Tuscan Farro Soup and Beans

A simple and good Tuscan Farro Soup made with hearty veggies, borlotti beans (cranberry beans), pancetta and garlic. It's packed with flavour, nutritious and suited to keeping cosy during the colder months!

Farro is an ancient Italian wheat grain that's similar to spelt, it's popular in Italy and is so good added to soups, stews and salads.

This soup is one of our favourite ways to use it because it's simple but packed with good flavour. Made from sweet, hearty vegetables, smoked pancetta, beans and rosemary.

Serve it with plenty of crusty bread or homemade focaccia for dipping!

Ingredients – what you need

To make this farro soup you'll need farro (or spelt or barley)vegetables (carrot, celery & onion)garlic, rosemary, pancetta, vegetable stock and borlotti beans (also known as cranberry beans).

See the photo below that shows all the ingredients you need!

First finely chop the carrot, celery and onion and saute gently on a low heat until soft. Add the pancetta and garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring occasionally (photo 1).

Rinse the canned borlotti beans and add them to the veg and pancetta with the vegetable stock (photo 2).

Blitz the beans, veg and pancetta into a puree using a hand-held blender, don't worry if it's not completely smooth as long as the majority of the mixture has been pureed it's fine (photos 3).

Place the liquid puree back over a medium heat and add the farro or spelt (rinse the farro thoroughly first).

Add the passata, 3 more cups of vegetable stock (750ml) and rosemary, stir the soup and cook covered for 30-40 minutes until the farro is cooked through. Serve in large bowls with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of pepper and some crusty bread (photo 4).

Recipe tips and FAQs

• Prepping the farro – rinse the farro under cold running water for a few seconds before starting.
• Make it vegetarian – you can omit the pancetta for a meat-free version.
• Texture – We like to blend the majority of the soup so it's smooth before we add the farro which gives the soup both a creamy texture with chewy hearty farro. You can leave the whole soup chunky if you prefer.

What can we use instead of farro?

You can use barley or spelt instead of farro they work as well!

Can we prep this soup in advance?

Yes, you can prepare the soup and store it in the fridge until you're ready to serve it. It tastes even better the next day!

How long does it last?

The soup will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days or you can freeze the soup for up to 3 months in suitable containers. Thaw it completely before reheating until piping hot!

More soup recipes you might like

• Ribollita – Tuscan Vegetable Soup
• Chickpea Soup
• Pappa al Pomodoro – Tomato bread soup
• Comforting zucchini potato soup
• Wild mushroom soup
• Cinnamon pumpkin soup

This post was first published on 9th November 2017 but has since been updated.

Ingredients

Makes 6 people

• 1 carrot (finely chopped)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 celery stalk (finely chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1/2 cup smoked pancetta cubed ((100g))
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 3 cups pre-cooked borlotti beans ((cranberry beans) 800g)
• 1 cup farro (can also use spelt or barley (180g))
• 5 cups vegetable stock ((1250ml))
• 2 tbsp passata (tomato puree) (can also use tomato paste)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper (to season)

Method

1. Add the olive oil (1 tbsp) and chopped carrot, celery and onion to large pot and saute gently on a medium/low heat until soft. Add the pancetta (1/2 cup/100g) and garlic (2 cloves) and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Rinse the canned borlotti beans (3 cups/800g) and add them to the vegetables and pancetta with 2 cups/500ml of vegetable stock.

3. Blitz the beans, veg and pancetta into a puree using a hand-held blender (don't worry if it's not completely smooth as long as the majority of the mixture has been pureed)

4. Rinse the farro thoroughly under running cold water. Put the soup back over a medium heat and add the farro (1 cup/180g).

5. Add the passata (2 tbsp), 3 more cups of vegetable stock (750ml), a pinch of salt and pepper and rosemary sprigs, stir the soup and cook covered for 30-40 minutes until the farro is cooked through.

6. Serve in large bowls with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of pepper and some crusty bread.

Kitchen notes

• Prepping the farro rinse the farro under cold running water for a few seconds before starting.
• Make it vegetarian you can omit the pancetta for a meat-free version.
• Texture We like to blend the majority of the soup so it's smooth before we add the farro which gives the soup both a creamy texture with chewy hearty farro. You can leave the whole soup chunky if you prefer.
• Leftovers & freezing leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.