Tomato Stew with Toasted Farro & White Beans.

Mother Nature gave us a little “haha” over the past two days with snow, cars spinning out on the roads, and chilly weather. I ran on the treadmill after work, and was irritated and sweaty for most of my steps. Thankfully I cheered up when I found a soup recipe in the April issue of Bon Appetit that can easily be prepared in one hour for a weeknight dinner.

The major modifications are to use toasted farro instead of rice and canned white beans instead of dry fava beans. This is more of a “stew” than a soup, because the farro and beans soak up a lot of the extra liquid and flavor.

Tomato Stew with Toasted Farro & White Beans
Serves 2, with leftovers.

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil + 2 teaspoons
1/2 yellow onion {chopped}
2 cloves garlic {minced}
1 can cannellini or white kidney beans
1 can petite diced tomatoes {garlic flavor}
1 cup chicken broth {or vegetable broth}
1/3 cup farro
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon all spice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup shredded parmesan

How to~

• Chop onion and garlic. Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a dutch oven or soup pot on medium. 
• Add onions/garlic, pepper and salt to pot and cook for ~3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a few Tablespoons of water or turn the heat down if the onions are cooking too hot.
• Add the rest of the spices – cumin, coriander, and all spice. Stir and continue cooking for ~3 more minutes.
• Add the can of diced tomatoes and stir – continue cooking for ~5 minutes.
• Add one cup broth and bring soup to a boil. Once it’s boiling, turn the heat down to low and add white beans {make sure you have drained/rinsed them in advance}. Simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
• While the soup is simmering, toast the farro – heat up a pan on medium and add 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the dry farro and stir occasionally for ~3 minutes.
• Add the toasted farro to the soup and simmer on low, covered partially, for 40 minutes. Stir a few times while simmering.  
• Top with shredded parmesan cheese.

{Adapted from Spiced Fava Bean Soup with Rice and Tomato from Bon Appetit}