Tuscan Farro Soup with White Beans and Vegetables

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So tasty and so healthy! This warm-your-belly farro soup is quite easy to make; and it’s all done in one-pot which means fewer dishes. On a busy weeknight, this may be your ticket to something healthy, nutritious and pretty hands-off. To keep it vegetarian, use vegetable stock. That was not an issue for us so we used 6 cups of homemade chicken stock.

Farro soup with white beans and vegetables is a rich, hearty, and flavorful meal. Eat it on its own, pair it with crusty garlic bread or a simple salad and dinner is served! It’s like a hug in a bowl to keep you warm on chilly nights! And that is exactly the reaction we got.

We adapted the recipe slightly by including two cans of white beans instead of one. Since baby spinach is typically packaged in a 5-ounce clamshell, we included the entire thing instead of 2 cups. A nice toasted piece of garlic bread was the perfect companion!

Missing, or not fond of, some of the ingredients? Don’t worry, here are some substitutes:

  • Farro substitutes: While farro is traditional in this soup, you can use other grains like barley, spelt, freekeh, coarse bulgur, quinoa, or brown rice. Brown rice and quinoa are good ways to turn this soup into a gluten-free-friendly meal. 
  • Add mushrooms: Cut mushrooms of your choosing into bite-sized pieces and saute them along with the carrots, onion, and celery. From there, follow the recipe as written. 
  • Instead of spinach, you can use baby kale. Kale in general is tougher than spinach, and takes more time to wilt down. Baby kale is a bit softer, but will still likely have more body than spinach, even after sitting in the broth for a while. 
  • Vegan option: Use vegetable stock and omit the parmesan rind and cheese for a vegan alternative. Without the parmesan rind, you will lose some of the nutty, rich flavor. If you want to mimic this flavor, use a little nutritional yeast. You can add 2 to 3 teaspoons right after you add the stock. It will dissolve quite quickly. 

Tuscan Farro Soup with White Beans and Vegetables

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 to 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch thick rounds
  • 2 celery sticks, chopped
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1 28-oz. can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
  • 2 15-oz. cans white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup farro, rinsed and drained
  • 1-inch Parmesan rind
  • 5 oz. fresh baby spinach
  • 1 cup chopped parsley
  • 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • Grated Parmesan for serving

Directions

  1. In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Season with a little kosher salt and cook, tossing occasionally until the vegetables have softened.
  2. Add the garlic and toss for 30 seconds or so, then add the tomatoes, stock, white beans, farro, and parmesan rind.
  3. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat watching for the steady, gentle simmer. Allow the soup to simmer until the farro is tender, about 30 minutes or so.
  4. Turn the heat off and remove the Parmesan rind (sometimes the rind will have dissolved into the soup). Stir in the spinach, parsley, and red wine vinegar.

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Adapted from a recipe by Suzy Karadsheh

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