This is a super easy and nutritious side dish or veggie main. I whipped this up thanks to some weekend inspiration from Bench!
Simple ingredients mean this is something that can be easily pulled together in the middle of the week when the schedule is busy and time is tight.
My favourite part is the addition of farro – a wonderfully nutritious ancient grain, providing fiber, protein and iron. I love the nutty flavour it provides to dishes. Plus, farro is easily cooked in advance and stored as a tasty addition to week-day lunches and salads.
Add a simple protein boost to this dish with the addition of some fresh lemon and herbed chicken or fish.
What you will need to do:
Turn your oven on to 400F.
Start with a large head of broccoli, washed and sliced into ‘steaks’. Coat the broccoli steaks lightly in 1 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil. Sprinkle on 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and some dried herbs (thyme, marjoram, dried basil etc.) about 1 tsp. Add some course ground pepper and a sprinkle of salt.
Place in the oven and roast for 20-30 minutes, until slightly tender and tips become slightly charred. Part way through roasting lightly sprinkle grated parmesan cheese (about 1 Tbsp.) over the broccoli steaks and finish roasting.
For the farro: add 1 cup farro and 1 ½ cups water to a small pot and bring to the boil. Turn down and let the farro cook covered over low heat for approximately 30 minutes, until soft. You could also pre-soak your farro over night to make the cooking time faster.
Lastly, for the very simple marinara sauce. This was super basic so feel free to jazz yours up more!
Finely chop 1 clove of garlic and ½ red onion. Sauté this in a little olive oil until the onion is softened. Add chopped mushrooms and sauté for a further 4 or 5 minutes
Added 1 large can of crushed tomatoes. Season to taste with Italian seasoning, course ground pepper, salt and lastly stir in about a tablespoon of fresh chopped basil.
Place a bed of cooked farro on plate, top with a broccoli steak and a couple of big spoonfuls of the marinara sauce. Enjoy!!