Ayocote Blanco e Farro Minestra – Italian Soup with Beans, Farro, and Vegetables

A nourishing Italian-inspired soup made with ayocote blanco beans, farro, zucchini, spinach, and a Pecorino rind. Comforting, healthy, and perfect for a dreary day.

Lou LaMedica

Sep 24, 2025

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Ayocote Blanco e Farro Minestra – Italian Soup with Beans, Farro, and Vegetables

Ayocote Blanco e Farro Minestra

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6)

Method

Serving suggestion

Ayocote Blanco e Farro Minestra – Italian Soup with Beans, Farro, and Vegetables

I always lean Italian when it comes to soups. And I always lean toward soup on dreary days. Today was one of those days, gray and damp, the kind of weather that makes you want something warm and steady in a bowl. Luckily, I had my weekly pot of beans waiting in the fridge, this time ayocote blancos from Mexico.

Keeping good quality cooked beans on hand has transformed my cooking and my diet. It is a quiet discipline that pays off every week. I am losing weight slowly, building muscle, and I never feel like I am stuck for a meal. With beans ready, the fridge always holds the possibility of something good with just a little creativity.

Farro is one of my favorite partners for beans, especially in soups. It brings chew and nuttiness, while the beans give creaminess and broth. I first learned to pair the two from the book Fagioli, and it is a lesson that has stuck. A bowl of beans and farro is always satisfying, never heavy, and endlessly adaptable.

This pot of Ayocote Blanco e Farro Minestra came together with the week’s beans, a spoonful of tomato paste fried into the soffritto, a zucchini from the crisper, a Pecorino rind from the freezer, and a few handfuls of spinach to finish. A farmhouse meal for a dreary day, simple, nourishing, Italian at heart.

Ayocote Blanco e Farro Minestra

with Zucchini, Spinach and Pecorino Rind

Ingredients (serves 4 to 6)

2 cups cooked ayocote blanco beans plus their broth

5 cups stock (vegetable or light chicken, adjust as needed)

1 cup cooked farro, al dente

1 medium onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

3 to 4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 to 2 Serrano chiles, finely chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 medium zucchini, diced

3 to 4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped

1 rind of Pecorino Romano

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 sprig rosemary or 1 bay leaf

Salt and black pepper

Finishing: extra virgin olive oil, grated Pecorino, squeeze of lemon

Method

Cook farro in salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a heavy pot, heat olive oil. Add onion, carrot, celery, and serrano. Sauté until softened. Stir in garlic, then add tomato paste. Fry 2 to 3 minutes until darkened and fragrant.

Add beans, their broth, zucchini, stock, rosemary or bay leaf, and the Pecorino rind. Simmer gently 15 minutes to let flavors meld.

Add cooked farro and spinach. Simmer just until spinach wilts. Adjust salt and pepper.

Remove cheese rind or leave for soft cheesy bites. Ladle into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle Pecorino, and finish with a squeeze of lemon.

Serving suggestion

Pair with heirloom tomato bruschetta (recipe here) as your antipasto. The bright acidity of the tomatoes cuts right through the rustic stew, making a perfect late summer Italian table.

I love soups because they are healthy, comforting, and reheat well. They are filling in a way only a bowl of broth and beans can be, with the liquid itself becoming part of the meal. On dreary days especially, they feel like the most natural food to turn to. With beans and farro in the pot, vegetables from the crisper, and a little imagination, I know there is always something nourishing waiting on the stove.

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Lou LaMedica