Roasted Carrot Farro

5 from 4 votes

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With roasted carrots and chickpeas, this easy farro recipe is super versatile. It’s a side dish or a salad. You can serve it warm, at room temperature or cold and stir in leafy greens. The chickpeas and carrots are seasoned with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. It also has chopped pistachios, scallions and parsley.

Farro with roasted carrots and chickpeas in a bowl.

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

Ingredients including carrots, chickpeas, farro, scallions, parsley, pistachios, olive oil and spices.

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.

Spice-oil mixture in a bowl. Carrots and chickpeas stirred into marinade.

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.

Carrots and chickpeas on a sheet pan before and after they roast.

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.

Cooked farro in a strainer. Recipe ingredients stirred together on a large platter.

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.

Roasted carrot and chickpea farro on a plate.

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.

Recipe FAQs

Is farro gluten free?

Farro does contain gluten. You can use brown rice or wild rice as a substitute. I prefer a medium-sized grain rather than something small like quinoa.

Can you use other vegetables besides carrots?

Yes. Butternut squash or sweet potatoes will also work in this recipe.

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Roasted Carrot Farro

5 from 4 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Seasoned with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper, this easy roasted carrot farro has chickpeas, pistachios and scallions.

Ingredients 

  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound carrots, peeled and diced 1/4 inch
  • 1-15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup pearled farro, rinsed
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup chopped pistachios
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
  • Stir the carrots and chickpeas into the spice-oil mixture.
  • Spread the carrots and chickpeas across a sheet pan in a single layer.
  • Roast the carrots and chickpeas for 30-35 minutes until the carrots are tender in the middle and the chickpeas are golden brown and crisp on the outsides.
  • While the carrots and chickpeas are in the oven, combine the farro and water in a medium saucepan. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the farro for 12-15 minutes until it is cooked through but still has a chewy bite. Drain the farro and remaining water from the saucepan into a fine mesh strainer. Transfer it to a large bowl.*
  • Stir the carrots, chickpeas, scallions, pistachios, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper into the farro.

Notes

*If you know you are planning to serve 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.
To make the recipe gluten free, use brown rice or wild rice instead of farro.
Diced butternut squash or sweet potatoes can be substituted for carrots.
You can use chopped walnuts or almonds instead of pistachios.
Store 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.
Optional Additions
You can add one or more of the following:
  • Crumbled feta
  • Diced avocados
  • Baby arugula or spinach

Nutrition

Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 1263mg | Potassium: 785mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 19404IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dishes
Cuisine: Mediterranean
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Hi, I'm Paige.

Welcome to Last Ingredient where you will find simple seasonal recipes with plenty of fruits and vegetables, all for the home cook.

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Recipe Rating




3 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I had been looking at the bag of farro in my cabinet for months. I had heard good things about it, but it didn’t look yummy. Today I made this recipe. I have rarely had such success with a recipe. It was yummy, really yummy from the first bite! I am a big fan of cumin and pistachios, so that helped, but I will most definitely make this again. Really, really good.

  2. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! The chewiness of the farro combined with the roasted sweetness of carrots and salty crunch of the pistachios… I added some tiny roasted florets of broccoli and I think other veggie additions could work equally well. A keeper!