It’s easy to forget that rice isn’t the only grain that cooks to perfection in a rice cooker. We decided to mix things up and make farro in the rice cooker as the base for our Farro Risotto with Roasted Vegetables. Risotto is a classically complicated and time consuming dish, but making it in the rice cooker cuts down on both time and energy.
Farro is an ancient grain that, unlike rice, is nutty in flavor and has a hearty, chewy texture. It adds a satisfying substance to this risotto and allows the dish to stand alone as a main course or make a great side dish alongside chicken, steak or fish.
Add farro, white wine, and vegetable broth to your rice cooker. Be sure your rice cooker is set to the WHOLE GRAIN setting. While the farro cooks, roast the vegetables the oven until they are tender. When the vegetables are done, mix them into the cooked farro, add parmesan cheese and basil and it’s ready to serve. While this version is less creamy than a typical risotto, the parmesan cheese complements the nutty farro while the roasted veggies add a pop of color. Impress your guests by going outside the box and experimenting with a new grain or make this dish for your family and store the leftovers for the week.
Farro Risotto with Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
Instructions
- In large skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is translucent.
- Place farro in rice cooker pot. Add vegetable stock and wine. Stir in onion mixture, salt and pepper.
- Cook farro using WHOLE GRAIN setting on rice cooker.
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 450ºF. In a large bowl, mix remaining olive oil with mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini and red pepper. Spread vegetables in shallow foil-lined baking pan. Roast 20 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- When rice cooker cycle is complete, add roasted vegetables, Parmesan cheese and basil to cooked farro. Stir well and serve.
Prepare restaurant-quality rice without waiting for water to boil or watching over a pot. The Digital Simplicity™ 4-20 Cup Rice Cooker and Food Steamer cooks perfect rice every time, but it does much more than that.
How much is a serving?
How many carbs per serving?
Where can Farro be found? I have never seen this in my grocery store.
Is there a certain size rice cooker one should look for to make this recipe? I do not own one.
Leah, to answer your questions:
Servings: 6
Carbs per serving: 38 grams
Farro can be found in the international or speciality section of your supermarket. Health food stores or stores such as Whole Foods and Fresh Market.
You could use the Hamilton Beach Digital Simplicity 2-14 cup Rice Cooker for this recipe. To determine which is the right rice cooker to you, consider the following:
– How often will you use the rice cooker?
– How many people will you be cooking for?
– Do you want more versatility with your rice cooker? The digital rice cooker would be your best option, since it offers other settings, has a control display to see the time remaining, etc.
I would like to cook this on the stovetop in a regular pot. Would the liquid remain the same and how long should I cook it?