Italian Farro Recipe With Olive Oil & Chives (15 Minutes, 4 Ingredients) Grains Italian Recipes Side Dishes Low Sodium Recipes Mediterranean Diet Recipes

Quinoa was a trendy food years back, but now farro seems to be taking over that role. Farro is an ancient grain that is popular in Mediterranean and Italian cooking. In Italy, farro is grown in the regions of Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany.

According to The New York Times, "Farro is not wheat, but a plant and grain all its own. A grain of farro looks and tastes somewhat like a lighter brown rice. It has a complex, nutty taste with undertones of oats and barley. But lacking the heaviness of many whole-wheat grains, farro tastes more elegant than earnest." However, because farro is a type of wheat, it is not gluten-free.

They've got it right on the nuttiness of farro. This healthy grain (read about the health benefits of farro) is toothsome, not soggy, and is now one of my go-to side dishes. Most of the time I like to keep it simple when cooking farro, like with this easy farro recipe with olive oil and fresh chives. To make this grain side dish you need just four ingredients: farro, chicken broth, fresh chives and olive oil.

This healthy low-sodium farro recipe goes well with any protein, and it can even be tossed into salads and added to buddha bowls.

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Cuisine: Italian / Mediterranean 
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup farro
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for serving

Helpful Products

• Le Creuset Cookware
• Cutting Board
• Chef Knife
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Salt and Pepper
• Saucepot
• Pepper Grinder
• Wooden Spoon

Recipe Notes

• If you don't want to use chicken broth, substitute water or vegetable broth. (Here's how to make homemade vegetable stock.)

• I used my Le Creuset saucepot, but any saucepot with a tight-fitting lid will be fine.

• To reduce the sodium even more, use low-sodium chicken broth or water.

• If you don't have fresh chives, any fresh herb will work. You could also use green onion tops.

• Store any leftover farro in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

Here's how to make it: 

1. Put the chicken broth and farro into a saucepot.
2. Bring a boil, reduce heat to low, cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Turn the heat off after 10 minutes and let the farro sit for 5 minutes, then stir.
4. Add the chopped chives and drizzle in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir.
5. Serve. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil, if desired.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Calories: 140

Total Fat: 4.6g

Saturated Fat: 0.6g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 120mg

Total Carbohydrate: 19g

Dietary Fiber: 4g

Total Sugars: 0.6g

Protein: 5g

Vitamin D: 0mcg

Calcium: 34mg

Iron: 1mg

Potassium: 106mg

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by VeryWellFit. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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