Farro Pasta with Edamame, Almond and Mint Pesto
I am an out-and-proud farro devotee. For the past few years I’ve been borderline obsessed with the ancient grain — utilizing it in as many applications as possible and encouraging other people to give it a try. So I was pretty excited when my husband recently brought me home a pound of farro pasta (which was especially sweet as he is not as enamoured with farro as I am).
Farro pasta — love its pretty color!
The pasta had been sitting in my cupboard, patiently waiting, while I investigated online looking for a perfect debut recipe. Finally I decided on a winner, this recipe for Farro Pasta with Edamame Pesto from The Kitchn. Given how well-known this web magazine is, I felt comfortable trusting their opinion and excited to try something new.
And I’m happy I did because this a recipe I’ll be utilizing again and again. I love different forms of pesto — broccoli pesto in particular, yum! — but hadn’t tried this combination before.
The pesto itself was amazing and so simple. Take cooked edamame and process with minced garlic, mint and roasted almonds (I used Marcona for extra buttery, salty goodness). The pesto is fairly mild but the mint adds a pop that is necessary to liven it up. The recipe says you can substitute basil or even cilantro, but honestly, mint seemed to be the best choice to pair with the other flavors in the sauce. It’s brightness is also a great complement to pleasantly chewy pasta.
Thin out with pasta water for a sauce or use as is for a dip or spread. Seriously delicious!
This pesto would be super delicious spread on crostini or used as a dip for crudite or pita chips. My only issue with it was that even with the addition of mint, it teetered on being too mild. After a few bites I added some lemon juice and sautéed shallots which helped tremendously. It was also very thick — I used the required amount of oil and even added in reserved pasta water but to no avail. In the scheme of things, it wasn’t the worst problem, just something to be aware of it you try this out.
And you really should try this out. Because besides being delicious, it is just so pretty. In fact it’s so pretty that I’m going to show you a gratuitous amounts of photos of the dish.
Think of it as my way of tempting you!
Oh farro pasta. I love you.
Now I’m off to find another fun recipe for the rest of the package!
Attempts in Domesticity 
Hi Jess, My name is Sean and I’m a farro fan too! The edamame beans make it FUSION food, which is super trendy!
Well you know me, I’m the epitome of trendy! 😉
You should make a foam for your pasta. And then spread it all out along a big rectangular plate!
Don’t tempt me!
looks like you’re a fan of farro 😉 Very pretty, all of it. Speaking of whole grains, what do you think of freekah? http://wp.me/p2dvv9-1c9
I just bought some sorghum at an Asian market and am looking forward to trying it. Love the variety of whole grains that is out there.
Thought of you as I read through the latest BA. What recipes catch your eye? I’m going to make everything in the Mast Bros. chocolate feature.
Freekah is one grain I don’t have much experience with. I have a hard enough time breaking out of my farro rut to eat quinoa and wheatberries. Next time I’m at a good bulk food store I’ll have to pick some up! I remember your post and it’s always intrigued me as a grain.
Sorghum is another one I haven’t tried. I did however pick up a purple barley recently that I was really excited about and I hated it. I’m still surprised at that one because honestly, what’s not to like about a grain? Maybe it was just the brand, but wow — awful! I had to throw it out.
Oh! The chocolate feature had so many good things — those waffles look amazing. Keep me posted on your adventures! I want to make the cover dish (rich comfort food goodness) but I was really taken with the “winter whites.” Everything looks so crisp and refreshing.
we had sorghum tonight with a stir-fry and I loved it! Just a bit sweet, so am going to have it for bfast tomorrow with maple syrup. Interesting on the purple barley. Who knew that barley could be horrible? And why was it purple? Keep me posted on your grain forays and I’ll do the same 🙂
Normally I love barley. But we bought this brand on a whim and I don’t know why it was so terrible. It had to cook forever, like 1.5 hours and it just had a weird taste and texture and ugh! Here’s the link to it: http://www.amazon.com/Timeless-Purple-Prairie-Barley-16-Ounce/dp/B0046H1R6O. If you see it avoid! Or maybe cook it and tell me if I’m crazy! Next time I see sorghum I’ll give it a whirl.
This looks amazing! Thanks for visiting my page 🙂
Thank you for reading! =)
I like farro, but haven’t tried the pasta. What a beautiful dish. Looks like spring!
If you see it around, definitely pick some up. It had a really nice flavor and I love that it stayed so chewy. And I’m already pretending that winter is over. It’s not working too well, but dishes like this certainly help. =)
It is 9AM and my stomach is already growling for this. Yum! Thanks for sharing!
That’s a beautiful spring green color — your photos are as delectable as the dish.
Thank you! =) Yes I was clearly dreaming about spring when I made this. sadly that dream was killed with the 7 inches of snow that Portland got this weekend! Eek!