This is plant based comfort food at its best. Stick to your ribs goodness that will warm your belly and nourish your soul on a cold night. Best of all, it comes together very quickly and is almost entirely hands off. It’s basically throw everything in a dish and walk away. What could be better? This meal was so good, my family couldn’t even wait for me to snap a pic before they dove in.
Yield:8 servings
Recipe
For the Cauliflower and Farro
- 2 pounds cauliflower (about 1 medium cauliflower head), florets and tender stems cut into large bite-sized pieces
- 1¾ cups semi-pearled or pearled farro (about 12 ounces)
- 1(40-ounce) jar good-quality marinara sauce
- 1 2/3 cup water
- ¼cup olive oil
- ½cup pitted kalamata or black olives, roughly chopped (optional)
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
- 3 ounces grated Parmesan (about ¾ cup finely grated)
- 1½teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1½teaspoons dried oregano
- ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt
- Black pepper
For the Topping
- 1 cup panko or homemade breadcrumbs
- 2 ounces grated Parmesan (about ½ cup finely grated)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced into rounds
Method
Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a 9-by-13-inch pan, combine the cauliflower, farro, marinara sauce, olive oil, olives (if using), garlic, Parmesan, sugar, oregano, and red-pepper flakes. Season with the salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Pour in 1⅔ cups water and stir everything well to combine. If your 9-by-13 does not have high sides, you might have to mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, then transfer to the pan. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
Step 2
Uncover the pan, stir, and continue baking uncovered until the farro is tender-chewy and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes more. (If the farro has already soaked up all the sauce and the pan is looking dry, stir in ½ to ¾ cup water, just to make sure the farro has enough liquid to become tender and saucy.)
Step 3
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, make the topping: Stir together the panko, Parmesan, salt, and olive oil.
Step 4
Turn on the broiler. Evenly cover the top of the farro with the panko topping. Top with the sliced mozzarella. Broil on the top rack, about 6 inches from the heat source, for 2 minutes, rotating the pan once and watching carefully for burning, until the panko topping is deeply browned and the mozzarella has melted.
If your oven, like mine has a very powerful broiler, use the convection fan instead of the broiler. Keep the oven on 425, turn on the fan, and cook until the mozzarella is a bit browned and bubbling, usually about 5 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!
This recipe is adapted from Sarah DiGregorio’s Farro and Cauliflower.
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