This recipe has all the flavours of a traditional BLT, but whipped up into a delicious, hearty bowl of grains! Sweet burst tomatoes, spinach, crispy bacon and creamy farro – it's a combo that's sure to turn this sandwich classic into a dinner fit for royalty!
Carb Smart is based on a per serving calculation of the recipe's carbohydrate amount.
Produced in a facility that processes milk, sesame, eggs, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, mustard, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybean and sulphites.
100 g
Bacon Strips
½ cup
Farro
(Contains Wheat)
113 g
Baby Tomatoes
113 g
Baby Spinach
2 unit
Garlic, cloves
50 g
Shallot
1 tbsp
White Wine Vinegar
(Contains Sulphites)
½ cup
White Cheddar Cheese, shredded
(Contains Milk)
1 unit
Chicken Broth Concentrate
1 tbsp
Balsamic Vinegar
(Contains Sulphites)
0.13 tsp
Salt*
0.13 tsp
Pepper*
½ tbsp
Oil*
Before starting, preheat the broiler to high. Wash and dry all produce. Add farro, 1 tsp salt and 3 cups water (dbl both for 4 ppl) to a medium pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low. Cook uncovered until farro is tender, 18-20 min. Reserve 3 tbsp cooking water (dbl for 4 ppl), then drain and return farro to the same pot, off heat.
While farro cooks, add tomatoes and 1/2 tbsp oil (dbl for 4 ppl) to an unlined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, then toss to coat. Broil in the middle of oven, until tomatoes burst, 5-6 min. When tomatoes are done, remove the baking sheet from the oven. On the baking sheet, toss tomatoes with balsamic vinegar. Set aside.
While tomatoes broil, peel, then finely chop shallot. Peel, then grate or mince garlic. Roughly chop spinach. Cut bacon into 1-inch pieces.
Add bacon and 2 tbsp water (dbl for 4 ppl) to a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Cook, flipping occasionally, until crispy, 8-10 min.** Remove the pan from heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside. Reserve bacon fat in the pan.
Return the pan with reserved bacon fat to medium, then add shallots and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until softened, 1-2 min. Add white wine vinegar. Cook, stirring often, until slightly reduced, 1-2 min. Add farro, white cheddar cheese, broth concentrate and reserved cooking water to the pan. Stir until combined, then add spinach. (TIP: For 4 ppl, add spinach in 2 batches!) Cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted and cheese is melted, 2-3 min. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Divide farro between plates. Top with balsamic roasted tomatoes and bacon.