Best Farro And Bean Soup Recipes

TUSCAN FARRO AND BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Pick over and rinse beans. Soak in cold water to cover by 2 inches at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours. Alternatively, quick-soak beans. Drain well.
• Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in water, drained beans, tomato, parsley, sage, and thyme and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook at a bare simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary to keep beans covered, until beans are tender, 2 to 3 hours.
• Discard thyme sprigs, then blend mixture in batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a large bowl. Return soup to pot and bring to a boil. Add farro and salt, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until farro is tender (it will be chewy like barley), about 30 minutes. Stir in pepper and serve drizzled with additional oil.

KALE, WHITE BEAN, AND FARRO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium pot over medium. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add sage and tomatoes; cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add 6 cups water, kale, and beans; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender, 30 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Transfer 2 cups of soup to a blender; puree. Return to pot; stir in farro and season with salt and pepper. Serve with a drizzle of oil.

BEAN SOUP WITH CABBAGE, WINTER SQUASH AND FARRO

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven. Cook the onion until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add the carrot, celery and sage, and continue to cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about five minutes. Add half the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about one minute. Add the cabbage and a generous pinch of salt, and cook, stirring often, until the cabbage is limp, about 10 minutes. Drain the soaked beans, and add them to the pot, along with the squash, bouquet garni and 2 quarts water, or enough to cover by two inches. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, add salt to taste and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the beans are tender. Remove the bouquet garni, and discard.
• While the soup is simmering, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat in a medium-size nonstick skillet. Add the remaining garlic and the rosemary. Cook for a half-minute to a minute until fragrant, and stir in the tomatoes. Add salt. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and the mixture is thick, beginning to stick to the pan and delicious. Stir into the soup along with the cooked farro. Continue to simmer for another 30 minutes. Taste and adjust salt, and add lots of freshly ground pepper. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

BEAN AND FARRO SOUP WITH CABBAGE AND WINTER SQUASH

Steps:

• Drain the beans. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, and cook the onion until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add the carrot, celery and sage, and continue to cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add half the garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about one minute. Add the cabbage and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring often, until limp, about 10 minutes. Add the beans, bouquet garni and 2 quarts water, or enough to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, add salt to taste, reduce the heat and simmer one hour. Stir in the squash, and continue to simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, until the beans and squash are tender. Using an immersion blender, partially puree the soup to thicken it, or puree 2 cups in a blender. (If using a blender, do this in batches and cover the blender with a kitchen towel to avoid hot soup splashing). Return to the pot.
• While the soup is simmering, combine the farro or wheat berries and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste), reduce the heat, cover and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes. If there is water left in the pan, drain.
• Heat the remaining oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat, and add the garlic and rosemary. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant, and stir in the tomatoes. Add salt to taste, and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and the mixture is thick, beginning to stick to the pan and delicious, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir into the soup. Continue to simmer for another 30 minutes. Stir in the farro. Taste and adjust salt, and add lots of freshly ground pepper. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

ROTISSERIE CHICKEN, WHITE BEAN AND FARRO SOUP

Steps:

• For the chicken broth: Add the chicken carcass, thyme, rosemary, oregano, onion, 10 cups cold or room-temperature water, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven or large saucepan. Bring the water to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the broth has a rich chicken flavor, about 15 minutes. Strain the mixture, making sure to remove all bones and large pieces; it is okay if some of the dried spices go through your strainer. Either use the broth immediately to make this soup or cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.
• For the rotisserie chicken, white bean and farro soup: Heat the olive oil in a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the parsley and zucchini and cook until the zucchini is softened and just beginning to brown in parts, about 5 minutes; season with salt. Add the escarole, stirring to fold it in evenly with the zucchini to help it cook down. Continue to cook, stirring, until the escarole is completely wilted and any excess water from it has cooked off, about 5 minutes; season with salt.
• Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer; this will take different amounts of time depending on if you are using broth from the refrigerator or if you are immediately using the broth after making it. Either way, warm the broth through before stirring in the shredded chicken, white beans and farro. Continue to simmer to warm through the last ingredients, about 5 minutes; add salt to taste. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan.

FARRO AND BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Combine beans and farro in a bowl and cover with 1 1/2 quarts water. Soak for 4 to 6 hours, or overnight.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot or casserole over medium heat and add half the pancetta, if using, and half the onions. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes, and stir in half the garlic. Cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add beans and farro, along with the soaking water. Add another 1 1/2 quarts water and bouquet garni and bring to a gentle boil. Skim foam, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a heavy skillet and add pancetta. (If not using pancetta, add the remaining onion and the carrot, celery and leeks now.) Cook, stirring often, until pancetta releases some of its fat. Add the remaining onion, and carrot, celery and leeks. Add a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Stir in the remaining garlic and the sage. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, add the tomatoes and juice, and salt to taste. Cook, stirring, until tomatoes have cooked down slightly and the mixture is very fragrant, about 10 minutes. Stir into the beans and farro and mix well.
• Add the tomato paste and salt to taste. (You will need a generous amount.) Continue to simmer 30 to 45 minutes, or until beans and farro are very tender and the soup thick, almost creamy. Add pepper, taste and adjust salt. Remove bouquet garni.
• Stir in the parsley and additional chopped sage if desired. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of Parmesan over each bowl.