Slow Cooker Mushroom Farro

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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

What is farro?

Farro is an ancient grain that’s a hulled wheat grain. Farro is a type of wheat, so it contains gluten.

It has a great nutty flavor and a nice chewy texture. It’s got a great nutritional profile: high in fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Which might make it a perfect comfort food that’s still good for you.

It’s often used in soups, stews, salads like this farro zucchini and ricotta salad, and grain bowls like my winter grain bowl.

The flavor of this mushroom farro dish reminds me a lot of my oven baked barley with mushrooms.

What if I can’t find farro?

Take a look for farro in the rice, grains, beans aisle at your grocery store. I had to go to two stores to find it. A store that focuses more on health foods, or one that I might call hippy foods, will probably have farro. Try Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, etc. You can also buy it on Amazon.

And be sure to grab whole farro for this recipe. Don’t use quick-cooking, pre-steamed, or pearl farro. These quicker cooking grains do not take as long to cook, and will turn mushy in the crock pot for this type of cooking time.

If you still can’t find farro, try using barley. Farro cooks a little bit faster than barley, so keep an eye on the barley and check it early. You can also use brown rice (which will be gluten free), but will also cook faster so check it early.

How is it different than traditional risotto?

Farro risotto is chewier than the traditional Arborio rice risotto. Farro has bigger grains than rice, and farro has a more pronounced nutty earthy flavor.

How to make

This creamy comfort food is filled with great mushroom flavor, but it’s decently healthy. So, it’s the best of both worlds. It’s a great vegetarian main dish or a nice side dish for meat eaters.

Ingredients

Let’s start by looking at the ingredients.

Shallots: Shallots are nice because they are a little softer in flavor than onions. They kind of melt right into the dish. You can use a small yellow onion instead, but the shallot is a little nicer.

Dried porcini mushrooms: Feel free to use any dried mushrooms here. Dried Shiitake, dried Chanterelle, Oyster, or morel will all work fine. The dried mushrooms have a deeper flavor with less water than fresh, so I don’t recommend skipping them.

Garlic: I recommend the fresh garlic in this recipe, but dried garlic can also be used. For garlic flakes, dried minced garlic, or dehydrated garlic use 1 & ½ teaspoons. For granulated garlic, use ¾ of a teaspoon (or just round up to a full teaspoon for ease).

Broth: as always, use your favorite. Vegetable broth or chicken broth will work well in this recipe. Homemade Vegetarian Broth would rock in this recipe! And you can see in the pictures that I usually use {affiliate link} Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base.

Dry sherry: The sherry adds complexity. Use a good sherry you’d drink, not a cooking wine. But, if you don’t have sherry, and don’t want to buy any. There are a few other things you could use. Any dry white wine will work, as will Marsala wine. Or, simply use more broth in the place of sherry. Please do not use red wine vinegar for the sherry. That’s not the same.

Fresh cremini mushrooms: cremini mushrooms add a nice meatiness to the dish. They’re also known as baby bella mushrooms or Italian brown mushrooms. Any grocery store should carry these. They’re great because they’re budget friendly. Feel free to use white button mushrooms, portobello, or fresh wild mushrooms (for a wild mushroom risotto dish) like morel or oyster mushrooms. Save yourself a little time too by getting pre-sliced mushrooms at the store; they won’t be thin, but they will work.

Farro: Reminder, do not use quick-cooking, pre-steamed, or pearl farro (read the ingredient list on the package to determine this) in this recipe.

Parmesan: Grating your own Parmesan will give you the best flavor here. You can use the pre-grated package from the deli for convenience. Please don’t use the stuff in the can.

Parsley: The herb will brighten the dish, adding freshness and balance to the hearty flavors. It’s also nice to garnish the top of the serving with a little color.

Method

Start by softening the aromatics and the dried mushrooms in the microwave.

Stir the softened aromatics in a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker with the fresh mushrooms, farro, broth, and sherry.

Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 2-3 hours until the farro is tender.

Once the farro is tender, stir in Parmesan and a little more broth to create a luxurious creamy texture. Then add the parsley.

The consistency is largely a matter of personal taste; some people like it thicker and some prefer it softer. If you prefer a looser texture, add more broth at the end.

Can this be made ahead?

I love how easy this dish is. I’m already planning on taking it to the next family holiday. I’ll prep all the ingredients the day before – cook the aromatics, slice the mushrooms, and measure the broth out. I’ll take all those parts to the host’s house, and pop them in the slow cooker to cook there.

I think the dish is best when made fresh, but leftovers still rock. Simply microwave any leftovers to reheat them. You can add a bit more broth or water to loosen if you want.

Can I freeze this?

Yes, allow the food to cool completely, then pop it in a freezer safe airtight container and freeze up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight, or microwave it to defrost.

Changes to the recipe

As always, I love to see what you guys do with recipes. Try it once as written, then we are a go for changes.

Add asparagus, kale, green peas, or butternut squash for a little more veg and some pretty color.

Toss in some shredded chicken or shrimp for more protein.

Drizzle some truffle oil over the top to make it fancy.

Don’t like thyme? Use rosemary, oregano, or marjoram in the same amounts.

Add a splash of heavy cream at the end.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, feel free to double the recipe for more yummy farro goodness.

Can I make it vegan?

As the recipe is, with vegetable broth, it’s a great vegetarian main dish.

It can easily be vegan by leaving out the Parmesan. Or use a vegan Parm. Maybe even try adding some nutritional yeast flakes to the dish to replace the cheese. My Slow Cooker Lentil Taco Recipe is another great vegan slow cooker recipe.

Serving suggestions

Serve this for a vegetarian dinner with a salad or a side of Asparagus Pecan Salad, or air fryer green beans.

Creamy Mushroom Farro can be served with some many things as a side dish. Try it with chicken, turkey or beef!

Check out some more great recipes

Check out more delicious recipes your family is sure to love.

White Bean Soup

Lentil Soup

Vegetable Soup

White bean gnocchi