American

One-Skillet Farro With Fennel, Tomatoes & Parmesan

by:
May 28, 2020
4.7 Stars
One-Skillet Farro With Fennel, Tomatoes & Parmesan
Photo by Anna Billingskog
Author Notes

The inspiration for this hearty, one-skillet farro comes by way of Deb Perelman’s One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes on Smitten Kitchen, whose recipe was inspired by Martha Stewart’s famous One-Pan Pasta. I love the concept so much (cook the farro and sauce together in a single pan) that I couldn’t help myself in creating my own, seasonal riff.

My version keeps the easygoing spirit of both recipes but turns to a skillet versus a saucepan, which provides the perfect opportunity for frying anchovies and toasting the farro in a slick of olive oil to build flavors from the ground-up. From there, I call in sliced fennel and lemon zest (a flavor duo that works so well with earthy farro), as well as cherry tomatoes, garlic, vegetable stock, and chile flakes, before simmering away on the stove. Be sure to reach for a fennel bulb with lots of frilly fronds: the fennel frond pesto is one of my favorite things about this dish. It not only adds beautiful color, it gives a pop of freshness, texture, and flavor to an already flavor-packed dish.

A few notes: Farro comes in three main types: whole (or unpearled), semi-pearled, and pearled. (Pearling refers to how much of the exterior bran is removed; thus, whole farro has the longest cooking time, followed by semi-pearled and pearled.) I developed the recipe below using semi-pearled farro. If using pearled, often labeled as “10-minute” farro, follow the same instructions and check for doneness at the 20-minute mark (and spoon off any excess liquid if you like). Whole farro will take upwards of 60 minutes, so either soak it overnight, or start with an additional 1/4 cup water and add more liquid, as needed, until it’s fully tender.

Using this basic formula, nearly everything about this recipe is adaptable: the grains (try pearled barley or wheat berries), the liquid (add a little heavy cream or coconut milk towards the end for a more indulgent version), and the flavors (slip in other vegetables, aromatics, herbs, and spices for nearly infinite variations). You may need to adjust the amount of liquid and cook time for different grains, but it’s easy to add more liquid if the pan looks dry, or spoon some off once the grains are done. —EmilyC

  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Serves 4
Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 4 anchovy fillets, minced and smashed into a paste (or use about 1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste)
  • 1 1/4 cups uncooked semi-pearled farro (see author note for using other types of farro)
  • 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock or water)
  • Finely grated zest plus juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 large fennel bulb (about 1 lb), trimmed, halved, then sliced 1/4-inch thick, fronds reserved
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 8 to 10 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 pinch red chile flakes (or to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts (or almonds or pistachios)
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more shaved for topping
In This Recipe
Directions
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add anchovy, smashing and stirring to dissolve into oil, then add farro. Fry the farro for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until evenly toasted, lowering the heat if needed. (Note: if using a 12-inch skillet, add 1/4 cup additional stock in Step 2.)
  2. Add the stock, lemon zest, fennel, garlic, cherry tomatoes, salt, and chile flakes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for about 25 minutes (uncovered), or until the farro is tender, most of the stock is absorbed, and a bit of “sauce” remains in the skillet.
  3. While the farro is cooking, make the fennel frond pesto: Roughly chop all of the fennel fronds; you should have about 1/4 cup (if you’re short, either make up the difference with fresh parsley or basil, or reduce the amount of olive oil below). Pile the fronds on the cutting board, then add the pine nuts and parmesan on top. Chop them together until well integrated—then transfer to a small bowl and add 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Adjust seasoning and acidity, to taste.
  4. When the farro is done, spoon most of the fennel frond pesto over the top (while still in the skillet), then top with shaved or grated Parmesan. Serve warm, with the rest of the pesto on the side.
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Kallan Larsen-Hurst
    Kallan Larsen-Hurst
  • Ellen Guss Swanson
    Ellen Guss Swanson
  • Katherine
    Katherine
  • EmilyC
    EmilyC
EmilyC

Recipe by: EmilyC

I'm a home cook. I love salads. Two things you'll always find in my refrigerator are lemons and butter, and in my pantry good quality chocolate and the makings for chocolate chip cookies.

