Thursday, March 26: Pesto Farro with Veggies

Mean, green pesto farro machine! Whoooey was this good: a big pot of farro with homemade arugula pesto and sauteed spring veggies (asparagus, green beans, zucchini, and garlic, though you can use whatever veggies you have on hand). So fresh and flavorful! I can’t wait to top leftovers with a few jammy eggs for breakfast tomorrow…

For the pesto:

To a blender or food processor add 4-5 ounces of baby arugula, about 1/3-1/2 cup raw or toasted walnuts, 1/2 cup parm, 1-2 cloves garlic, the juice of half a lemon, and a large pinch of kosher salt. Blend until combined (scraping down the sides of the blender or processor as needed), then add 1/2 cup olive oil and blend again on high until very smooth and bright green. Taste and adjust with more salt or lemon. (See original recipe here.)

For the farro:

Get your farro cooking in a pot of chicken broth or salted water, according to instructions on package (I used an 8.8 oz package of 10-minute farro). Heat up a few TB olive oil in a large skillet, saute pan, or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add one bunch of asparagus (chopped in 1/2-1 inch pieces), 1-2 zucchini (diced), and a big handful of green beans (chopped into bite-sized pieces), plus a big pinch of salt and red pepper flakes; saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add a few cloves of minced garlic and stir for 1-2 minutes. Once the farro is done, drain it and add to pan with veggies, along with some of the pesto (start with about 1/3 cup, you can always add more!). Stir until combined and everything is coated in the pesto. Depending on how lemony or cheesy the pesto is, you can also add the juice of half a lemon or a handful of grated parm.