This sausage and farro parmesan is a hearty and delicious dinner, with farro cooked in a flavourful tomato sauce and topped with cheese and bread crumbs.
If you’ve been looking for a main dish farro recipe, this sausage and farro parmesan is pretty much perfect! It does need a little time to simmer away (about 2 hours), but you are home to enjoy the wonderful smells as it cooks away. And when dinner rolls around, it’s just a simple pop under the broiler to melt the cheese.
You can cook this one mostly in a slow cooker and let it do the simmering for you, or just let it simmer on the stovetop or pop into the oven. This one is also perfect hearty comfort food.
What is farro?
Farro is a nutty and pleasingly chewy grain. Farro is high in fibre, so it not only tastes great, it’s good for you too. Farro is a wheat, so it is not gluten free.
Farro comes in several forms. For cooking, look for pearled (perlato) or semi-pearled (semi-perlato) farro, which has some or all of the outer layers removed. Pearled farro takes the least time to cook, while semi-pearled needs a bit longer in the pot. Semi-pearled is a nice compromise choice for a balance between nutritious and delicious.
Another on of my favourite ways to enjoy farro is to add it to dinner salads (like this Farro Salad with Roasted Vegetables) for a little added heartiness. Simply cook the farro ahead and serve at room temperature together with grilled summer vegetables and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.
Ingredients and substitutions
Farro – semi-pearled farro is specified for this recipe.
Italian Sausage – you can use sweet or hot Italian sausage, or a mixture of the two.
Canned Crushed Tomatoes – any canned crushed tomatoes will work just fine here. If you have fire-roasted crushed tomatoes, they will add an extra bit of flavour.
Recipe tips!
- While this dish has meat in it and is great as a main dish, it also works well as a side, as it is more grain than meat. It would be lovely as a side for simple grilled meat or fish. As a main, serve with a lovely salad for a great meal.
- If you don’t have or want to use a slow cooker, start the recipe with a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven instead of a skillet, then simply cover your pot and simmer on the stove-top or pop into a 350F oven to cook away. Check every 30 minutes or so, to stir and check for doneness.
- You can substitute regular dried breadcrumbs for the panko, if you prefer.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
This farro and sausage is best enjoyed freshly cooked, but can be made ahead and reheated. Reheat in a 350F oven, loosely covered with foil, until warmed through 15-20 minutes.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. This farro can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
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Get the Recipe: Sausage and Farro Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 lb hot or sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano,
or 1 tsp. dried oregano
 leaves
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon
crushed red pepper
 flakes
, or to taste - 1 Tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups semi-pearled farro
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 28 oz.
canned crushed tomatoes

, fire-roasted recommended - 2 green onions, thinly sliced
For topping:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 cup panko
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
- 6 oz mozzarella, thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a large skillet (with a lid) or a Dutch Oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 
the onion and season with a bit of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up, until cooked through and starting to brown, 7-8 minutes. Add the 2 cloves of minced garlic, the oregano, crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 
1 minute. Stir in the vinegar. (If using slow cooker method, spoon this mixture into the slow cooker then proceed with the instructions).
- Add the farro, crushed tomatoes and water. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer on the stove-top, checking and stirring every 30 minutes, until the farro is tender, about 2 hours.(For slow cooker, cover and cook on high until the farro is tender, about 2 – 2 1/2 hours. Stir in the green onions.)
- Alternately, you can pop the skillet or dutch oven into a 350F oven, checking every 30 minutes or so to stir and check farro for doneness.
- For the topping: heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the panko and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add the parsley, lemon zest, fresh 
oregano and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the 
garlic is tender, 1 minute. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Transfer to a plate to cool and set aside.
- When farro mixture is cooked, spoon into an oven-safe baking dish (or smaller, individual baking dishes). Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and top with mozzarella slices. Place under your oven broiler until the cheese is melted and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Let stand a few minutes, then sprinkle with panko to serve.
Notes
More farro recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Love all your recipes! Wanted to try this but I have an abundance of Trader Joe’s 10 minute Farrow. Not sure how to adjust for your recipe. Ideas?
Hi Victoria, Here’s what I would do (haven’t tried it, just thinking out loud :). Make the sauce part, without adding the farro when indicated and hold back all the water for now. Let the sauce simmer a bit to develop some flavour. When you think it’s done that, add the 10 minute farro and cook/stir for 10-15 minutes, adding some of the water as needed to thin. (I’m not sure how much water the 10-minute farro will need/soak up, which is why I suggest adding the water in bits. As you can see, the sausage/farro part is quite thick, so aim for that. When the farro is tender, proceed with the topping/broiling part. Hope that makes sense. Enjoy :)
Jennifer, thanks for a great recipe. We tried this tonight and loved it, but we cooked it in the instant pot for an hour and then added it to the casserole dish when done. But one thing we were confused about was the scallions, we did not see where to add it in the recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it! The green onions go in in step 2 (after the tomatoes). Thanks :)
This was so good! Such a nice change (although similar in comfort) to lasagne, parmigiana or a pasta bake – and much easier too. Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes! :)
So glad you enjoyed it, Lorna and yes, it is a nice change from the usual pasta. Thanks so much :)
This dish was outstanding! My brother and sister-in-law wanted more. I used venison sausage and the farro was a perfect compliment. The parmesan topping added the right amount of seasoning.
So glad you enjoyed it, Anna! It’s one of my favourite dishes :) Thanks!
I had never heard of farro before, but I made this last night and it was delicious! I’ve already recommended it to several other people.
I used PC Blue Menu Italian Farro… it was whole-grain and pre-cooked… I pre-soaked it for a few hours, and only ended up having to simmer for about an hour.
I am so glad you tried this! I am relatively new to farro as well, but I fell in love with it’s nutty flavour. And it’s a great way to eat more grains deliciously :) Thanks!
This is such a warm comfy skillet, Jennifer, and I have a big bag of farro just waiting to be used!
Thanks Sue and this would be a great way to use it :)
I love farro and this includes everything comforting that I crave regularly! Well well done! YUM! Shared!
Thanks Annie! I am a big farro fan as well, so I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy it :)
I love nutty farro and never thought to combine it in this way. What a terrific skillet full of delicious comfort food!
Thanks Tricia :)
What a great idea for a farro dish Jennifer! It’s one of my favorites. Such a cozy, comforting dish!
Thanks Mary Ann! It was a delicious combination of flavours and textures :)