Mediterranean Farro Bowl (Printable Version)

Hearty farro tossed with fresh vegetables, chickpeas, and creamy tahini dressing for a satisfying Mediterranean-inspired meal.

# What You Need:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup farro, rinsed
02 - 2.5 cups vegetable broth

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
05 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
06 - 0.5 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
07 - 0.5 small red onion, thinly sliced
08 - 2 cups baby spinach

→ Protein

09 - 1 cup cooked chickpeas

→ Tahini Dressing

10 - 3 tablespoons tahini
11 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
12 - 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
13 - 1 tablespoon water
14 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
15 - 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin
16 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Garnishes

17 - 0.25 cup crumbled feta cheese
18 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# How to Make It:

01 - In a medium saucepan, combine farro and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25-30 minutes until farro is tender. Drain any excess liquid and set aside to cool slightly.
02 - While farro cooks, prepare all vegetables and protein components according to ingredient specifications.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, water, minced garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add additional water if dressing is too thick.
04 - In a large bowl, combine cooked farro, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, olives, red onion, spinach, and chickpeas.
05 - Drizzle tahini dressing over the bowl mixture and toss gently to combine all ingredients.
06 - Divide among serving bowls. Top each bowl with crumbled feta cheese and chopped parsley.
07 - Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It feels like a restaurant-quality meal but comes together in under an hour with minimal fuss.
  • The creamy tahini dressing ties everything together and somehow makes you feel like you're eating something fancy when really it's just humble tahini and lemon.
  • You can meal-prep it, customize the protein to whatever you have on hand, and it actually tastes better the next day when the flavors get to know each other.
02 -
  • The tahini dressing is best whisked together fresh rather than made ahead, because it can get grainy or separate if it sits for too long—I once made it the night before and had to re-whisk it the next morning.
  • The spinach needs to go in at the last possible moment; if you toss it with the warm farro too early, it'll turn into a dark, soggy mess that nobody wants to eat.
03 -
  • Make the tahini dressing slightly thinner than you think it should be—it'll thicken up as the farro absorbs the liquid.
  • Toast a pinch of cumin in a dry pan for thirty seconds before adding it to the dressing; it blooms and becomes more fragrant.
Go Back