Serves: 8 as a side dish
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1½ teaspoons reconstituted dehydrated garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato powder
- 4 tablespoons water
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1½ cups farro, rinsed
- 6 cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 9 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon Mediterranean seasoning
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Optional: smoked paprika, to taste
- Lemon juice or vinegar, for finishing
Instructions
- Build the Base.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté. Add the olive oil and onions and cook for 3–5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the reconstituted garlic. Mix the tomato powder with 4 tablespoons water to make a paste, then add it along with the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for about 1 minute, then press Cancel. Pressure Cook.
- Add the rinsed farro, frozen vegetables, vegetable broth, Mediterranean seasoning, salt, pepper, and any optional smoked paprika or beans. Stir well. Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes. Allow a 10-minute natural release, then carefully release any remaining pressure. Finish.
- Open the lid and stir well. Let the farro sit for a few minutes so it can continue absorbing the broth. If it is too thin, use Sauté to simmer uncovered for a few minutes. If it is too thick, add a splash of broth or water. Finish with a little lemon juice or vinegar, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
From the Table
I cannot believe it has taken me this long to add this recipe because I think this may be my favorite pantry recipe thus far.
Farro became one of those ingredients I started keeping around because it fills a very particular space in our kitchen. It is hearty without feeling heavy, a little nutty, pleasantly chewy, and substantial enough that a bowl of vegetables suddenly feels like an actual meal.
This recipe is also very much a product of the way I cook here: made of mostly things I can keep on hand without needing a last-minute grocery run. Nothing about it sounds especially exciting on paper, but once the farro cooks in that tomato-rich broth with the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, onions, and herbs, it becomes something much better than the ingredient list suggests.
And it makes a lot.
We can eat it hot with dinner, reheat it for lunch, or eat it chilled after it has had a night in the refrigerator for all of those flavors to settle together.
Field Notes:
Use regular farro. This recipe was developed with regular farro rather than a quick-cooking variety. If your package says quick-cooking or gives a very short stovetop cooking time, it may not need the full pressure-cooking time.
Expect some liquid when you first open the pot. Farro continues absorbing broth as it rests, so give everything a good stir and let it sit for a few minutes before deciding that it is too thin.
Frozen vegetables can go straight into the pot. There is no need to thaw them first.
The tomato powder matters. It adds a deeper tomato flavor without turning the dish into a tomato sauce. The sun-dried tomatoes then add little concentrated bites of tomato throughout.
Finish with a little acid. Lemon juice or vinegar brightens the entire dish. Start with a small amount, stir, taste, and add more if needed.
Add beans if you want a heartier meal. A can of drained beans works well if you want to turn this from a substantial side into more of a complete meal.
Leftovers will thicken. Farro keeps absorbing liquid in the refrigerator. Add a splash of broth or water when reheating if needed.
Storage: Keep refrigerated in a covered container for up to 4 days.
I use the Instant Pot Duo.
Some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Join Small Wonders
Stories, nature, books, family connection, recipes, overlooked history, and the small things that make life feel full.
No schedule. No noise. Just occasional notes when there’s something worth sharing.
