Mushroom-Farro Soup With Parmesan Broth

By Julia Sherman

Total Time: 1½ hours
Rating: 4(773)
Notes: Read community notes

This dish is layered in earthiness and umami thanks to its ingredient list: farro, dried and fresh mushrooms, shallots and Parmesan broth. Farro is a rustic grain, hearty enough to maintain its integrity and stand up to a long simmer. Similar to arborio rice, pearled farro readily releases its starch as it cooks, thickening the broth and marrying the ingredients in a blissful union. A pinch of fennel pollen at the end is a classy move, though absolutely not mandatory.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

1cup pearled farro
1ounce dried mixed mushrooms or dried porcini mushrooms, roughly torn or chopped
1tablespoon unsalted butter
4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1cup minced shallots (from about 5 medium shallots)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3garlic cloves, minced
5cups Parmesan broth
⅓cup dry white wine
5fresh thyme sprigs
⅔cup finely grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce), plus more for garnish
1pound mixed fresh mushrooms (such as beech mushrooms, hen of the woods or oyster mushrooms), roughly torn
2teaspoons sherry vinegar

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 300 degrees and bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Spread farro out on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice to toast the grains evenly.
Step 2
While farro toasts, place dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover completely with 1½ cups hot water from the saucepan. Cover the bowl and set aside to hydrate.
Step 3
Place a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once the butter has melted, add the shallots and ½ teaspoon salt and sauté until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, adding a splash of water if necessary to prevent it from scorching.
Step 4
Stir in the toasted farro. Carefully scoop the dried mushrooms from their soaking liquid and add them to the pot. Strain their soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into the pot as well, discarding any grit left in the sieve. Add Parmesan broth, white wine and thyme to the pot and bring to a boil over high.
Step 5
Once liquid boils, lower to a simmer and cook, covered, for 25 minutes. Uncover the pot and continue to cook at an active simmer until the farro is al dente, swimming in a lightly creamy broth, another 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard thyme stems and stir in the grated Parmesan. Season with black pepper to taste.
Step 6
When the farro is almost done, cook the fresh mushrooms: Heat 1½ tablespoons olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high. Add half the torn fresh mushrooms, stir to coat, then cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then cook until the mushrooms are golden and caramelized, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a medium bowl. Repeat with remaining 1½ tablespoons oil and remaining fresh mushrooms, transferring cooked mushrooms to bowl. Stir 2 teaspoons vinegar into cooked mushrooms; season to taste.
Step 7
To serve, ladle soup into shallow bowls. Top with seared mushrooms and extra Parmesan, to taste.

Ratings

4 out of 5

773 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

JMR4 years ago

Husband loathes farro. What can be substituted - for farro, not husband?

TT4 years ago

Substitute Barley for the Farro...or for you husband... or both

diane4 years ago

This is why everyone should have a pressure cooker (digital or regular) - you can get a good parm broth in 30 minutes! Follow the recipe but tie up the rinds in cheese cloth making them less likely to stick to the bottom while the cooker is sealed. You can make a large batch & freeze some for risotto, rice, beans, or anything you desire.

Jeremy4 years ago

I forgot the Parmesan rinds for the broth. So, I used vegetable broth and added shredded Romano at the end of the recipe. It was still delicious.

PK4 years ago

This was excellent. The Parmesan broth was worth the time and trouble (not so much of the latter) for how much umami it added to the end product. My farro package said 10 mins cooking time, so I didn’t add it until about the 35 minute mark. It was perfectly al dente at 45 minutes. I cooked the mushrooms until they gave up all of their liquid, which I strongly recommend to concentrate the flavor. That took about 20 minutes. Very tasty - supremely comforting.

Geoffrey James4 years ago

I am questioning the need for toasting the farro in the oven. I am in the habit of treating farro just like arborio rice. And when making a risotto, you turn the rice in hot oil until it is coated and lightly toasted. I then add good stock in the measured way of making classic risotto, with until the farro has reached the right chewiness. This way you have control over the texture. Thanks for the tip about Parmesan broth. I will try it, perhaps mixed with chicken stock.

