Farro Pasta with Winter Vegetables

We were prepared for Nemo to hit. It seemed like all of Brooklyn was. At 3 p.m. on Friday, lines stretched into the aisles at the grocery store, and liquor sales were up 500 percent from a typical Friday. Our electronics were charged, we dug out the flashlights we had purchased for Sandy a few months earlier, and we pulled out our favorite board games.

Most importantly, we had Nutella. Nutella on crackers. Nutella with pretzels. Nutella with pecans.

And best of all, chocolate chip pancakes drizzled with Nutella and dulche de leche for breakfast. With mimosas and big cups of coffee.

Oh yes, you read that right. 

They were superb. The perfect breakfast for that we're in the middle of a blizzard so all normal breakfast rules get tossed right out the window kind of morning. 

I enjoyed every bite. 

Then I went outside. By 11 a.m., the sidewalks and streets near me were already cleared. 

By the time I got home, the reality of all that Nutella hit me. 

So I planned a much healthier meal for later in the day, loaded with roasted and sauteed winter vegetable that provide a perfect balance of sweetness and crunch. 

The farro pasta contributes a delightful, nutty flavor that takes pasta to a whole new level, and it's definitely worth hunting for. 

Farro Pasta with Winter Vegetables

Note: If you prep your ingredients in advance, all of the steps can be done simultaneously. You can roast the sweet potato, saute the brussels sprouts, and cook the pasta at the same time.

Depending on how much pasta you decide to use, you can really stretch this dish far. I portioned it out, and I got about 8 dinner-sized portions out of my box of farro pasta (before tossing it into the recycling without checking how many ounces of pasta I used). Feel free to make a partial box of pasta, but I'd recommend keeping the vegetable amounts the same.

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato, diced into small pieces
30 brussels sprouts, bottoms trimmed, thinly sliced in circles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 package frozen peas
1 package farro pasta
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Dice a sweet potato into small pieces. Place on a baking sheet, toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and roast, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potato pieces are softened, about 20 minutes.

While the sweet potato is roasting, preheat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sliced brussels sprouts. Sautee stirring regularly, about 20 minutes, until the brussels are softened and wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

At the same time, put a large saucepan of cold water on the stove over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add 1 teaspoon salt and your farro pasta. Cook according to package directions, removing right before the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta.

Add the pasta, roasted sweet potato, brussels and frozen peas to the large saute pan. Toss for 1 to 2 minutes over low heat until ingredients are incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm, or reheat as needed.