Farro

Three levels of flavor-building means this customizable pork dinner can easily go from simple to next level.

What’s a honeynut squash, you ask? It looks like a miniature butternut squash and has sweet, firm flesh that stands up to any cooking method.

These bibimbap-inspired grain bowls are brimming with bright vegetables and spicy marinated steak.

Our new favorite grain salad is packed with crunchy raw veggies, salty Pecorino, lively mint, and fresh chile peppers.

Store-bought rotisserie chicken brings you one step closer to this nourishing grain bowl dinner.

For an extra burst of flavor, swirl some salsa verde into each serving of this hearty soup packed with farro, white beans, kale, and plenty of lemon.

This spring salad can be made with pretty much any grain and firm grating cheese you like.

A host of fresh herbs—mint, cilantro, and parsley—plus ginger and lemon zest add refreshing zip to this grain salad.

Mix up your summer sides with this bright grain salad tossed in an Asian-inspired vinaigrette.

A texture riot of a salad; it gets crunch and creaminess from toasted pecans and almond butter(!).

This elegant stew can be made up to the point that the farro goes in; cool, then cover and chill up to 2 days.

Make extra grains on Sunday and use them for this lightning-quick weeknight dinner.

Toss cooked grains with sweet-tart tangerines for a side dish that only gets better with age—lunch tomorrow, anyone?

Across the Middle East, cinnamon is used not only to highlight the flavor of sweets but also in savory dishes—as in this Moroccan-inspired carrot salad. I toss it here with slender Kamut berries, which contribute their distinct buttery chew. Vibrantly colorful and deliciously juicy, this salad steals the show on my holiday table. Try it also next to steak, grilled lamb, or a simple roast chicken.

If you grew up in Northern California in the 1990s, you lived through the trend that was sprouts. From alfalfa sprouts to bean sprouts, they seemed to find their way into every green salad, sandwich, and omelet. This savory whole-grain breakfast bowl is inspired by those California days, with chunks of ripe avocado, crumbled Cotija cheese, toasty almonds, and a citrus-sparked yogurt sauce. While alfalfa sprouts were prevalent when I was growing up, today I try to branch out, using a tangle of colorful bean sprouts or more delicate radish or sunflower sprouts. These morning bowls couldn't be easier to prepare, but the barley does take a while to cook; I put a pot on the stove first thing in the morning so it'll be ready by the time I've had my coffee and prepped the other ingredients. Feel free to experiment with other grains, too. I've tried this with both quinoa and farro, and it's as wonderful with delicate grains as it is with heartier ones. Morning Notes: Cotija cheese is popular in Mexican and Latin dishes. It's a firm, crumbly cheese made of cow's milk and is used so often because it's milder than feta or even goat cheese and softens with heat but doesn't fully melt. You can also use queso fresco if it's easier to find.

This breakfast is wonderfully versatile and allows you to use up any leftover grains you have from previous meals, folding in leafy greens for a bit of color. In that sense, think of it more as a template rather than a hard-and-fast approach.

Chewy nubbin of farro give special appeal to a hearty Mediterranean vegetable-bean soup that's loaded with calcium-rich kale. If you don't have time to cook the beans from scratch, check out the Express Farro and Chickpea Soup variation.

Toss chopped raw kale with sweet carrots, creamy avocado, and nutty farro for texture, then dress it in a garlic dressing reminiscent of green goddess dressing.

Browning the farro imbues it with a nutty flavor—a step you can add any time you prepare the grain.

Add this one to the lineup for your next spring dinner party or Sunday supper.