If you've picked up a copy of The Easy Vegetarian Kitchen, you're probably already familiar with my love of using farro in risottos. The chewy texture of cooked farro lends itself well to the overall dish. Even when using the pearled variety, it feels a bit heartier than if using arborio rice.
Of course, time isn't always on our sides to make regular risotto and that's where this baked version comes in handy. No stirring and adding liquids, just throwing things in a pot a few times. The recipe from which I adapted this one calls for adding butternut squash at the beginning but I like my cauliflower to have texture. I add the chipped cauliflower part of the way through cooking. Feel free to experiment with cooking times based on your preferred tenderness.
PrintBaked Farro Risotto with Cauliflower
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large shallot or 2 medium, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 ½ cup pearled farro
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 3 cups cauliflower florets
- ½ cup shredded parmesan (see note)
- Fresh minced parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚F.
- Heat a small, 3 quart dutch oven over medium heat. Add in olive oil followed by the minced shallots. Cook until shallots are fragrant and starting brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add in minced garlic and cook for one more minute.
- Next, stir in the salt, pepper, thyme, and farro, Stir and let farro toast for a minute. Measure in vegetable broth, bring to a simmer, cover, and place the dutch oven in the oven. Cook for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove from oven and add the cauliflower to the top of the pot. Cover, return to oven, and cook for another 10 minutes until cauliflower is just starting to softened. Remove from oven, set aside lid, and parmesan.
- Return the risotto to the oven, without the lid, and continue to cook for another 15 minutes or until the liquid has all been absorbed. Serve with an extra sprinkle of parmesan and fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
Salt: I usually add the least amount of salt only because if you're not using homemade broth, the salt levels can vary. Start with a ¼ teaspoon and add more before serving if needed.
Parmesan: As always, look for vegetarian friendly parmesan cheese (this is a good list of brands to look for).
Dutch Oven: I'm currently using a dutch oven I purchased from Ikea but Lodge makes a really nice one as well.
Recipe is adapted from this butternut squash version.
Variations for the Baked Farro Risotto
I think what I love most about risotto is that it's really a great base for using whatever is in season. As you can see, the original recipe used squash and bacon (which I ditched much to the chagrin of my husband).
Produce: Squash or sweet potatoes are the first logical swap but in the spring I make this with asparagus and in summer, I love it with zucchini.
Cheese: I kept the parmesan from the original recipe but I usually use whatever I have on hand. Goat cheese, gouda, asiago, and even cheddar have found a home in this baked risotto, depending on the other ingredients.
Make it Vegan: Unlike traditional risotto, this baked farro risotto is fairly easy to make vegan: just ditch the cheese. The baked risotto isn't meant to be as creamy as it's stovetop counterpart which makes leaving the cheese out easy (and not really missed).
Featured Ingredient:Farro
Since I mentioned my love of farro and risotto, here's a few more inspirations for cooking up a good farro risotto (traditional or baked). Just make sure you're using pearled farro.
Summer: Sun-Dried Tomato and Corn Farro Risotto
Fall: Sweet Potato and Gorgonzola Farro Risotto
Spring: Pea Asparagus Farro Risotto
Ksenia @ At the Immigrant's Table says
Farro is one of my favourite grains, and I'm delighted to see it starring in this beautiful recipe. I am certain the technique of risotto cooking would work really well for it!
Sarah | Broma Bakery says
Risotto is my go to dish for winter. I'm making this one for the boyfriend this month 🙂
Anna says
This looks fantastic! And, lucky enough, I just happen to have all the ingredients on hand. One clarification: you mention the cook time in the oven, but I didn't see a temperature. What temperature did you bake at? Thanks!
erin says
Whoops- added! It's 375˚ F.
Anna says
Thanks for updating! I made this for dinner tonight and loved it! Easy preparation, delicious results. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Dianne Hancock says
Help! I am making this tonight and don't see what the oven temp should be...
erin says
It's at the top of the instructions! 375˚.
Marianne says
This simply looks delicious! One of my favourite ever dishes is risotto, but since going vegetarian I don't eat duck obviously, and trying to be vegan means even most veggie risottos aren't accessible to me. I'm so excited to try this out!
Tom says
I followed the recipe and it came out as advertised. However, it was a little dry for our tastes and in the future I will try to cook it so it is not totally dry in the end. That being the case the flavors were excellent and the recipe was easy to manage. I will make this again perhaps using different vegetables.
★★★★
Monica says
I made this for dinner tonight and I was just fantastic. The only difference was that I roasted my cauliflower separately and then put on top of the risotto for serving, but other than that I followed the instructions. It was a little salty, I wish I hadn't added any salt until the end, but it was still great. I'm going to use this baked farro as a base for all kinds of things. It was so easy!
★★★★
Amy says
Made this tonight with asparagus and it was delicious. The thyme was a tad overpowering for me so I’ll dial it back next time but overall, a great & flavorful dish
★★★★