Name: Slow Cooker Winter Vegetable and Farro Stew
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 270 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 6 medium clove(s) garlic clove(s) chopped, divided; 0.5 cup(s) fresh parsley flat leaf variety, coarsely chopped; 0.5 tsp table salt or to taste, divided; 0.25 tsp black pepper or to taste, divided; 2 Tbsp olive oil; 2 tsp fennel seed; 1 medium uncooked fennel bulb(s) chopped; 1 medium uncooked onion(s) yellow, chopped; 10 oz Cremini mushrooms button or shiitake, cut into bite-size pieces; 2 pound(s) uncooked kabocha squash or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-in pieces (4 c); 28 oz canned tomatoes whole San Marzano variety, crushed; 4 cup(s) fat free reduced sodium vegetable broth; 0.75 cup(s) uncooked farro or spelt, rinsed; 0.75 cup(s) dry lentils black, green or brown variety, rinsed; 1 oz parmesan cheese shaved; 1 pinch table salt; 1 pinch black pepper

Total Time: 4:30
Prep: 0:30
Cook: 4:00
Serves: 6
Difficulty: Easy

Feel free to mix up the vegetables here, using any kind of winter squash and mix of mushrooms you like.

Ingredients

garlic clove(s)

6 medium clove(s), chopped, divided
fresh parsley

½ cup(s), flat leaf variety, coarsely chopped
table salt

½ tsp, or to taste, divided
black pepper

¼ tsp, or to taste, divided
olive oil

2 Tbsp
fennel seed

2 tsp
uncooked fennel bulb(s)

1 medium, chopped
uncooked onion(s)

1 medium, yellow, chopped
Cremini mushrooms

10 oz, button or shiitake, cut into bite-size pieces
uncooked kabocha squash

2 pound(s), or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-in pieces (4 c)
canned tomatoes

28 oz, whole San Marzano variety, crushed
fat free reduced sodium vegetable broth

4 cup(s)
uncooked farro

¾ cup(s), or spelt, rinsed
dry lentils

¾ cup(s), black, green or brown variety, rinsed
parmesan cheese

1 oz, shaved
table salt

1 pinch
black pepper

1 pinch

Instructions

Combine 1/3 of garlic and parsley in a small bowl; season with a pinch each salt and pepper and set aside.
If you have a slow cooker insert that you can saute in on the stovetop, use it to heat oil over medium-high heat. Add fennel seed and remaining garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant and fennel and garlic begin to smell toasty, about 2 minutes. Add fennel bulb, onion and mushrooms and season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. (Alternatively, if your slow cooker does not have a saute option, you can saute vegetables in a large skillet and transfer to slow cooker at this stage).
Add squash, tomatoes, broth, farro and lentils to slow cooker; season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper, or to taste. Cover slow cooker and set heat to high; cook until farro, lentils and squash are completely cooked through, 4 hours. Uncover, stir and season to taste if necessary. Serve topped with garlic-parsley mixture and Parmesan.
Serving size: 2 1/2 c

Notes

This can be made stovetop as well; just make sure to use a large, heavy bottomed pot. Cook as instructed (replacing slow cooker with a dutch oven or soup pot) and reduce cook time to 1 ½ hours.

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Slow Cooker Winter Vegetable and Farro Stew

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