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Farrotto is creamy, dreamy risotto-style farro. This version, with mushrooms, leeks, and chestnuts, makes a beautiful vegetarian main dish with easy vegan option, or a holiday-friendly side dish.
Why we love this recipe
Nothing beats a beautifully made risotto for creamy, starchy, slightly elevated comfort food. Risotto is such a reliable crowd-pleaser that I really enjoy reinterpreting it with different grains. Enter farro, an ancient variety of wheat with great texture, flavor, and nutritive properties. Farrotto — a risotto-style dish made from farro — is the best of both worlds.
Mushroom farrotto with leeks and chestnuts has:
- Both risotto’s creaminess and the nutty, more complex heft and flavor of farro
- Layers of rich, savory umami, from mushrooms, soy sauce, and optional parmesan
- Plenty of character on its own, but also the ability to play well with other dishes, including a wide variety of Thanksgiving and Christmas favorites
I first published a version of this recipe here and on The Chalkboard Magazine in 2013, at which point it had been on our holiday table for several years. I’ve since made a few changes to the recipe, but I’ve included the 2013 measurements in the notes section of the recipe card for those of you who would prefer to keep making it the original way. Both renditions are fabulous, if I do say so.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make mushroom farrotto with leeks and chestnuts.
- I like to use semi-pearled farro to make this mushroom farrotto. It strikes a nice balance between nutritional profile and cooking time, and its cracked exterior allows the grains to become creamy while retaining a pleasant firmness (just like in well-made rice-based risottos). Common higher-end brands sold in the U.S., like Bob’s Red Mill and Rustichella d’Abruzzo, are both semi-pearled. They cook up quite differently, but both work well. You could substitute whole or pearled farro if that’s what you’ve got. Refer to the recipe card below to learn more.
- You can use any mix of mushrooms that you like. I usually go with half shiitakes and half creminis.
- Use the white and light green parts of the leeks. You can freeze the dark green tops and use them to make chicken or vegetable stock.
- A dry white wine that you like to drink will work well. Serve the rest of the bottle with dinner. If you don’t do wine, substitute additional broth.
- You can use vegetable broth to keep it vegan. Reduced sodium Imagine No Chicken Broth is my favorite boxed veggie broth by far, since it somehow magically has the flavor profile of a good chicken stock rather than being weirdly red and tasting tinny or sweet, as some other vegetable broths can do. Or use chicken broth or homemade stock if you prefer.
- The parmesan adds a bit of creaminess and another layer of umami, but you can skip it (or use a plant-based version) to keep the recipe vegan.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a beautiful batch of mushroom farrotto with leeks and chestnuts. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Cook the leeks and mushroom in the butter or olive oil until reduced in volume by about half. Add the garlic and then the wine.
- Add the farro, broth, and additional seasonings.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, lifting the lid to stir from time to time, until creamy and tender but still a little bit chewy.
- Stir in the parmesan if using, let sit for five minutes, and serve farrotto as a main or side dish.
Expert tips and FAQs
Whole farro is an intact grain, meaning it retains the bran, germ, and endosperm and all the associated nutrients and flavor. Semi-pearled farro has some of the bran removed, and pearled farro retains virtually none of the bran.
I like to use semi-pearled farro to make farrotto-style dishes.
You can make this recipe up to a few days in advance and reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave with some additional broth stirred in.
Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for a year.
More favorite farro & risotto recipes
- Vegan farro recipe with broccoli and shiitakes
- Creamy roast pumpkin and sage risotto
- Caramelized onion, bacon, and spinach risotto
- Lemony shrimp risotto with broccoli
- Saffron risotto with goat cheese and peas
- Risotto with ham, peas, feta, and tarragon
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Mushroom Farrotto with Leeks and Chestnuts
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (300 grams) semi-pearled farro (see note 1)
- 2 medium leeks
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil or butter
- 1 lb (454 grams) mushrooms, sliced (see note 2)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine that you like to drink
- 4 cups (950 ml) vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 cup (150 grams) chopped roasted chestnuts
- ½ cup (60 grams) grated parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
- Pour the farro into a mixing bowl and add warm water to cover by two inches. Let soak until called for in the recipe, at least 20 minutes.
- Trim and discard the root end and green parts of the leeks. Slice the white parts in half lengthwise, then crosswise into thin half-moons. Place in a colander and wash very well — leeks can be very sandy. Drain well.
- Heat the olive oil or butter in a wide, shallow pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the leeks, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and thyme.
- Cook, stirring occasionally and without browning, for about 10 minutes, until tender and reduced in volume by about half.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, one more minute.
- Stir in the wine and simmer briskly until mostly absorbed.
- Drain the farro and add to the pan along with the stock, soy sauce, bay leaf, and chestnuts.
- Give it all a good stir, and raise the heat to high. When it boils, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover the pan, and simmer until liquid is almost totally absorbed, lifting the lid to stir from time to time, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Off the heat, stir in parmesan, if using. Let rest for five minutes before serving.
Notes
- I like to use semi-pearled farro in this recipe. It strikes a nice balance between nutritional profile and cooking time, and its cracked exterior allows the grains to become creamy while retaining a pleasant firmness (just like in well-made rice-based risottos). Common higher-end brands sold in the U.S., like Bob's Red Mill and Rustichella d'Abruzzo, are both semi-pearled. They cook up quite differently, but both work well. You could substitute whole or pearled farro if that's what you've got. If using whole farro, soak it overnight before beginning. You'll probably need to increase the simmering time and may need a little extra broth.. For pearled farro, you probably won't need more than 20 minutes of simmering time. In all cases, cook until farro is creamy and tender but still retains a bit of chewiness.
- You can use any mix of mushrooms that you like. I usually go with half shiitakes and half creminis.
- Use the white and light green parts of the leeks. You can freeze the dark green tops and use them to make chicken or vegetable stock.
- A dry white wine that you like to drink will work well. Serve the rest of the bottle with dinner. If you don't do wine, substitute additional broth.
- You can use vegetable broth to keep it vegan. Reduced sodium Imagine No Chicken Broth is my favorite boxed veggie broth by far, since it somehow magically has the flavor profile of a good chicken stock rather than being weirdly red and tasting tinny or sweet, as some other vegetable broths can do. Or use chicken broth or homemade stock if you prefer.
- The parmesan adds a bit of creaminess and another layer of umami, but you can skip it (or use a plant-based version) to keep the recipe vegan.
- The original version of this recipe is not risotto-style. It uses only 2 1/2 cups broth and does not include the parmesan. It works beautifully as a stuffing, main dish, or side dish that complements "traditional" Thanksgiving and Christmas flavors. I still highly recommend it!
- You can make this recipe up to a few days in advance and reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave with some additional broth stirred in. Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for a year.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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