Lemon Tahini Farro Bowl with Broccoli, Mushrooms and Peppers

While I love ordering bowls in restaurants, I don’t always enjoy making them at home. It usually requires a lot of different ingredients, cooking techniques, and time. I admit, it’s probably the recipes I’m attracted to. But a few months ago, I had some fresh broccoli with no plan for how to use it. So, I whipped up this no nonsense vegan farro bowl recipe with broccoli, mushrooms, red peppers, and lemon tahini dressing. It was so good. We’ve enjoyed it several times since then, so I decided to share it with you!

This recipe makes 2 large bowls or 4 small ones.

A few things…

• ・No fresh oregano? Try subbing in 1 tsp dried oregano. Taste it, and add more, if needed.

• ・No chickpea miso? Try another miso, like red or possibly white. If you use red, you may need less miso. If you use white, you may need more. Adjust according to taste.

• ・In the past, I have used Italian sweet red peppers in this farro bowl recipe, instead of the red bell peppers. Of course, they were great. If you have access, you might swap them in.

• ・Want to bulk it up? Maybe add a cup of cooked white beans, or tempeh sautéed with garlic and finished with soy sauce? I think either would work well.

Check out more UVK recipes, like Vegan Broccoli Pasta Salad with Fresh Italian Herb Dressing, Artichoke, Fennel and Farro Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette, Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup, Roasted Carrots and Farro with Citrus, Ginger and Dill, Italian Tempeh with Peppers, Onions and Herbed Farro and more.

Now, let’s go make an easy farro bowl!

Lemon Tahini Farro Bowl with Broccoli, Mushrooms and Peppers

1½ cups farro

4 cups water

1 batch lemon tahini dressing

1½ cups small dice yellow onion

2 Tbsp vegan butter

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

8 ounce package of sliced baby bella mushrooms (OR ~3 cups sliced mushrooms)

2 cups fresh broccoli florets

½ cup coarsely chopped red bell pepper

1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano (see notes above)

1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

Black pepper, to taste

¼ cup water + 1-1½ Tbsp chickpea miso, stir together until miso dissolves (see notes above)

Lemon wedges, to serve

1. Add the farro and water to a medium pot. Cover with a lid, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, vent the lid, and cook for ~30 minutes or until the grains are fully cooked. Drain and set aside.

2. While the grains are cooking, make the lemon tahini dressing for the vegan farro bowl by following this recipe.

3. In a large skillet, add the onions, vegan butter and a dash of salt. Sauté over medium heat for ~7 minutes or until golden.

4. Add the garlic and mushrooms to the skillet. Stir around over medium-high heat until the mushrooms sweat out (~3 minutes). Then, add the broccoli and red pepper. Stir around another 2 minutes or until the broccoli and pepper soften.

5. Stir in the miso mixed with water. Loosen any caramelized bits off the bottom of the skillet. Allow the liquid to mostly evaporate. Then, remove the skillet from heat, and stir in the oregano, parsley and black pepper. Taste and adjust flavors, if needed (more salt? more herbs?).

6. Now, it’s time to assemble the farro bowls! Add some farro to a bowl, layer some sautéed veggies over the grains, and then, drizzle some lemon tahini over the top. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.