Quick Farro Risotto with Tomatoes and Beans

Did you know you can easily save your favorite recipes? Create an account or log in to get started.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

A favorite from my vegetarian recipe collection — a farro risotto recipe you’ll want to add to your list of easy dinner recipes. Made on the stovetop with cannellini beans submerged in a creamy tomato-Parmesan sauce, it’s fuss-free (no stirring necessary!) and ready to enjoy within 45 minutes.

This tomato farro risotto is a healthful, streamlined version of traditional risotto made with Arborio rice. Farro, a whole-grain form of Italian wheat, is the star of this quick and easy risotto flavored with canned tomatoes and white beans, a simple meatless main dish the whole family will enjoy.

Along with easy-to-make farro salad and Mediterranean farro bowl recipes, this is a family favorite. Like my no-stir baked butternut squash risotto, I call this dish “cheater risotto” because the recipe breaks a few rules of authentic risotto-making. According to the guidelines of Italian cooking:

• Risotto should always be made with short-grain Arborio rice (even a creamy green asparagus risotto).
• It should be stirred attentively throughout the cooking process, while gradually adding liquid.

This recipe doesn’t abide by either of those classic rules. Italians (and other people) can be picky about these things, so I just wanted to put that out there!

It’s an ancient grain, a type of emmer wheat that looks a lot like short grain brown rice or barley. But farro has a lot more character, in my opinion.

The Italian grain farro is high in protein, fiber and minerals. One cup of farro has 8 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. When you want something a bit more nutrient dense than plain white rice, farro is there for you.

How farro tastes: I would describe the flavor of farro as deliciously earthy, with a nutty flavor. And cooked farro has a texture that’s pleasantly toothsome — not chewy at all.

Ingredients for farro risotto

• Pearled or semi-pearled farro: This is the type most commonly found in supermarkets. The kernels have part of the bran removed, which makes it quicker to cook in simple farro recipes.
• Cannellini beans: Home-cooked cannellini beans or canned beans are perfect in this recipe.
• Shallot or yellow onion
• Unsalted butter
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Crushed tomatoes: Opt for canned tomatoes that are packed in puree.
• Parmesan cheese: Grate it on a microplane from a hunk of cheese, or buy it freshly grated.

Farro cooking time

• Farro that’s pearled or semi-pearled (which is mostly what’s found in grocery stores) doesn’t take forever to cook in boiling water, only about 20 minutes on the stovetop.

Make ahead and storage tips:

• Cook the farro and keep refrigerated up to 3 days before cooking the shallots and tomato sauce. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water in a separate container, or just add some broth when finishing the dish.
• Leftover risotto will keep up to 5 days. The grains will absorb the liquid, so add some water or stock to loosen it when reheating.

What to serve with it

• Farro risotto makes a satisfying vegetarian main dish, along with a side of simple cooked broccolini. Farro with tomato sauce is also delicious as a base for any kind of cooked chicken, shrimp or other seafood.
• For an extra hit of veggies, add some chopped greens (kale, chard, spinach) and let them wilt into the warm risotto.