Farro Breakfast Porridge with Figs and Orange
Farro is an ancient wheat grown across the hills of central Italy, usually treated as a savory grain for soups and salads, but it makes an excellent breakfast porridge because it never turns to mush. Simmered in soy milk sweetened with blended dates, it holds its chew while the liquid around it turns creamy. Orange zest and cinnamon give it the warm, citrus-scented character of the Mediterranean pantry, dried figs melt in to sweeten it further, and toasted walnuts add richness and crunch. It is high in fiber and, thanks to the soy milk, carries real protein for a grain bowl, which makes it a breakfast that actually holds you until lunch. Cook a batch and it reheats through the week.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Farro, rinsed
- 2 cups Unsweetened soy milk
- 4 wholes Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 Orange, zested, then segmented
- 1/2 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
- 6 Dried figs, stemmed and chopped
- 1/3 cup Walnuts, toasted and chopped
Method
- Simmer the rinsed farro in 2.5 cups (600 ml) water until the grains are tender but still chewy and most of the water is gone, 25 to 30 minutes. Farro keeps a bite no matter how long it cooks, which is the point: it stays a porridge with texture rather than collapsing into paste.
- While it cooks, blend the pitted dates with the soy milk until smooth. Sweetening the milk itself carries the sweetness evenly through the grain, which matters in a breakfast built without any sugar.
- Pour the date milk into the tender farro with the orange zest, cinnamon, and chopped figs. Simmer another 5 to 8 minutes, stirring, until it thickens and turns creamy and the figs soften. The figs melt slightly and sweeten the pot further as they go.
- Spoon into bowls and top with the orange segments and toasted walnuts. The cold orange against the warm grain and the crunch of the walnuts are what keep it from tasting like plain porridge, so do not skip them.
- It keeps for four days in the fridge and thickens as it sits. Loosen a portion with a splash of soy milk and warm it through, adding fresh fruit and nuts on top so they stay bright and crisp.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 290 calories, 10 g protein, 7 g fiber, 50 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
