Warm Farro with Mushrooms and Crispy Beets Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Mushrooms and farro—has ever a better texture combination existed? Topped with crunchy beets, this meal is just an amazing textural experience: juicy mushrooms, buttery farro with just a bit of bite, and nice, crispy beets. It is absolute heaven.

This recipe is so, so easy and quick to prepare and leftovers are perfect for lunch the next day (although the beets won’t be crunchy the next day, it’s totally okay because it still tastes amazing.) This recipe works wonderfully as an entrée or as a beautiful side dish to fish or chicken. For a vegan option, simply omit the butter. —Kylie Thompson

Nutty farro, meaty mushrooms, and delightfully earthy beets: This recipe is all I needed on an it’s-still-winter-but-I-wish-it-were-spring evening! I went into the cooking process thinking it might need a little more oomph in the form of dressing, but finishing the dish with more lemon juice and parsley adds all the brightness it needs. The mild bitterness of the herb and acid meld seamlessly with the rich grain and buttery veggies. As Kylie recommended, I brought the leftovers to lunch the following day—talk about a NSDL! My coworkers were jealous.

It's great as a topping for a green salad as well as on its own. When I made it a second time, I broiled the beets as opposed to frying them: They were still satisfyingly crispy! —Rebecca Firkser

Directions

1. Prep your ingredients: Prepare the farro according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside. Halve the mushrooms (or cut into bite-sized pieces). Peel and very thinly slice the beets. Roughly chop the parsley leaves. Juice half the lemon. Cut the other half into wedges.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet, Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until browned and slightly caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Once the mushrooms are nice and browned, add the lemon juice and all but a few pinches of parsley and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the farro to the skillet and stir gently to combine all the ingredients.
4. Optional step: Add 1 tablespoon of butter and continue to gently stir the farro until the butter has melted and is mixed throughout the farro.
5. Remove the farro from the skillet into a serving bowl. Wipe out the skillet.
6. Add vegetable oil to the skillet until about 1/4-inch deep and heat to medium high. Once the oil is shimmering, add the thinly sliced beets and fry until crispy and beginning to brown on the edges, about 2 to 3 minutes. Once the beets are cooked, remove from the pan. Set the beets aside on a paper-towel lined plate and season with just a touch of salt.
7. Plate it up: Top the farro with the crispy beets and the remaining parsley. Serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!