These high fiber farro recipes make fine use of the hearty grain in fresh salads, warm bowls, and easy dinners packed with wholesome ingredients!
If farro has been sitting in your pantry waiting for something more exciting than another plain grain bowl, these high fiber farro recipes are about to put it to work!
High Fiber Farro Recipes
1. Mediterranean Chickpea Farro Salad with Avocado and Lemon
Servings: 4
Estimated fiber: about 12 grams per serving
This is what I make when I want a grain salad that does not taste like it came straight from a meal-prep container!
Nutty farro and creamy chickpeas give it substance, while juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, red bell pepper, avocado, herbs, lemon, and feta keep every forkful bright and lively.
Farro stays pleasantly chewy rather than disappearing underneath all those vegetables, which is exactly why I prefer it over softer grains for a salad like this.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry pearled farro
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
- 1 1/2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 medium cucumber, diced into roughly 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 medium avocado, diced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated or minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
How to Make It
Rinse farro briefly under cool running water, then add it to a medium saucepan with 3 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Bring everything to a lively boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat enough to maintain a steady simmer and cook uncovered for about 20 to 25 minutes.
Start tasting around 18 minutes because this is one of those moments when your mouth is a better timer than your phone! You want grains tender all the way through but still pleasantly chewy in their centers.
Once farro reaches that point, drain it very well and spread it across a large plate or sheet pan for 10 minutes. Don’t skip this step because hot, wet farro will steam your vegetables and turn a crisp salad softer than you intended.
While farro cools, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, garlic, oregano, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl until dressing looks slightly creamy rather than separated.
Taste it before adding anything else. If your lemon is especially sharp, another teaspoon of olive oil will smooth it out; if it tastes sleepy, a little more salt usually wakes everything right up.
Add chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, parsley, and cooled farro, then toss slowly until dressing reaches every grain. Fold avocado and feta in last so avocado stays in recognizable little chunks rather than becoming an accidental guacamole dressing.
Let salad sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Farro will absorb some lemony dressing while vegetables release just enough juice to bring everything together.
Serving Suggestions
Serve it as a complete lunch, tuck it beside grilled chicken or salmon for dinner, or spoon it over a handful of arugula with an extra squeeze of lemon.
It also travels beautifully for work lunches, although I prefer adding avocado just before eating if I am preparing it ahead.
2. Creamy Garlic White Bean, Kale and Farro Skillet
Servings: 4
Estimated fiber: about 11 grams per serving
This skillet lands somewhere between a creamy grain dinner and a bean-filled risotto, except you do not have to stand over your stove stirring it as though dinner has suddenly become a full-time job!
White beans soften slightly into garlicky broth, kale adds earthy freshness, artichokes bring a little tang, and Parmesan melts into everything at the end. Farro keeps its chew, which prevents all that creaminess from feeling heavy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry pearled farro
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 packed cup quartered artichoke hearts, drained
- 4 packed cups chopped kale, tough stems removed
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/3 cup half-and-half
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, optional
How to Make It
Heat olive oil in a wide, deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms with a small pinch of salt, then cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes rather than constantly.
Let mushrooms actually touch hot pan long enough to develop browned edges. If you fuss with them every five seconds they mostly steam, and we want savory, golden mushrooms here!
Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, stir for about 30 seconds, then pour in farro and broth.
Scrape across bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon in case any flavorful browned bits are hanging on. Bring mixture to a boil, lower heat to medium-low, cover partially, and cook for about 18 minutes.
Stir in cannellini beans and artichoke hearts, then continue cooking for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until farro is tender with a slight chew and most broth has been absorbed.
If pan becomes dry before farro is ready, add another 1/4 cup broth. This is a small decision that makes a big difference. You want saucy grains, not grains glued to your skillet!
Add kale a handful at a time and stir until it wilts, about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low before stirring in Parmesan and half-and-half. Don’t boil it once dairy goes in. Gentle heat keeps sauce smooth and creamy instead of encouraging it to separate.
Finish with lemon juice and several turns of black pepper, then taste before reaching for more salt because Parmesan, broth, beans, and artichokes have already contributed plenty.
Serving Suggestions
Spoon it into shallow bowls with parsley and another dusting of Parmesan.
Roasted chicken, shrimp, or a runny fried egg make easy additions, although I am perfectly happy eating a generous bowl exactly as it is.
3. Roasted Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Lentil and Farro Bowls
Servings: 4
Estimated fiber: about 15 grams per serving
If you want the fiber heavyweight of this list, here you go! Chewy farro and earthy lentils make a great base for broccoli with browned, crisp tips and sweet potato that becomes caramelized around its edges while remaining soft inside.
A lemon-tahini sauce cuts through all that roasted flavor with creamy acidity, so nothing tastes dry or overly virtuous.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry pearled farro
- 1 1/2 cups cooked green or brown lentils, drained well
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 5 cups broccoli florets
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
For sauce:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- 3 to 5 tablespoons warm water
- Pinch of salt
How to Make It
Heat oven to 425°F and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Put sweet potato cubes on one side and broccoli on another, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with smoked paprika, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper.
Toss well, but keep vegetables in a mostly single layer. Don’t crowd everything into a tiny pan because vegetables need exposed hot air to brown. If they overlap heavily, grab a second pan.
Nobody ever complained because their broccoli had too many crisp edges!
Roast for 15 minutes, flip sweet potatoes and stir broccoli, then roast for another 8 to 12 minutes. Watch broccoli during those final minutes because those delicate crowns can go from nicely charred to tiny green campfires faster than sweet potatoes will.
Pull broccoli earlier if needed and give potatoes another few minutes on their own. Sweet potato should pierce easily with a fork and have dark golden spots underneath.
