I found this recipe in Bon Appetite magazine and immediately thought about how I might improve it to work a little better as a filling family meal, made easy for the week. The result? Porridgy, earthy goodness that will fill your belly and supply some great nutrients. This takes a little long for the average weeknight, so plan accordingly!
Highlights
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Serves: 4
Make Ahead? – Yes
Freezer Friendly? – Yes
Substitutions? – Yes, you can remove the ground turkey if you want this meatless or swap the turkey for ground Italian sweet sausage. You can also omit the butter and cheese if you want it vegan!
Ingredients List
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 8 oz ground turkey
- 8 oz cremini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 cups pearled or semi-pearled farro, rinsed
- 4 cups vegetable broth (low sodium or regular)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
Recipe: Mushroom and Turkey Farro Risotto
- Heat a large pan or dutch oven until hot – cook ground turkey, breaking up with a wooden spoon until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove and set aside. Without cleaning pot, add olive oil and mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5-8 minutes, until golden.
- Reduce heat to medium and add onion, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Stir until onion is soft and nearly translucent (~6-8 minutes).
- Add sweet potatoes, farro, salt and pepper. Coat in the mixture. Then, add the vegetable broth and 2 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes. Add more water if farro gets too sticky. The final consistency should be porridge-like. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Add the butter and ground turkey back to the pot and mix to incorporate, ensuring the turkey is heated through.
- Serve and enjoy!
Family Tips
- You can amp up the spice with additional red pepper flakes or completely omit if you want to stick with the more earthy flavor notes (feel free to experiment with adding other herbs and spices as well – cumin, thyme, and paprika work nicely!)
- You can remove the ground turkey if you want this meatless or swap the turkey for ground Italian sweet sausage. You can also omit the butter and cheese if you want it vegan!
- If you end up freezing the leftovers, when you go to re-heat it you may need additional vegetable broth as the farro will have dried out significantly. I recommend dumping your contents back into a pot and warming to loosen, followed by adding vegetable broth and butter to reach the desired consistency. You can add in some fresh mushrooms if you want it to feel a bit more fresh!
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