you Lily! I get it in the health area of our grocery store. I really enjoy the meatiness of this grain. Enjoy the remainder of your weekend!
I have never actually made Farro before. I think I’ll be on the look out for it now. This recipe looks beautiful and delicious!
Thank you Sarah! I found it in the health area of my grocery store, and it has become one of our favorites. Anything you do with rice or barley you can do with farro.
Farro is a new grain for me – I keep buying new ingredients and then forget the recipe I was going to use it in. Need to try something new this year 🙂
Ha! I really resemble that! I have a few things in my pantry that I rushed out to get and now I don’t know what for. I agree on trying new things are on my docket this year. I’d love to try some new breads and some new grains too. Are you getting snow this weekend?
I’ve never tried farro before, it looks delicious with those mushrooms. Will be on the lookout for some, pinned for later. Thanks for sharing Julie 🙂
Thank you Sarah! We haven’t been eating it but for the last couple years but love it. Have a wonderful weekend.
Such a simple recipe! I love mushrooms too, so I’m going to add them to farro. Great combination! 🙂
Thank you Ana! Hope you are all doing well!
I love farro, it’s got such a nice flavour and texture – and it cooks well using my quinoa method which is cool, I didn’t think it would as the grains are chunkier than quinoa but it does 🙂
Love your recipe, it looks very tasty 🙂
Thank you Elaine! I have your cooking method for quinoa. Will have to try it on my farro! Have a great weekend.
This sounds so delicious, Julie! I really love mushrooms, and I would love to try farrow! Definitely want to make this!! 🙂
Thank you Anna! I think you would love it Anna! I got organic and it’s is a delicious whole grain.
I’ve heard of farro only a couple of weeks ago when I saw Giada preparing some on her show! This recipe sounds lovely, Julie 🙂
Thank you Freda! We just love it, and very happy we gave it a try.
This looks really comforting with the brewing storm in the NE! Love farro(LOL auto correct just tried changing that to Fargo)
Thank you Johanne! It sounds like the NE is going to take a pounding! We have been getting 5 inches at a time which is tolerable but it’s been so dang cold. It’s winter right? Be safe and bake on!
I love mushrooms! I love farro! And this looks great!!
Thank you Susan! You and are two peas in a pod on the farro and mushrooms page!
what a beautiful an elegant recipe.
Thank you Sonal! It’s one of our favorites.
This is so interesting and new for me. It seems a bit like a middle eastern grain I know of, but not sure! I need to try this one! Yumm
Thanks Lynz! We have eaten this recipe a lot since I first made it. Darrow is good in soup too because it’s firmer and doesn’t get mushy.
Love it Julie Farro is my favorite of the whole grains. I would eat farro rather than just about any other grain. This is a wonderful. love the mushrooms earthy flavor with the farro. Delicious. I need to get some mushrooms and give this a try.
Thank you Suzanne! We love it and it makes me excited to try other grains too.