Coconut Mango Breakfast Farro Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Does farro need to be soaked before cooking? ›

Soak Farro

As we've already discussed, soaking whole farro or semi-pearled farro will speed up the cooking time significantly - although it's not necessary. If you have the forethought, add the farro to a bowl of water and soak it overnight in the refrigerator.

*YIELD: 1 cup of dry farro will yield about 3 cups cooked. Feel free to adjust recipe accordingly. *TEXTURE: The texture of cooked farro should be tender and chewy, but not mushy. I recommend tasting your farro once the 20 minutes are up to see if it meets your desired texture.

The farro will absorb a lot of the water, but the excess should be drained off. You can either use a colander or just carefully tilt the pot while using the lid to hold the grains in place. Drain off as much water as possible to prevent it from turning mushy.

Cook the farro: Fill a medium pot half full of water and bring to a boil. Add the farro, reduce the heat and simmer until the farro is tender, chewy, but still has an al dente bite - 15 to 20 minutes for pearled farro; 20 to 30 minutes for semi-pearled farro; up to 40 minutes for whole farro.

Pasta Method (Whole farro)

Add 1 cup farro to a pot with 3 cups of water. Boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the grains are tender, about 30 minutes. For faster cooking, the farro can be pre-soaked in water overnight in the refrigerator.

Raw grains may be eaten whole as a breakfast food if soaked overnight. Whole farro may be flaked and used as a breakfast cereal or added to baked goods.

All grains have a place in a healthy diet. Farro and barley, being whole grains, contain more fiber and health benefits than white pasta or white rice.

"Farro is a great source of fiber, iron, protein and magnesium. With all of those nutrients in this little grain, it can provide a lot of health benefits for your diabetes or for heart health or for brain health." Cook farro on the stovetop, in a slower cooker or in the oven. It doesn't expand as much as rice or pasta.

In fact, farro boasts more fiber than grains such as brown rice and oatmeal, notes Saul. As well, it's loaded with other essential nutrients such as protein, zinc, B vitamins, and magnesium, adds Zimmermann.

Adverse Effects

Even though it is not usually labelled as wheat, farro is a type of wheat and therefore contains gluten. Those with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity should not consume emmer farro or any other type of farro (einkorn or spelt).

Can you get sick from undercooked farro? ›

One of the most common items to make people really sick from foodborne illness is grains. That category includes carbohydrates like pasta, farro, couscous, and rice. Uncooked pasta and rice can contain spores of a bacteria called Bacillus cereus, known for causing extreme food poisoning.

Farro contains more carbohydrates than quinoa, but it also has more calcium. Both are nutritious choices, but of the two, farro provides more vitamins and nutrients. However, unlike farro, quinoa is gluten free .

Bring 2 quarts of water or broth to a boil in a pot with salt. Add rinsed farro, return to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-high and boil uncovered until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain off cooking water, then serve.

The farro should be tender yet chewy and not hard in the center. They should have a similar texture to pasta cooked al dente. If not ready, continue simmering, checking on the farro every 5 minutes. You may need to cook the farro up to 20 minutes longer depending on the type of farro you use.

Farro is sturdy enough to maintain a pleasant bounce even when overcooked. If you prefer a more hands-off approach, consider preparing farro in the oven or in a slow cooker.

If you are using whole farro, you can soak for a few hours or overnight. Place farro in a bowl or pot and enough water to cover the grain, then cover with a lid. Refrigerate and soak for a few hours or overnight before cooking. Note that if you soak farro, it will only require 10-15 minutes of simmering.

Simmer the farro.

Add the farro, salt (plus any optional aromatics) to a large pot of boiling water and stir to combine. Simmer until the farro is tender and chewy — approximately 15-20 minutes for pearled farro, 25-30 minutes for semi-pearled farro, or 35-40 minutes for whole farro.

These grains are a force to be reckoned with. While both provide excellent sources of fiber and protein, farro tops the charts and offers almost double the value compared to the same size serving of quinoa. However, quinoa contains all nine essential amino acids along with antioxidants.