Cooking in Colorado5 months ago

I was curious about the parmesan broth and decided to give it a try. Well worth the extra time! The farro took longer to cook than the recipe indicated, but the soup is delicious! I added the sauteed mushrooms to the soup. So yummy!

kpgn7 months ago

This was delicious, but needed some tweaks. Despite the Parmesan broth, it was flat until I added some umami in the form of dark soy sauce. Added lots of spinach, too. Fortunate to have great local mushrooms here; used trumpet, shiitake , and crimini.

MeMah1 year ago

I found this terribly bland until I added “better than bouillon” and a generous amount of white wine and then it was pretty tasty. Maybe I goofed up the parmesan broth. I also added several handfuls of chopped kale.

Jill1 year ago

This is so divine

Auntie1 year ago

I don’t know why this recipe doesn’t get more attention than it has. So much flavor ! The non-negotiable here is the Parmesan broth and for those scared away by the time it takes, most of that cooking time is passive. It’s key to use cheesecloth for the rinds. Eased up on adding all the grated Parm at the end just to avoid the gloop at the bottom of the pan. Topped it with Parmesan shavings and the sherry mushrooms, and had some crusty bread on the side. Incredible !

DolceSanDiego1 year ago

Disappointing. I was looking forward to making this for a couple of days even though I was skeptical of the 4-star rating. I always have baby portobello on hand but finally got additional fresh mushrooms. I am an advanced home cook but closely followed the recipe including making the parmesan broth. This is missing something. The vinegar at the end didn't do enough to brighten the taste. This is enough to feed 6-8 so if you are inclined to make this, I recommend half the recipe.

Rebekah2 years ago

This recipe took all day and I don’t know if I’ll do it again but the result was worthy. I added beef Better than Bouillon to the Parmesan stock because it was pretty blah. Finished with fennel pollen. Next level deliciousness.

liz2 years ago

Make the parm broth for sure, it’s easy if you already have a bunch of rinds in the freezer. I used TJ’s 10 minute farro and skipped the toasting, which cuts out a lot of time. I also didn’t have any dried mushrooms so just used a bit more of the fresh, a mix of baby Bella and shiitake. Don’t skip the vinegar. Big hit with my family!

jennifer2 years ago

This was a winner! However, it makes a giant vat, and if you try to keep more than a day, the farro just turns into monster pillows… will definitely make again but will halve the recipe and plan to not have leftovers ☺️

kathy2 years ago

Mixed dried mushroom preferable to all porcini

Barbara T2 years ago

Very good, but needs about 1/12 times the noted broth. Fortunately the Parmesan broth recipe (also in NYT) makes more than needed here.

Maddy Lyon2 years ago

This soup is exceptional…. I didn’t make a full fledged parm brother, I tossed 3 rinds in a veggie stock and let it simmer for 45 before adding to the soup. This soup has the depth of something with meat in it because of the Parmesan richness and is all veggies and cheese. I love so much!

Cooker2 years ago

This recipe is too complicated- make it like risotto without all the stirring. It’s as flavorful and rich and any meat dish - fabulous. Skip the dried mushrooms and sautéed them w garlic and schallots or onions. Add spinach at the end

VA3 years ago

Was a bit rushed to prepare. Made the parmasean broth in instant pot. 30 minutes at pressure. Swapped pearled for 10 minute farro. Used a mix of previously oven roasted mushroom and fresh baby Bella. Just dropped straight in the soup after the 10 minute simmer to finish the farrow. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Was delicious!

maria3 years ago

I’ve made this twice and love it. I will say though that as much as I like porcini, I found 1 ounce to be overpowering. The first time I made it I had only 1/2 ounce on hand and I found the soup to be even better. I enjoy the sherry vinegar in the soup itself (added at the end) to balance the depth / acidity. I sautéed the mushrooms on a cast iron hot plate with garlic (added after the mushrooms so it doesn’t burn) and could do with or without a splash of sherry vinegar.

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