Consider this a ton of herbs and quadruple caramelized! In the winter, I try to stick with eating what is available to me, which means I end up having a lot of root vegetables and a lot (a lot…a LOT) of onions. And while caramelized onions can be pretty ho-hum on their own, when paired with earthy farro and a bright lemon dressing, they can turn a whole meal into something filling, nutritious and delicious. This does take a bit of time to caramelize the onions, but the meal is perfect for meal prep or an easy plant-based dinner!
If you saw the recipe on my socials, you’ll know I didn’t add beans, but I ended up adding the option to this recipe to bulk up the protein and the meal potential of this recipe!
Table of contents
Everything you’ll need for this caramelized onion and farro dish
The beauty of this recipe is it’s all about seasonality. I’m ready for spring to be here, but alas, it’s still winter. So, I’m taking winter ingredients and making them a bit fresher, a bit brighter and letting them have some time to shine. Rather than making a caramelized onion soup like we normally would in the dead of winter, we’re making a caramelized onion grain bowl that’s brought to life by citrus and herbs. Here’s what you’ll need for this springy dish:
CARAMELIZED LEMON DRESSING
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium lemon, thinly sliced and seeds removed
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2/3 cup raw walnuts
- 1/2 cup fresh dill
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
CARAMELIZED ONION FARRO
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large leek greens, removed (see note) and thinly sliced
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 cup dried farro, rinsed
- 1 14-ounce can of white beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed
FOR GARNISHING
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh dill
- 2/3 cup feta or vegan feta, stored in brine
*Note: you can reserve the leek tops to use for vegetable stock, or this recipe!
How to make the perfect plant-based dressing
If you know me, then you know I’m a huge fan of vegan dips, spreads and dressings. Sometimes they’re even better than their dairy counterparts, and I love how versatile they are. Usually, I use cashews to make cashew cream for things like veganaise and other dressings, but this recipe uses walnuts to make the dressing. The ultra-nuttiness and buttery texture of the walnuts give this dressing a solid foundation to support the caramelized lemons and fresh dill. Here’s how to make this delicious dressing:
- Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil, or enough to coat the pan. Let this heat up for a few minutes.
- Add the lemon slices to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the slices are deeply browned and caramelized. Pick out any seeds you find along the way. Transfer the lemon slices to a small blender, leaving any remaining oil in the pan.
- Add the garlic, walnuts, dill and salt to the blender and set it aside, uncovered, to let it come to room temperature.
A bit about caramelizing the lemons and onions
Caramelizing is one of those magical things that transforms almost anything into a savory dish with plenty of depth. It’s an absolute gift and completely addicting, so that’s why this recipe is centered completely on the caramelized lemons and onions. But, there’s a stipulation with this dish… you have to make sure that everything is actually caramelized!
I’m not talking just soft and translucent. No, we need the sugars in the lemons and onions to brown a bit, which gives that savory and slightly sweet complexity. The key here is to have patience, to give it some time and space and let the magic happen on its own.
For this recipe, the lemons will take about 3-4 minutes on each side and the onions should take about 40-45 minutes to cook down and begin to caramelize. Stir the onions occasionally, but not too often as that will lengthen the process. Have faith in the heat and oil, and let them do their thing!
FAQ
Yes! I suggest storing each component (the farro and onions, dressing and fresh herbs) in separate containers in the fridge. When you’re ready to eat, heat up the farro and onion mixture in the microwave and top with a bit of dressing and herbs.
Absolutely. For this recipe, I recommend barley, bulgur wheat or brown rice. Any one of these swaps will work well with this recipe!
Chickpeas would work great in this recipe (I have another option here), but you could also go for any white bean like butter beans or navy beans. If you’re not in the mood for beans, crispy tofu would be a good addition.
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Watch the recipe here
The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.
