Roasted Carrot Farro

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Roasting carrots is one of the tastiest ways you can cook them. That’s because the heat of the oven really brings out their natural sweetness. The end up tender in the middle, but not mushy like what can happen when you steam them or simmer them on the stove.

The ingredients and flavors all work beautifully together. The carrots are tossed in cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper before they roast in the oven. Then I combine them with chopped pistachios and the rest of the ingredients for a somewhat Moroccan-inspired recipe. 

You can eat this farro recipe warm, at room temperature or cold. Perfectly cooked farro turns out chewy. Think of it like al dente pasta. That means this can be treated like a side dish or a grain salad.

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

• Carrots: Choose carrots that feel firm and are not limp. You can use all orange carrots. If you want more color, then go for rainbow carrots.
• Farro is most similar to barley. It has a nutty, chewy bite. Often you find this ancient grain in Italian cooking. Farro is good for side dishes and salads too. It is not gluten free.
• Chickpeas: This recipe calls for one 15-ounce can of chickpeas. Open the can and pour it in a colander to rinse them with cold water. Then pat them with a towel to remove excess moisture and pull off any loose skins.
• Dried spices: I season the carrots and chickpeas with cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. The cumin and paprika add some earthiness while cayenne gives the carrots and chickpeas a touch of heat. Reduce the cayenne to a pinch or eliminate it, if you don’t want that spicy kick.
• Pistachios are my first choice for nuts because they make so much sense with carrots and cumin, but you can substitute with chopped walnuts or almonds.
• Scallions add light green onion flavor. I think of them as cross between mild onions and fresh herbs.
• Olive oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for the best taste.

Optional Additions

The recipe is great as written, but you can add one or more of the following:

• Crumbled feta gives the farro and carrots something pleasantly salty and briny. Don’t add it if you want to the recipe to be vegan.
• Diced avocados add their creamy softness and subtle flavor and make the farro even more filling.
• Baby arugula or spinach: If you want to turn this into more of a salad, you can stir in delicate greens like arugula or spinach.

How To Make This Roasted Carrot Farro Recipe

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

1. Combine the spices and oil in a large bowl. That includes the cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

2. Stir the carrots and chickpeas into the spices and oil.

3. Transfer the carrots and chickpeas to a baking sheet. Spread them into a single layer.

4. Roast the carrots and chickpeas. Give them 30-35 minutes. The carrots should be tender in the center, and the chickpeas should be browned and crisp.

5. Cook the farro on the stove. Combine the grains and water in a pot. Bring them to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer them uncovered. Assuming you are using pearled farro, it will cook in 12-15 minutes. You want the grains retain their satisfyingly chewy consistency. Then drain the farro and remaining water in a fine mesh strainer. 

6. Stir the farro, carrots, chickpeas, scallions, pistachios, parsley and the rest of the salt and pepper in a big bowl.

Serving

As mentioned, this recipe can be a vegan side dish or main dish or a salad. Also, you can enjoy it warm, at room temperature or cold. That makes it great for meals like Easter, Thanksgiving or a potluck because it is so adaptable. When treating it like a side or a main, you can pair it with a salad such as this basic arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette or shaved cauliflower salad. 

Storage and Leftovers

You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. If you eat them cold, take them out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before you’re going to serve them. Then they won’t be as cold. You can warm them in the microwave.

Recipe Tips

• Use the entire sheet pan for roasting the carrots and chickpeas. You want each one to make contact with the hot metal of the baking sheet. If for some reason you can’t do this, split them onto 2 sheet pans.
• The cook time for the farro assumes you are using pearled farro. Make sure to read the package. Semi-pearled and whole farro will take longer.
• If you know you are going to eat the farro cold or at room temperature, rinse it with cold water when you drain it into a strainer. This will help the grains retain their chewy texture, which is what you want.
• Once you have everything stirred together, taste it to check the seasonings. Add more salt and/or pepper if it needs it.

More Carrot Recipes

Roasted Carrot Soup
Baked Carrot Fries
Carrot Ginger Soup
Tomato Carrot Lentil Soup
Roasted Root Vegetables
Parmesan Garlic Roasted Carrots