LOVE THY LARDER: Baked Farro with Cauliflower, Sausage, and Kale

An autumnal one-pot wonder

As a recipe developer, I don’t go out of my way to be a one-pot gal. I’ve seen how sometimes, major corners are cut in terms of flavor, technique, and texture to get a recipe to fit into this category.

But I appreciate having fewer dishes to wash as much as the next person — especially when the meal still turns out great. Sometimes, it just works out to cook a dish all in one vessel. This is one of those times!

And this one-pot meal is truly easy. There’s minimal knife work, and then the rest of the time it’s a pretty hands-off affair. It’s not necessarily quick, as it does take almost an hour and a half in the oven, but it’s the perfect thing to make on a chilly day when you want delicious aromas wafting through the house and warmth radiating from the oven.

If you’re working from home, you’ll spend about 15 minutes getting this meal ready, and you can then get back to your desk while it cooks. You’ll need to take a few short breaks to stir and add ingredients, but that’s about it. You’ll be rewarded later on with a wonderful meal that includes all the food groups. 

It’s perfect for a family dinner but fancy enough for a casual dinner party. A hearty salad made of any type of bitter green with a mustardy or even anchovy-spiked vinaigrette would be the perfect accompaniment. That’s really all you need to make a very well-rounded and wow-worthy meal. It’s way tastier than it has any right to be considering the rather short ingredient list. 

The ideal vessel for this dish and so many others is a covered braiser, which is kind of like an iron skillet with a lid. It’s so versatile; I use mine constantly. I recently found that Staub had stopped making this exact pan for some crazy reason, but they brought back a special edition because it’s Deb Perelman’s favorite too. Here’s a similar one with a glass lid which would work just as well. A shallow Dutch oven can stand in here too, but the presentation is much nicer in this shallow oven-to-table braiser.

Feel free to change up the veggies to suit your taste or to use what you have on hand. Just sub in an amount of veg that’s similar to what’s called for in the recipe, and cook in the oven until softened. And of course, if you’re vegetarian, simply omit the sausage. I used lean chicken sausage — the fresh kind that needs to be cooked, not the hot dog kind. Turkey or pork sausage works too. For me, it's the protein that makes this a full meal.

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Farro, a pantry favorite

If farro isn't already taking up a permanent position on your pantry shelf, it’s time to change that. Not so long ago, farro was considered a “weird” ingredient and had to be ordered or bought at a specialty store. Now it’s in every supermarket alongside all of the other grains and rice. 

I love its nubbly, chewy texture, nutty flavor, and quick cooking time. When I’m making dinner and need a quick grainy side, I always reach for the farro. It cooks in 15 to 20 minutes on the stovetop.

I should clarify that it is pearled farro that I’m talking about, which is mostly what you’ll find in the supermarket. You can get whole farro too, but you won’t see that as often. Keep in mind that whole farro still has the bran attached, so it will take longer to cook, about 40-45 minutes. You’ll want pearled farro for this recipe. There’s more fiber in whole farro, but pearled farro is still plenty healthy. Just to complicate things, you might also see semi-pearled farro, which cooks for longer than pearled farro, but shorter than whole farro. 

Easy ideas starring farro

Farro is versatile, and can easily elevate leftover veggies or odds and ends from the fridge into a satisfying side or main meal. You can:

• Make a farro pilaf or serve with butter and herbs for a side dish

• Make a salad by tossing it with greens and a variety of other ingredients

• Toast cooked farro in a pan or in the oven to make a crunchy garnish for a green salad, especially a kale salad

• Use farro as the base for a grain bowl

• Cook it like Arborio rice for a creamy main or side dish

• Make “fried farro” for a quick meal, adding bits of leftovers and random vegetables

• Add some to leftover soup for a bit of heft and chew, or make a soup by stirring cooked farro and leftover roasted veggies into broth or stock

• Cook a big batch and store it in the freezer in bags or containers for quick meal prep

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More farro recipes from the archives

It’s not the first time I’ve written about this ancient grain. Here are a few other farro-centric recipes from past editions of this newsletter, and from my latest book, Veg Forward.

Toasted Farro Pilaf with Mushrooms

This dish is inspired by a barley pilaf my grandmother Essie used to make, except my version calls for farro in place of of barley, plus a lot more mushrooms and fresh dill.

Photo credit: Gentl & Hyers Photography

Grain Salad with Many Flavors

This salad is endlessly riffable, but the idea is to create a symphony of contrasting flavors and textures: sweet, sour, chewy, crunchy, salty. I like using farro here because it holds up incredibly well, staying pleasantly chewy without getting soggy.

susanspungen

A post shared by @susanspungen

Leek and Squash Farrotto

I posted a quick video tutorial on how to make this dish on Instagram, but the full recipe can be found in my book, Veg Forward, or online here. It makes for a creamy and comforting meal — perfect for this time of year.

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One-Pot Baked Farro with Cauliflower and Kale