Farro Risotto with Asparagus and Fava Beans Recipe
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This risotto is so packed full of fresh spring veggies, it’s all you’ll need to accompany Roasted Rack of Lamb for a light spring dinner or Easter meal. The farro makes it hearty enough to double as a delicious vegetarian main dish as well.
What to buy: Farro is a whole-grain relative of wheat and spelt with a flavor reminiscent of hazelnuts and barley. When cooked, each grain retains a firm, chewy texture, which makes this risotto practically impossible to overcook. You can find farro in most Italian grocery stores and in the bulk section of many health food stores, but if you’re coming up empty-handed, spelt will make a decent substitute.
This recipe was featured as part of our Supercharge with Superfoods photo gallery.
- 1 cup farro
- Salt
- 12 ounces asparagus, trimmed and sliced 1/2 inch thick on the bias (about 3 cups)
- 1 pound whole fava beans, shelled (about 1 heaping cup)
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, minced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2/3 cup dry white wine
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (about 1 packed teaspoon)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick)
- Soak the farro in cold water for 20 minutes, drain in a colander, and rinse well. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat, add the farro, and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain the farro, then cool it by rinsing under cold water; set aside.
- Clean the pot used to boil the farro and refill with water, salt heavily, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the asparagus and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the asparagus and place in a single layer on a large plate or baking sheet to cool. Return the water to a boil and add the shelled fava beans; cook until tender but not soft, about 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold water until the beans are cool enough to touch. Remove the thin, pale green skin that covers each bean and discard. Place the skinned beans on the plate or baking sheet with the asparagus.
- Heat the vegetable broth or water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it comes to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low so the broth is at a bare simmer while you prepare the risotto.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add the shallots and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked farro and stir to coat in the oil; cook until the outer coating of the farro grains is glossy and a toasty aroma rises from the pot, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and stir until it has evaporated.
- Add a ladleful of warm broth and cook, stirring frequently, until the farro has almost completely absorbed it, about 2 minutes. Add another ladleful of broth and stir until almost all of it has been absorbed. (Do not let the pan get dry—there should be a constant veil of stock over the farro at all times.) Continue adding ladlefuls of broth, stirring frequently and tasting regularly, until the farro is tender but firm to the bite (the indentation in the farro grain will open and puff when completely cooked), about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from heat and gently fold in the reserved asparagus and fava beans, lemon zest, tarragon, parsley, and butter. Taste and, if necessary, season with more salt and pepper.
Beverage pairing: Venica Collio Pinot Grigio, Italy. Bright green flavors of spring call for a wine that has the same. This light Pinot Grigio has great acidity, but also a little creaminess to stand up to the heartiness of the farro.
you can use dried fava beans but you'll need to soak them overnight, take the skins off and then cook them for about 1 to 2 hours. I love this dish and it is one our family staple dishes. The first time I attempted to make it I mistakenly bought dried fava beans. Because of the required cooking time and our dinner time was fast approaching, I wound up improvising and using canned chickpeas or garbonzo beans instead. My wife and I loved it and would happily make the substiture again. I haven't yet tried other bean substitues but I would imagine that you could use other beans as well. One in particular I would try would be Edamame (immature soy beans). They seem very similar to fresh fava beans and require less effort to prepare for the dish.
exceptional! I've been thinking about farro risotto for a long time....this was our dinner last nite. I'd up the amount of favas were i to do it again. there are never enough in one pound!
Does anyone know if dried favas can be used instead? Fresh aren't available locally yet, but the asparagus and herbs are. Dying to try it.
wheatberries are another name for farro ,which may be easier to find in some places (like health food stores)
This is a really great dish. I am not vegetarian, so I made a few changes to it to make it a full meal: instead of using olive oil, i chopped up a few slices of bacon and added shallots to that. Also used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. I live in Sweden, and couldn't for the life of me find fava beans, so I just used random green vegetables and cooked them in boiling water- romanesco broccoli (weird that they had that and not fava beans!), haricot verts, and peas. Turned out excellent. Definitely making it again!
I finally got around to making this. The combination of lemon zest / tarragon / parsley is fantastic! I need to remember this combination for other dishes. Still, this recipe takes a lot of work, and I would never waste that much time on a side dish. It took closer to 3 hours; I'm not sure why you wouldn't use a second pot to prep the veggies while parboiling the farro, and shelling the fava beans takes a while, too.
Excellent - light and fresh flavor. I used spelt in place of the farro, edamame in place of the fava beans, and dried tarragon. Delicious. The spelt seems to take slightly longer to cook than is recommended for the farro, and did not "puff" as the recipe stated the farro would, but it was definitely delicious.
Wonderful dish, made it with farro, asparagus and edamame beans (couldn't find fava nearby). Great with the pork chops two nights ago. Great again today with some eggs scrambled into the leftovers for lunch!
That sounds fantastic. Could I make it with hulled (as opposed to pearled) barley, I wonder? That's one of my favorite grains.
I have found farro at Whole Foods here in St. Louis.
I just LOVE farro and use to cook a lot with it when back at home, in Italy, Love it in soups too and in salads, cold. I will definitely try this recipe but...where do you find farro here? I looked in the aisles of the local supermarket and could not find it. I live in San Antonio,TX where I recently moved from northern Italy and sometimes even the simplest tasks, like looking for a not so common ingredient, become a problem to me. Thank you
You could substitute green beans for the asparagus.
who has a good idea for a substitute for the asparagus (my Dad hates it...I find out now that I served it the last two times he came over)?
This one sounds great but I may try adding swiss chard and/or quinoa as an alternative to Farro. Quinoa is incredibly healithy and a fun addition to salads, pastas, stir frys, risotto etc. The baby lima beans are a great idea too! Agreed, a bit of Pecorino Romano will be great.
You're right, Ellen, it's a problem with the random-generation in the recipe and story sidebar. The servers don't understand seasonality! We're working on refining it. Your farro and lima bean alternative sounds great.
I'm going to make this using some Anson Mills farro and fresh limas rather than favas, since they're in season right now. I think a generous shaving of pecorino romano will be in order. What I don't understand, however, is why spring recipes are showing up on this site right now. It should be focusing on all of the end of season goodies available.
I've been making risotto with spelt for a few years ... it is great & super healthy too ..spelt berries are easier to find and might be less than 1/4 of the price of farro. I've been making a version of this recipe for awhile, except I add fresh mint at the end & sometimes a bit of chevre
This was great, Kate! I cook farro a lot, and I was wary of parboiling it -- seemed like it might end up overcooked. But no: creamy and delicious. The lemon zest is a lovely addition.