One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes, Sausage and Kale • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes, Sausage and Kale

Written by Becky

As you know… I love farro. If you didn’t know this, now you do.  I have posted many farro recipes but this one may be my favorite thus far. This time last year I made a similar recipe from Smitten Kitchen and bookmarked it to make it again this year.  Making a few changes, adding kale and sausage, we found it to be a perfect late summer weeknight meal.

One Pot Farro with Tomatoes, Sausage and Kale • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

If you have tomatoes in your garden or if you start to see them at your market, now is the time to pick them up and take them home with you.  Tomatoes are perfectly ripe and juicy right now. I took a few from my friends garden and picked up some more at the farmers market to make this dish. The tomatoes were so sweet and fresh that they almost didn’t make it to the pot.

One Pot Farro with Tomatoes, Sausage and Kale • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

One Pot Farro with Tomatoes, Sausage and Kale • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes, Sausage and Kale • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes, Sausage and Kale • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

This recipe only requires one large pot and 30 minutes of your time.  And the result is pure summer bliss – bursting tomatoes, simmering away fragrantly with full flavored Italian sausage, crunchy kale and comforting cheese. Oh and that farro I was telling you about, it cooks into a chewy hearty grain, unlike and superior to (in my opinion) all of the other grains.

One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes, Sausage and Kale • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

Here are a few more hearty farro recipes:

Farro Risotto with Squash and Corn

Roasted Butternut Squash over Farro and Chickpeas with Toasted Cumin Yogurt Sauce

Farro Pesto Salad with Edamame, Avocado and Radishes

Farro Salad with Blood Oranges, Kumquats and Beets

Roasted Cauliflower over Farro with Red Pepper Cream Sauce

Winter Citrus, Kale and Farro Salad

One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes, Sausage and Kale • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

One Pot Farro with Tomatoes, Sausage and Kale • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes, Sausage and Kale

Use garden fresh cherry tomatoes and kale to make this easy one-pan Summer meal.
4 from 1 vote
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup semi-pearled farro
  • 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 9 ounces cherry tomatoes
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 4 large kale leaves, stems removed and leaves torn into large pieces
  • 5-10 basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
  • Grated parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Place water and farro in a large skillet to presoak (5 to 10 minutes sufficient). Place farro pan over medium heat and start adding each ingredient to the pot as you finish preparing it. 
  • Cut onion in half then dice half of the onion and reserve the other half for another use. Thinly slice garlic cloves. Halve or quarter tomatoes. Remove sausage from casing and add it to the pot, breaking it up a little using a wooden spoon. Add salt, red pepper flakes (to taste) and 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan. Bring uncovered pan (no lid necessary) up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Set a timer for 30 minutes. When there's 5 minutes left add in the torn kale leaves and toss them into the mixture. 
  • When the timer rings, the farro should be perfectly cooked (tender but with a meaty chew), seasoned and the cooking water should be almost completely absorbed. Transfer to a wide serving bowl. Drizzle farro lightly with additional olive oil, scatter with basil and parmesan. Eat immediately.

Comments (33)

  1. This recipie is truly amazing! Making it for the second time tonight, my mom can’t get home from work fast enough to have it! Also, I use spicy chicken sausage for an extra kick, it’s awesome!

  2. just wanted to say that my husband and I have been LOVING this recipe! Even now that fall is upon us, we still make it – it’s a hearty grain for chilly Sunday evenings 🙂

  3. Making this tonight but I have two questions, one probably dumb, the other maybe not so much. In the instructions, you don’t say anything about breaking up the sausage prior to throwing it in the pot but it sounds like I’m throwing it into a pot of water (and other stuff, duh). So I wouldn’t be panfrying it and breaking it up as it cooks, right? Second…..I couldn’t find farro at the store last night and really don’t feel like making a second trip out….can I use quinoa? Or bulgur? Or even brown rice? Thanks!

    • Hi Vicki, I’m so glad you left this question. Yes, I would break up the sausage a little bit as it cooks. As for the farro, it cooks for longer than quinoa or brown rice or bulgar. You could definitely replace it with wheat berries but I’m unsure of the others. If you try it with quinoa or bulgur let me know how it turns out… I’m just afraid the grain would be mushy. Or maybe just cook it for less time (try 20 minutes instead of 30 for the quinoa or bulgur or rice.

      Hope this helps!

  4. This is so yummy! I’ve made it a couple of times already … just wondering if there is any way to figure out the nutritional facts (calories etc)?

    Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe!

    Lisa

    • Lisa, I’m so sorry but I don’t have the nutritional facts for my recipes. I’m so glad you’re enjoying this dish though.. it’s a favorite of mine as well!

  5. I loved the recipe and added sliced crimini mushrooms to mine. Super yummy. My tomatoes unfortunately disintegrated. How long should I wait before throwing them in the pot?

    • Jade, great question. The tomatoes actually do just turn into a sauce more or less especially if they are small. If you want them to be more whole when you serve them I would add them half way through or add extra tomatoes towards the end of cooking!

  6. 4 stars
    Incredible flavor and so glad to see some grand one pot meals with farro my favorite grain Seldom eat grain these days but when I do it is farro I prefer

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