Farro Soup in the Style of Lucca

I wanted to make soup tonight because I was feeling awful all day. I was hoping to use farro in it, since I'd picked some up the other day while I was shopping, so I decided to use this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/farro-soup-in-the-style-of-lucca-minestra-di-faro-lucchese-recipe/index.html with a few changes (my changes are in italics).

3 TBS olive oil

1 vidalia onion

no celery - didn't have any

1 leek, white and light green part only, thinly sliced

1 cup farro

1 can borlotti beans, rinsed and drained (I can now assure you that pinto beans taste and feel about the same, but are cheaper. Kidney beans would be okay, too)

1 TBS tomato paste

~6 cups water

1 bouillon cube (I used mushroom, but anything would work here, it serves to give it depth) 

1.5 cups frozen peas

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into small circles

1 tsp dried basil

mushroom salt

freshly ground pepper

extra virgin olive oil

no Parmigiano-Reggiano (for obvious reasons!)

In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add onion and leek and cook until soft and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the farro, beans, and tomato paste, stirring to spread the paste. Add about 4 cups of the water, or whatever it takes to submerge the pan's existing ingredients. Let it come to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the peas, carrots, bouillon cube, and basil for another 30 minutes, adding water bit by bit to prevent the soup from getting too dry. Place the soup into bowls, then add a sprinkling of mushroom salt, freshly ground pepper, and 1/2 tsp of high quality olive oil to the top of each bowl. 

This is a hearty soup! It's more of a stew, so perhaps I didn't add enough water, but it turned out great. We all gave it a solid 4 and I'd make it again, though next time I'm thinking pressure cooker, since the sucker takes so long on the stovetop!

Calories: 286

Fat: 8.3 g

Carbs: 44.7 g

Fiber: 12.1 g

Sugars: 5.6 g

Protein: 11.2 g

Vitamin A: 96%

Vitamin C: 13%

Calcium: 7%

Iron: 21%