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18 Reviews

Michelle
Michelle April 6, 2022
To make this vegetarian, I subbed a couple of teaspoons of chopped Iru (fermented locust beans; source: Burlap and Barrel/FK.N.STL). Due to pantry circumstances, I used almonds instead of pine nuts in the pesto. The fennel was homegrown on my hydroponic tower; I loved being able to use the fronds in a new way. This dish was delicious. I look forward to making it again and to experimenting with other combinations.
 
goodmotherdiet
goodmotherdiet June 1, 2021
Emily, I would love to reblog this with your permission on goodmotherdiet.com. I want to make it too!
Joyce
 
Chocolatebabka
Chocolatebabka April 29, 2021
This was so good. I make Deb’s one pot farro so often that I have it memorized. This one blows that version out of the water. (No knock on that one though for it’s convenient ingredients and ability to leave it alone cooking). This just has so many layers of flavor. It didn’t take any longer to make, but has more active prep time while everything cooks.

I used barley and hazelnuts and added radish greens, all solid. Will definitely make again.
 
Author Comment
EmilyC
EmilyC April 29, 2021
Yay, so glad you liked this Chocolatebabka! Thanks for your feedback!
 
Kallan L.
Kallan L. August 19, 2020
We got cherry tomatoes and fennel from our CSA this week, so this was perfect! I made lots of substitutions (frond+basil+almond pesto, pearl couscous instead of farro), but this is still so good and easy!
 
Author Comment
EmilyC
EmilyC August 19, 2020
Wonderful, thanks for your note, Kallan!
 
Ellen G.
Ellen G. August 18, 2020
When i make something for the first time, i follow the recipe and then determine, as I’m eating, what i would change. Well, I made this tonight and I wouldn’t change A THING. It’s perfect and just the comfort I needed. Thank you for this recipe!
 
Author Comment
EmilyC
EmilyC August 19, 2020
Oh I'm so glad it hit the spot! Thanks, Ellen, for your note!
 
alisa
alisa August 13, 2020
Wow! Such a fast and easy recipe and totally delicious! A few short-cuts/ substitutions all worked - sign of an amazing recipe! I didn't have anchovies and so substituted a 1/2 teaspoon or so of fish sauce. I added veggie chorizo which was delightful. I also just added chopped fennel fronds to some pre-made pesto (we make it every year) and it worked perfectly. Thanks for the wonderful summer recipe!
 
Author Comment
EmilyC
EmilyC August 14, 2020
alisa -- so glad you enjoyed this! (Love the idea of adding fennel fronds to pre-made pesto -- smart!) Thanks so much for trying this and circling back.
 
alisa
alisa August 13, 2020
Wow! Such a fast and easy recipe and totally delicious! A few short-cuts/ substitutions all worked - sign of an amazing recipe! I didn't have anchovies and so substituted a 1/2 teaspoon or so of fish sauce. I added veggie chorizo which was delightful. I also just added chopped fennel fronds to some pre-made pesto (we make it every year) and it worked perfectly. Thanks for the wonderful summer recipe!
 
Katherine
Katherine June 20, 2020
Made this last night and loved it! We used brown rice, added a little bit of Italian sausage and wilted in some kale at the end. The addition of the fennel frond pesto was amazing. I will be making this probably every week now! Thanks for the delicious recipe :)
 
lois
lois June 13, 2020
We thought this was very good. I didn't make the "pesto" as directed at the end. I chopped up the fronds with parmesan and pine nuts and added it to the farro dry, and then stirred in some lemon juice. I didn't miss the extra oil, or the extra bowl to clean. I considered stirring in some arugula at the end too but ran out of time. I think that would be a nice addition.
 
Alyssa
Alyssa June 9, 2020
I used barley since the store was out of farro. I liked this, although it was very salty. I don’t know if that was from the salt itself or the anchovy paste. I couldn’t really taste the lemon or fennel unless I got a big bite of it, but when I did it was quite good. I might try it again with adjustments.
 
Alyssa
Alyssa June 9, 2020
I used barley since the store was out of farro. I liked this, although it was very salty. I don’t know if that was from the salt itself or the anchovy paste. I couldn’t really taste the lemon or fennel unless I got a big bite of it, but when I did it was quite good. I might try it again with adjustments.
 
Kathy
Kathy June 3, 2020
It was really good. Surprised how forward the anchovy was. Will make again.
Do you have calorie/nutrition info?
 
Mickey0627
Mickey0627 June 1, 2020
Delicious!!
 
Author Comment
EmilyC
EmilyC June 2, 2020
Great, thanks for trying it and your note!