Stuffed sweet potatoes with farro and mushrooms is a hearty main dish. Farro is chewy and nutty and pairs well with mushrooms, fresh arugula, diced red cabbage and a drizzle of homemade rosemary balsamic dressing (recipe included below).
What is Farro?
Have you ever tried Farro? If not, you're in for a treat. Farro, also known as Emmer Wheat is an ancient grain which has been popular in Italy for many years and is gaining plenty of well deserved recognition in North America as of late.
It's a wonderfully nutritious whole grain with a pleasing nutty taste and awesome chewy texture when fully cooked. It is quite high in fiber (higher than most conventional grains) and contains about 6 grams of protein per ¼ cup along with several vitamins and minerals.
Most commercially available Farro is "pearled" or "semi- pearled" which means it has most or all of the bran and germ removed. I use semi-pearled Farro to keep more of their nutrition.
Being related to wheat, Farro is not gluten-free.
Why I love farro
We enjoy this hearty grain in our home for breakfast, lunch or dinner year round, but especially in the colder months when it can be tossed into a warm salads, eaten with cooked apples and coconut yogurt sprinkled with cinnamon, or stuffed into a toasty sweet potato with mushrooms, garlic and hearty vegetables.
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Farro
You came to the right place today! This recipe features so many delicious fall inspired flavours. Warm sweet potatoes are packed with a Farro & crimini mushroom stuffing, then topped with fresh arugula and red cabbage.Â
Rosemary balsamic dressing adds the perfect flavour contrast to the natural and subtle sweetness of this dish. This one is an easy favourite in our home.
More Recipes Like This
If you like these stuffed sweet potatoes with mushrooms and farro, you may also enjoy these other recipes:
Creamy Vegan Sweet Potato Soup with Red Lentils & Hemp Hearts
Winter veg soup with chickpeas and wild rice
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Mushrooms & Farro
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 cup uncooked organic Farro, look for semi-pearled, as opposed to whole Farro*
- 2 cups vegetables broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 10 crimini mushroom, diced
- 2 tablespoon filtered water
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- sea salt
- fresh ground pepper
- 1 cup fresh arugula
- ½ cup diced red cabbage
For the Rosemary Balsamic Dressing:
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, or ¼ teaspoon dried
- 3 tablespoon filtered water
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ fresh black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the rosemary balsamic dressing: Add all the ingredients to a high powered blender and blend on high for 30 seconds, or until fully emulsified (it should have a creamy texture). Set aside.
- Cook the Farro: Rinse and drain the Farro in a fine mesh sieve. Place in a medium saucepan, add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the majority of the broth is absorbed. Drain off any excess liquid. Set aside.
- While the Farro is cooking, bake the sweet potatoes: preheat the oven to 400' F. Wash & scrub the sweet potatoes, then cut in half lengthwise. Place the sweet potatoes flesh side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in large frying pan heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the diced onion and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent and start to brown (about 5-7 minutes). Reduce the heat to medium and add in the diced mushrooms, cumin, coriander and 2 tablespoon of water and cook, stirring often, until the mushroom are softened and release their water (about 15-20 minutes). Add the cooked/drained Farro and heat, stirring occasionally, over medium for 5-10 minutes to blend the flavours together.
- Remove the cooked sweet potatoes from the oven and let cool 10 minutes. Carefully turn over the sweet potatoes and cut the flesh in half lengthwise to create an opening for the filling. Fluff the sweet potatoes with a fork. Try not to break the skin and use caution as they will be quite hot.
- Plate each sweet potatoe, then top with fresh arugula, a good portion of the mushroom Farro stuffing, a sprinkling of finely chopped red cabbage and a several tablespoons of rosemary balsamic dressing.
Notes
Nutrition
This is an approximation of the nutrition offered in this recipe, and is created using a nutrition calculator. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your preferred calculator.
Disclaimer
all recipes on The Simple Green are developed and tested in a Canadian kitchen, at normal elevation, using electric appliances and ingredients available in Canada. Results may vary.
This dish was truly delicious. I love farro but make it rarely as my husband has celiac disease. Plus I found a new way to use my rosemary! Do you have any suggestions for other dishes that the Rosemary Balsamic Dressing would accompany well?
I’m so glad you like the recipe, Julie 🙂 I usually use the dressing on salads, or even with a simple bowl of chickpeas or lentils!