Description
Oh, the wonders of a one-pot meal! This one isn’t just easy to make, it’s fast, too. It’s a super seasonal recipe featuring delicate leek, asparagus, sweet peas, and peppery arugula, all tied together with hearty and nutty farro. So good it may just make your weekly dinner rotation! You can swap out the veggies depending on the time of year (or what you have on hand) for a balanced, healthy, and yummy meal in under 30 minutes every time.
Notes: Make sure you are not using “Instant Farro” for this recipe as it will cook too fast and not allow the asparagus to cook. Avoid farro that mentions “par-cooked farro” or “pre-cooked farro” in its ingredient list. Finally, if you follow a gluten free diet, you can replace the farro with quinoa.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/3 cup olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 cups leek (about 2 leeks), cleaned and sliced
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 3/4 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 cups farro
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups (12 oz.) asparagus, bottom inch of stems trimmed, then cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 cups arugula
- 1/4 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (from one large lemon or 2 small)
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add in the leek, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes.
- To the Dutch oven, add the farro and vegetable broth. Stir and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, add in the asparagus, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, and continue to cook until the farro has absorbed all the broth and the asparagus is tender, about another 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the peas. The peas will thaw from the residual heat. Set aside and let cool for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the lemon dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper, until fully combined. Set aside.
- Once the farro has cooled and is no longer steaming, stir in the arugula and the dill. Then, pour in just enough lemon dressing to lightly coat everything. You may not use it all. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed and serve immediately.
