A simple and delicious Tuscan Farro Soup made with hearty veggies, borlotti beans (cranberry beans), pancetta and garlic. It's packed with flavour, super nutritious and perfect for keeping cosy during the colder months!
Farro is an ancient Italian wheat grain that's very similar to spelt, it's very popular in Italy and is so delicious added to soups, stews and salads.
This soup is one of my favourite ways to use it because it's super simple but packed with incredible flavour. Made from sweet, hearty vegetables, smoked pancetta, beans and rosemary.
Serve it with plenty of crusty bread or homemade focaccia for dipping!
Ingredients - what you need
To make this farro soup you'll need; farro (or spelt or barley), vegetables (carrot, celery & onion), garlic, rosemary, pancetta, vegetable stock, and borlotti beans (also known as cranberry beans).
See the photo below that shows all the ingredients you need!
First finely chop the carrot, celery and onion and saute gently on a low heat until soft. Add the pancetta and garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring occasionally (photo 1).
Rinse the canned borlotti beans and add them to the veg and pancetta with the vegetable stock (photo 2).
Blitz the beans, veg and pancetta into a puree using a hand-held blender, don't worry if it's not completely smooth as long as the majority of the mixture has been pureed it's fine (photos 3).
Place the liquid puree back over a medium heat and add the farro or spelt (make sure to rinse the farro thoroughly first).
Add the passata, 3 more cups of vegetable stock (750ml) and rosemary, stir the soup and cook covered for 30-40 minutes until the farro is cooked through. Serve in large bowls with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of pepper and some crusty bread (photo 4).
Recipe tips and FAQs
- Prepping the farro - Make sure to rinse the farro under cold running water for a few seconds before starting.
- Make it vegetarian - you can omit the pancetta for a meat-free version.
- Texture - I like to blend the majority of the soup so it's smooth before I add the farro which gives the soup both a creamy texture with chewy hearty farro. You can leave the whole soup chunky if you prefer.
You can use barley or spelt instead of farro they work just as well!
Yes, you can prepare the soup and store it in the fridge until you're ready to serve it. It tastes even better the next day!
The soup will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days or you can freeze the soup for up to 3 months in suitable containers. Thaw it completely before reheating until piping hot!
More soup recipes you might like
- Ribollita - Tuscan Vegetable Soup
- Chickpea Soup
- Pappa al Pomodoro - Tomato bread soup
- Comforting zucchini potato soup
- Wild mushroom soup
- Cinnamon pumpkin soup
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This post was first published on 9th November 2017 but has since been updated.
Tuscan Farro Soup with Beans
Ingredients
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- ½ cup smoked pancetta cubed (100g)
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 3 cups pre-cooked borlotti beans (cranberry beans) 800g
- 1 cup farro can also use spelt or barley (180g)
- 5 cups vegetable stock (1250ml)
- 2 tablespoon passata (tomato puree) can also use tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to season
Instructions
- Add the olive oil (1 tbsp) and chopped carrot, celery and onion to large pot and saute gently on a medium/low heat until soft. Add the pancetta (½ cup/100g) and garlic (2 cloves) and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Rinse the canned borlotti beans (3 cups/800g) and add them to the vegetables and pancetta with 2 cups/500ml of vegetable stock.
- Blitz the beans, veg and pancetta into a puree using a hand-held blender ( don't worry if it's not completely smooth as long as the majority of the mixture has been pureed)
- Rinse the farro thoroughly under running cold water. Put the soup back over a medium heat and add the farro (1 cup/180g).
- Add the passata (2 tbsp), 3 more cups of vegetable stock (750ml), a pinch of salt and pepper and rosemary sprigs, stir the soup and cook covered for 30-40 minutes until the farro is cooked through.
- Serve in large bowls with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of pepper and some crusty bread.
Notes
- Prepping the farro - Make sure to rinse the farro under cold running water for a few seconds before starting.
- Make it vegetarian - you can omit the pancetta for a meat-free version.
- Texture - I like to blend the majority of the soup so it's smooth before I add the farro which gives the soup both a creamy texture with chewy hearty farro. You can leave the whole soup chunky if you prefer.
- Leftovers & freezing - leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Tatiana
What is a good substitute for cranberry beans as we don’t have those in the USA unless I just have never seen it?
Emily
You could use cannellini beans instead 🙂
Vicki
I am not familiar with borlotti beans, is there a substitute I could use?
Emily
Hi Vicki, you could use cannellini beans instead 🙂
BKG
Borlotti beans are pinto beans
BKG
pinto beans or cranberry beans
Emily
Borlotti beans (aka cranberry beans) are slightly different from Pinto beans but you could use them in this recipe if you have them.
Anne
This recipe sounds very good. In reading through it I have a couple of questions:
Of the 5 cups of vegetable broth, it says to add it (no amount mentioned) to the bean and veggie mixture then purée. Then 3 more cups are to be added after that. So, should there have been just 2 of the 5 cups added for puréeing then the remaining 3 or are all 5 added for puréeing then 3 more next, totaling 8 cups?
Also, is the 1 tablespoon of olive oil for serving or did I miss it earlier, such as for cooking the mirepoix? If not, should it say it’s for serving?
Or, did I read it wrong on both issues?
I’ll take my best guess and see what happens!
Emily
Hi Anne, everything is detailed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. The first instruction tells you to add the olive oil to the soffritto (carrot, celery, onion), step 2 tells you to add 2 cups of stock to the beans and step 5 tells you to add the remaining 3 cups (5 cups total). Hope this helps!
Alissa
I've been searching for this recipe since vacationing in Lucca a few years ago. This is by far the most authentic I've found online. Thanks for sharing!
Patty
I have just found your site and am looking forward to trying so many of your delectable dishes! I am wondering if the Tuscan bean and farro soup can be frozen or whether the texture would be compromised. Thank you!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Patty, yes you can freeze the soup with no issues. Hope you enjoy it!
maria
Rain and cooler temperatures make this the perfect soup, even in the spring. This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite soups. Your photography, as always, is amazing! Thanks for sharing Emily ♥
Inside the rustic kitchen
Aw thank you so much Maria, it's one of my favs too!
Alia @ Everyday Easy Eats
Hi! Your Tuscan Farro Soup with Beans looks so comforting! Perfect now that the weather is cooling down. Great work!! 🙂
Pretty
I really need this soup right now to warm me up. It looks delicious and would be great to make in a big batch for lunch for the whole week.
Carlos At Spoonabilities
The soup looks so hearty and conforming! I would love to have a full bowl right now.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks so much Carlos, it's perfect at this time of year.
Sarah
Soup season has absolutely begun in my house! This looks packed with flavor and completely comforting, can't wait to try!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks so much Sarah, I hope you enjoy it!
Jacque
Sounds soul warming!
Inside the rustic kitchen
It definitely is, thanks Jacque!
Alyssa
This looks so hearty and delicious. I love soup with lots of textures in it and I know the farro must add just the right amount of chew! #pinning
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks so much Alyssa, this is one of my favourites!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
This soup looks so filling and delicious! I too am very sad about Antonio Carluccio, he will be sorely missed.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thank you Bintu, It's such a sad time, he truly will be!