Farro with Mushrooms

Farro with Mushrooms is a delightful side dish that’s seasoned with thyme and balsamic vinegar and farro is so delicious! The leftovers from this recipe can be refrigerated and reheated to enjoy another time.

PIN Farro with Mushrooms to try it later!

Farro with Mushrooms is the first thing I cooked from Lorna Sass’ great book, Whole Grains, Every Day Every Way (affiliate link). I’m accumulating so many cookbooks, that sometimes I just don’t get around to trying anything from them! I’ve been browsing this informative book for months, and this recipe was great!

The book has gotten me interested in grains I’m not familiar with like farro, spelt, amaranth, and millet. But I couldn’t find Farro anywhere in Salt Lake, not even Whole Foods! Then my generous brother Rand got some at the Ferry Building in San Francisco and sent it to me. And this was amazing! If you’re up for trying something new, get some Farro and make this tasty dish!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• farro, preferably Organic Italian Farro (affiliate link)
• olive oil
• garlic cloves
• red onions
• mushrooms
• salt
• Balsamic Vinegar (affiliate link)
• chopped fresh thyme

What is Farro?

Farro is the Italian name for Emmer wheat, an ancient grain which is often confused with spelt (and in Italy it’s also called spelt, which adds to the confusion.) Apparently Farro (Triticum dicoccum) and spelt (Triticum speltum) are cousins, but they’re not the same grain. Both grains are high in protein but low in gluten, with spelt being even lower than farro. Both are also very high in B vitamins.

Farro is grown in many parts of Italy, Southern Europe and Morocco, and is often used as a whole grain side dish or in soups or risotto. Cooked farro has a pleasantly chewy texture and a slightly nutty flavor. Some types of farro need to be pre-soaked, but most farro imported from Italy to the U.S. will be “semi-perlato” which means that much of the bran has been removed, and it cooks quickly.

Because the plant produces low yields, it’s relatively expensive compared to other types of grain, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping it from gaining increased popularity among health-conscious food lovers.

What kind of mushrooms did I use?

I made the Farro with Mushrooms with brown Cremini mushrooms (sometimes called Baby Bella Mushrooms.) Those are especially flavorful, but use any mushrooms you prefer.

What if you don’t have fresh thyme?

If you don’t have fresh thyme to season the Farro with Mushrooms, just use a smaller amount of dried thyme. This is also perfect to make with frozen thyme if you happen to have some.

Tips for Making Farro with Mushrooms:

(This is only a list of tips for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

This is the way the farro looked before it was cooked. You can almost tell by looking that some of the bran has been removed, so this is definitely “semi-perlato.”

I followed Lorna Sass’ instruction for cooking the farro in water, and here’s how it looked once it was cooked.

Browning the mushrooms well is essential to the flavor of this dish. I cooked them about 5 minutes over fairly high heat.

I was quite excited that I had fresh thyme from my garden to make this, but you could also use frozen thyme or even dried thyme.

Make it a Meal:

Farro with Mushrooms would taste great with any of these main dishes:

• Pork Chops with Balsamic Glaze
• Slow Roasted Salmon with Butter, Garlic, Capers, and Lemon
• Chicken and Roasted Asparagus with Tahini Sauce
• Green Beans and Shrimp Sheet Pan Meal
• Instant Pot Balsamic Pork Roast

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 6 servings

Farro with Mushrooms

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Farro with Mushrooms makes a tasty side dish that's flavored with fresh thyme and balsamic vinegar!

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked farro
• 3 T olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic. each cut in half lengthwise
• 1/2 cup diced red onions (see notes)
• 24 oz. sliced baby bella (Crimini) mushrooms, sliced in 1/2 inch slices
• pinch salt
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar mixed with 1 T water
• 1 T chopped fresh thyme (see notes)

Instructions

1. To make 3 cups cooked Farro you will need 1 cup farro, 1 3/4 cups water, and a pinch of salt.
2. Have the water heating in a teakettle or pan so it will be boiling when you’re ready to add it to the farro.
3. Use a heavy pan with a tight-fitting lid.
4. Add the farro to dry pan and toast over medium-high heat until it starts to look and smell toasted, about 3 minutes.
5. Turn off heat, and then carefully pour in the boiling water (it will boil up and sputter, so be careful.)
6. Add the salt, then turn heat back on to a low simmer, cover pan, and let cook until the farro is tender, but chewy, about 20 minutes. (I would start checking after about 15 minutes. You may need to add a tiny bit more water.)
7. Use a large heavy frying pan for the second part of the recipe.
8. Heat the oil, then add the onion and garlic and saute until onions are starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Remove garlic and discard.
9. Add sliced mushrooms and stems, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and saute over medium high heat until mushrooms have released their liquid and are well browned, about 5 minutes (or longer, depending on your pan.)
10. Stir in the balsamic vinegar/water mixture and cook until liquid is mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes. (If using dried thyme, add it with the balsamic vinegar.)
11. Add cooked farro and heat 2-3 minutes, stirring gently. If your pan is not non-stick, you may need to add a bit of water when you heat the farro.
12. When farro is heated through and moistened, add the fresh thyme (or use 2 tsp. frozen thyme that's been thawed) , stir, and season with salt if desired.
13. Serve the Farro with Mushrooms hot and enjoy!

Notes

You can use shallots instead of red onion if you prefer.

If you don't have fresh thyme you can use 2 tsp. frozen thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme.

If you can't find farro make this with brown rice or barley.

This recipe is adapted from Whole Grains, Every Day Every Way. (affiliate link)

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 214Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 0mgSodium 27mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 5gSugar 6gProtein 6g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions
Whole grains like the the farro used in this Farro with Mushrooms, Thyme, and Balsamic Vinegar are a perfect side dish for phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet, or any low-glycemic eating plan. This is too high in carbs for a low-carb diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Side Dishes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for Farro with Mushrooms was posted in 2008! This is high in carbs for me now, but the recipe does have some fans so I am keeping it here for readers who enjoy whole grains and aren’t concerned about the carbs.