This Tuscan farro risotto with white beans is warm, comforting and hearty. Made using Tuscan white bean soup, it’s packed with way more flavor than your typical risotto. Add this healthy dinner to your meal plan this week!
In 2012, my mom and I went on a Tuscan food based tour of Italy.
Having been to Italy a handful of times before and always going from big city to big city, I was psyched for a more localized trip outside of the tourist trap places centered around my favorite hobby: eating.
From a small, family-run balsamic vinegar company in Modena where we tasted 100 year aged balsamic, to eating some of the most amazing prosciutto and cured meats in a local man’s dining room to sipping Asti Spumante and nibbling on freshly made warm turrón straight out of the mixer, it was one of the best 10 days of my life.
And just when we thought there couldn’t possibly be more deliciousness, we pulled into a small rice farm on our last day for a tour of the property and a home cooked risotto meal on picnic tables outside.
You can check out what I learned about the rice varieties used for risotto on that trip in this vegan mushroom risotto recipe!
Risotto has a special place in my heart.
It’s the meal my mom made on special occasions growing up – always with dried porcini mushrooms and sweet sausage (I’ve made many of my own variations over the years like this buckwheat risotto with mushrooms and leeks and this butternut squash and porcini mushroom risotto) and if anything can trump pasta as my comfort food of choice (which is no easy feat!), it’s a hearty bowl of farro risotto.
It seemed to make an appearance on many New Year’s Days over the years in our house and it’s immediately what I thought of when thinking up ways to incorporate this white bean soup into a hearty, warm and comforting winter recipe.
Stealing elements from that risotto lunch in Tuscany and my mom’s traditional recipe, this white bean farro risotto was born.
White bean soup is one of my favorites — it’s warm, comforting and full of flavor. While it’s completely delicious with just some crusty bread, a big bowl and your favorite sweatpants, dare I say it’s even better when used to make this scrumptious farro risotto recipe?
The two things I love about risotto are the chew factor of good quality rice (carnaroli is the best kind, don’t be fooled by Arborio!) and the meshing of deep flavors as the dish builds.
This farro risotto expands on both of those.
Using farro as the grain instead of rice, you get an even more pronounced chew (like in this blueberry farro yogurt bowl – one of my favorite healthy breakfasts this time of year) to each bite which I love and using the Tuscan white bean soup for the cooking liquid instead of just chicken broth like you’d normally do, you get a much deeper flavor profile in the finished product.
And of course, since it’s the New Year, I used chicken sausage to keep things light and added some garlicky kale greens on top for some veggie power. Mangia, my friends!
Love this Tuscan White Bean Farro Risotto recipe?
Try other risotto recipes like my Spring Pea and Radish Risotto, Buckwheat Risotto with Mushrooms and Leeks and Coconut Wild Rice and Spinach Risotto with Salmon.
Tuscan Farro Risotto
Ingredients
For the Risotto:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 ounces sweet Italian chicken sausage, (or pork sausage) removed from the casing
- 3/4 cup farro
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 24 ounces Tuscan white bean soup
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- freshly grated parmesan cheese, for garnish
For the Garlicky Greens:
- 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups torn Tuscan kale leaves
Instructions
- Combine the soup and chicken broth in a medium sauce pot over low heat.
- Add the olive oil to a large sauce pot over medium heat.
- Once hot, add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the sausage to the pot, breaking up into small pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula until browned.
- Add the farro and cook 1 minutes until slightly toasted.
- Add the wine, stir and cook an additional 3 minutes.
- Ladle about 1/2 cup of the soup and chicken broth mixture into the pot with the farro, just enough to cover the top of the farro mixture. Stir and cook until liquid starts to become absorbed by the farro. Repeat this process until all the soup mixture is gone and the farro is cooked al dente, about 35 minutes.
- While the risotto cooks, make the garlicky greens by heating the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.
- Once hot, add the garlic, cook 30 seconds then add the kale. Stir and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Serve risotto topped with garlicky greens and parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Thank you for this lovely post ! Farro is sooo good but not mentioned that often … You are great ! Have a pleasant day !
Farro is one of my favorite grains and who doesn’t love risotto?!
This looks massively comforting!! I need some with this FRIGID weather!
Loving the sounds of this! I have to try it over the weekend!
Damnit Gina. Stop making food that I want to eat!!! This looks like HEAVEN!
SO many amazing flavors in this farro risotto! I remember having my first taste of farro in Florence—loved it from my first bite. So fun to use a white bean soup instead of stock or broth—brilliant!
I love risotto too Gina! Nice, hearty, comforting winter meal!
Cold days like today call for something exactly like this!
I do love a good risotto! I actually had some at lunch x
Jessica