Tuscan Farro Soup
Updated Sept. 11, 2025
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1large onion, sliced
- 2celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
- 2carrots, peeled and chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1tablespoon minced garlic
- 1cup farro, spelt or barley
- 1cup dried white beans, soaked for several hours or overnight
- 2cups chopped tomatoes (canned are fine; do not drain)
- 6cups stock or water, more as necessary
- ¼cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼cup chopped fresh basil, optional
- Freshly grated Parmesan
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
558 calories; 13 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 86 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 29 grams protein; 1471 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Put oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat; a minute later add onion, celery, carrots, a large pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook until vegetables are glossy and onion is softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, and stir; add farro, beans, tomatoes and stock, and stir.
- Step 2
Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Cook until farro and beans are tender, at least an hour, adding stock or water as necessary if mixture becomes too thick. Stir in parsley and basil (if using), then cook another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve with lots of Parmesan.
Private Notes
Comments
I made some changes but the results were amazing,: hearty and tasty . I used canned white beans, after rinsing all the liquid they come in. This resulted in a reduction of simmering time to only 30 minutes after adding the farro. I used dry oregano (1 tsp), dry basil (1 tsp) and red pepper flakes instead of regular pepper. The rest was the. Same. I did not add any extra stock or water.
I've made this delicious soup many times. This time I added a Parmesan rind as well as my standard bay leaf and white wine. I soak my farro overnight and rinse thoroughly. Then, when I use my canned navy or great northern beans, the farro is perfectly cooked when everything else is done. I can't see the reason for not adding the juices which are packed with the beans. It's a bit salty, true, but just add less salt to the recipe. These juices give the soup a creamy quality.
In Tuscany, this soup always included a green, like kale. Makes it even more delicious.
Hearty soup for a brisk winter day. Doubled the veggies and garlic. Added some additions as suggested in comments: white wine (measured with my heart), thyme from my garden, fresh basil, 1 tsp + a few extra dashes of dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and just a little bit of sugar to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. Used up some leftover veggie stock and finished with majority chicken stock. Definitely had to top up at the hour mark, and I let it cook down more with some additional white wine. Yum!
Use canned V8 juice instead of adding water
This soup is just awesome, perfect for fall, winter… anytime really. I can’t go more than a week without getting this as meal request. I love putting in a bay leaf & parm rind. It’s even better the next day - if there’s any left!