Easy 30-Minute Chicken, Vegetable & Farro Soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: About 14 cups

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups water for cooking farro
7 ounces Alessi Organic Butternut Squash & Kale Pearled Farro (1 package)Add
3 tablespoons Alessi Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 cups sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, peeled and diced small (about 2 medium or 1 large onion)
1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced thin (about 1 1/2 large carrots)
1 cup celery, sliced thin (about 2 stalks)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
64 ounces (8 cups) low sodium chicken broth
3-4 cups shredded cooked chicken (use about 1 whole store-bought rotisserie chicken to save time; or roast or cook your own chic
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Alessi Sea Salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon Alessi Black Peppercorns, or to taste
leaves from 4 large stalks of kale, torn into bite sized pieces (discard the center thick rib)
1 cup zucchini, diced small (from about 1 medium zucchini)
3-4 tablespoons fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice, optional (brightens up the flavor)

Directions

To a large skillet, add the, water bring to a boil, add the farro, and cook according to package directions, about 20 minutes or until water has been absorbed and farro is tender. While farro cooks, make the soup.
To a large Dutch oven or stockpot, add the oil, onion, carrots, celery, and sauté over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften. Stir intermittently.
Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Stir intermittently.
Add the chicken broth, shredded chicken, bay leaves, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and boil about 5 minutes, or until chicken is warmed through.
Add the kale, zucchini, parsley, optional lemon juice, and boil 1 to 2 minutes, or until kale has wilted and zucchini has softened.
Add 1 heaping cup cooked farro, or all of it if desired, and stir to combine. Tip – If you add just the 1 heaping cup of farro, the extra great as a side instead of rice and it will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Taste soup and add salt, pepper, or herbs, to taste. Amount of salt will vary based on how salty the brand of chicken broth used is, how salty the rotisserie chicken is, and personal preference. At any time while making the soup, if the overall liquid level is lower than you like and you prefer more broth, adding a cup or two of water is okay because at the end you will adjust the salt level. Remove bay leaves and serve immediately. Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for 5 to 7 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Featured on: Averie Cooks