While vegetables roast, cook farro in a saucepan of generously salted boiling water for about 20 to 25 minutes, then drain thoroughly. Warm lentils during last few minutes if they came straight from refrigerator.
Whisk tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, maple syrup, garlic, and salt. It may seize and look oddly thick when lemon hits tahini, which is completely normal! Add warm water one tablespoon at a time until sauce loosens into a thick but pourable consistency.
Taste it. Add lemon if you want more brightness, water if it feels heavy, or a pinch of salt if flavors seem muted.
Divide farro and lentils among four bowls, add roasted broccoli and sweet potato, scatter pumpkin seeds over everything, then drizzle generously with tahini sauce.
I like keeping a little sauce at table because farro happily absorbs it.
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm for dinner or at room temperature for lunch. Crumbled feta, sliced avocado, shredded rotisserie chicken, or a soft-boiled egg are all great extras.
These bowls also work exceptionally well for meal prep, with sauce stored separately until serving.
4. Tomato White Bean and Farro Vegetable Soup
Servings: 6
Estimated fiber: about 10 grams per serving
This is a real meal of a soup, with plump farro, creamy white beans, tender carrots, celery, tomatoes, spinach, and enough garlic and herbs to make your kitchen smell fantastic long before dinner is ready.
I especially like how farro thickens broth ever so slightly as it cooks without turning soup stodgy. Finish it with Parmesan and lemon and suddenly a humble pot of beans and grains feels far more interesting!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3/4 cup dry pearled farro
- 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 Parmesan rind, optional
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Black pepper
- Grated Parmesan for serving
How to Make It
Warm olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and a pinch of salt, then cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir every so often, but give vegetables enough uninterrupted time against hot pot to soften and develop a little color. When onions look translucent and carrots smell sweeter, add garlic, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes, then cook for about 30 seconds.
Stir in farro and let grains toast with vegetables for about a minute before adding crushed tomatoes, beans, broth, Parmesan rind if using, and remaining salt.
Raise heat to medium-high and bring soup to a boil, then immediately reduce to a gentle simmer.
Keep pot partially covered and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring a few times so farro does not settle against bottom.
Taste farro at around 23 minutes. If grains still feel chalky in their centers, keep simmering.
If broth reduces too aggressively before farro softens, pour in another 1/2 to 1 cup broth or hot water.
Don’t keep cooking just because a timer says so if farro is already tender. Grain brands behave differently, and this is exactly where cooking by texture beats cooking by stopwatch.
Once farro is ready, remove Parmesan rind and stir in spinach. It will look like an unreasonable quantity for about thirty seconds, then wilt into soup almost immediately.
Add lemon juice and black pepper, taste, and adjust salt. Let pot stand off heat for 5 minutes before serving so broth settles and flavors round out.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with grated Parmesan, cracked pepper, and a little olive oil on top.
A slice of toasted sourdough is welcome if you want something for dipping, but soup already has enough beans and farro to stand perfectly well on its own.
One useful leftover tip: farro continues absorbing broth in refrigerator, so tomorrow’s soup will probably be thicker. Add a splash of broth or water while reheating and it returns to soup territory instead of becoming an unexpected casserole.
5. Apple Cinnamon Chia Breakfast Farro with Raspberries
Servings: 4
Estimated fiber: about 12 grams per serving
Farro for breakfast deserves much more attention! Cooked until tender and stirred with cinnamon, apple, vanilla, chia seeds, maple syrup, and milk, it becomes almost like oatmeal’s chewier cousin.
Raspberries bring tart little bursts of fruit, chia thickens creamy liquid around grains, and toasted walnuts add enough crunch to make every spoonful interesting.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup dry pearled farro
- 2 1/2 cups water
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 large crisp apple, such as Honeycrisp or Pink Lady, diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- Pinch of cinnamon for serving
How to Make It
Combine farro, water, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, lower heat, and simmer uncovered for about 18 minutes before adding diced apple.
Cooking apple later rather than from very beginning keeps a few soft little pieces intact instead of turning everything into applesauce.
Continue simmering for another 5 to 7 minutes, until farro is tender and apple pieces give easily when pressed with your spoon. Drain any substantial water left in pot, then return farro and apple to low heat.
Pour in milk and add cinnamon, ginger, chia seeds, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes as mixture gently heats. Don’t judge consistency immediately after adding chia.
Give those little seeds a few minutes to absorb liquid before deciding it needs more. Remove pan from heat and let breakfast farro rest for 5 minutes. It should become creamy enough to hold on a spoon while individual grains still have their lovely chewy texture.
If mixture becomes thicker than you like, stir in another splash of milk. If you want a sweeter bowl, add maple syrup at serving rather than pouring a huge amount into pot.
That way everyone can adjust their own bowl, and your breakfast does not suddenly taste like dessert wearing a fake mustache!
Toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking pan frequently, until they smell nutty and look slightly darker. Divide farro among four bowls, add raspberries, walnuts, and another pinch of cinnamon.
If using frozen raspberries, either thaw them first or stir them directly into hot farro and give them a minute or two to warm through.
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm with extra milk around edges, a spoonful of Greek yogurt, or a little almond butter on top.
For meal prep, portion breakfast farro into containers without raspberries and walnuts, refrigerate, then add a splash of milk before reheating.
These high fiber farro recipes make fiber taste like something you actually wanted for dinner in the first place. Cook an extra batch while you are at it!
Hungry for more feel-good meals? Explore these 21 Anti-Inflammatory Breakfast Recipes for a nourishing start and 10 Anti-Inflammatory Dinner Recipes for delicious evenings that make healthy eating easy!