Caramelized Onion Farro with Caramelized Lemon Dressing
Equipment
- 1 small blender
- 1 large sauté pan or skillet
Ingredients
For the caramelized lemon dressing
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium lemon thinly sliced and seeds removed
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2/3 cup raw walnuts
- 1/2 cup fresh dill
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the caramelized onion farro
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large leek greens removed (see note) and thinly sliced
- 1 large red onion thinly sliced
- 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 cup dried farro rinsed
- 1 14-ounce can of white beans or chickpeas drained and rinsed
For garnishing
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh dill
- 2/3 cup feta or vegan feta, stored in brine
Instructions
- Begin by assembling the lemon dressing. Set a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil, or enough to coat the pan. Let this heat up for a few minutes.
- Add the lemon slices to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the slices are deeply browned and caramelized. Pick out any seeds you find along the way. Transfer the lemon slices to a small blender, leaving any remaining oil in the pan.
- Add the garlic, walnuts, dill and salt to the blender and set it aside, uncovered, to let it come to room temperature.
- Next, make the farro. Add the same pan back over medium heat and add another few tablespoons of olive oil. Add in the sliced leeks and onions and season with a few big pinches of salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally for 40-45 minutes, or until the onions have cooked down to half their size and are beginning to take on color and caramelize. Add more olive oil as needed during this process.
- While the onions are cooking, add two quarts of water to a large pot and set it over high heat. Bring the pot to a boil, add a large pinch of salt, and add the farro. Reduce the pot to a simmer and cook the farro for 25-30 minutes, or until the grains are tender but not split. Drain and set aside.
- When the onions are finished, add in the farro and the beans. Stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Tear in the cup of fresh parsley and the half cup of fresh dill into the farro. Stir to combine.
- Add 2/3 cup of cool water to the lemon dressing in the blender, and blend until smooth. It will be thick, almost like a drizzly nut butter. Taste and season with salt as desired. It should taste bright and lemony.
- To serve, add a swipe of the lemon dressing to the bottom of the bowl. Pile the farro on top and sprinkle with crumbled feta. Enjoy immediately!
As a lover of garlic who usually doubles the amount written, I stuck with 4 raw cloves as written for the dressing and it was far too overwhelming. I liked it otherwise and may make it again! But will roast the garlic next time to cut the sharpness.
Hi MS! This could also have been due to the size of your garlic cloves, I always *umph* up the garlic in my recipes due to personal preference, but if you have garlic confit on hand, that’s a great way to mellow it to your preference without having to roast garlic each time!
Great suggestion-thanks for the reply! They were on the larger size for sure.
I’m always amazed by the new, creative recipes you gift us! I took a little gamble with this one because I had to make some substitutions with my gluten and nut allergy. I subbed the farro with quinoa, which worked great! I subbed the walnuts with sunflower seeds on the sauce which was kind of meh. The caramelized lemons were so delicious, but something about the sunflower seeds detracted from the lemon, garlic, dill mix. I was debating also pumpkin seeds in the moment? Do you have any thoughts on walnut substitutions for this recipe? I’d really love to make it again, if you have any recommendations? This was a joy to cook regardless as I had just gotten my knife sharpened yesterday and made all that thin slicing delightful!
Oooo this is a good question! I’ve always had a difficult time with sunflower seeds as well, but perhaps tahini? I’ll need to test it, but using half the amount of tahini as walnuts would be my first try.
I tried it with Tahini! Delicious!!
I used this recipe as inspo for a lazy pantry “slop” dinner and was not disappointed! For some reasons my lemons did not caramelize (I think because I used a nonstick saucepan, lol rookie mistake) but I threw them in with the farro once it was ready to be added and came away with the most delicious flavor! Also, I added a can of white beans because I only had half an onion (no leeks) and needed some heft. Always amazed by how simply yet elegant these dishes are, and how easy they are to adapt to what you have in your pantry.
This is the nicest comment – I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And yes, the nonstick might make it harder to get some color on the lemon, but I’m happy it still came out delicious 🙂