Farro Meal Bowls with Roasted Beets

I call this the calm before the storm. Or really, the healthy calm before the game day food storm? I’m not sure how well that phrase works but just go with me.

I have a few, how shall we say, not super healthy but my goodness are they good, recipes coming your way starting Friday for that big ol’ game that is right around the corner. So for now, we eat lots of veggies and whole grains. To prepare ourselves for what’s ahead. I do have one not-bad-at-all for you game day recipe as well. So if that’s your jam, have no fear. I’m covering all sides.

But for now, let’s talk farro! I’ve been on the farro train for quite some time but realized it had been far far too long since I used it for a recipe here on the blog. So it was time to remedy that. {For those of you who haven’t tried farro, it’s a delicious whole grain that is slightly nutty and has a tiny bit of chew when cooked. It’s awesome. Try it, try it!}

The farro forms the base of these meal bowls. It’s the awesome bed on which everything else sits. And on top? We have roasted veggies. Most notably, red beets and sweet potatoes – which go just swimmingly together in my little opinion.

One word to the wise – be sure to use gloves when you are working with the beets – they stain like crazyyyy. Or you can be like me and just say screw it and will look like you took part in a blood bath. Or dropped a jar of red food coloring and then rubbed your hands all up in it.

So we roast those veggies with a few spices, and then spoon them over the warm farro, a handful or two of arugula for a little bit of sort of spicy bite, and then top it all with a dusting of walnuts and a drizzle a slightly mustard-y vinaigrette. Yum-o.

I fully intend to pound back a few more of these bowls before all the cheese that will be consumed for the super bowl. Because that’s how I roll.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Farro Meal Bowls with Roasted Beets

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Recipe for farro meal bowls. With farro as a base, roasted sweet potato and beets, nuts and a mustard vinaigrette for drizzling.

Print Recipe

5

5 / 5 (1 Reviews)

Did you make this recipe? Leave a review »

Ingredients:

For the farro:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ½ cups pearled farro*
• 1 ¼ cups water
• 2 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth

For the veggies:

• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 3 medium red beets, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• pinch of ground cinnamon
• pinch of cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

For the dressing:

• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup olive oil

For assembling:

• few handfuls arugula
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:

For the farro:

1. Set a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in the olive oil. When hot, add in the farro and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add in the water and broth. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the farro is tender but still slightly chewy. Drain off any excess liquid if there is any and then set aside.

To make the veggies:

1. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2. Add the red onion, beets and sweet potato to a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne. Toss to combine and spread in an even layer.
3. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until tender.

For the dressing:

1. Meanwhile, whisk together the mustard, maple syrup, vinegar, salt and olive oil in a small bowl until well combined.

To assemble:

1. Add some of the farro to a bowl. Top with a handful of the arugula, then spoon on some of the roasted veggies and sprinkle with some of the walnuts. Drizzle lightly with some of the dressing and serve!

*I use pearled farro since that’s the kind I can find at my local stores. If you use semi-pearled or whole farro, you’ll likely have to increase the cooking time. You want the farro to be nice and tender but still a little chewy.

Beets stain your hands like crazy! So wear gloves while preparing them.

There are a few components to these bowls but they all can be made in advance and just stored in separate containers in the fridge! Reheat as needed and assemble!

Cook Nourish Bliss