Chilaquiles grain bowl with farro, beans and salsa verde

CHILAQUILES GRAIN BOWL WITH FARRO, REFRIED BEANS & SALSA VERDE

Robert Meyers-Lussier

Whole grain farro cooked in roasted garlic broth, layered with spiced refried beans, broiled salsa verde, soft-scrambled egg, avocado, blue cheese, and calamansi-pickled red onions.

PREP 25 MIN | COOK 55 MIN | TOTAL 80 MIN | SERVES 4

Headnote

Whole grain farro cooked in roasted garlic broth forms a nutty, chewy base that holds up to salsa without turning mushy. Refried beans create a creamy binder, while bold spices bloomed in fat ensure even flavor distribution. Pickled red onions with calamansi and sherry vinegar add bright, floral crunch. Finished with blue cheese and sour cream, every bite delivers savory depth, layered heat, and textural contrast.

Ingredients

Pickled Red Onions (Calamansi-Sherry Brine)

• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
• ⅔ cup apple cider vinegar
• ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• ⅔ cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons piloncillo or dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons calamansi juice
• ½ teaspoon whole coriander seeds, lightly crushed
• 3-4 black peppercorns, crushed
• 1 thin slice fresh ginger

Grain Base

• 1 cup whole grain farro (farro integrale), rinsed
• 3-3½ cups low-sodium roasted garlic broth
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon chile powder (or cayenne/chipotle)
• 1 can (16 oz / 453g) refried beans, pinto or black bean
• 1 teaspoon white miso paste
• 1 teaspoon garlic butter, melted
• Kosher salt, to taste

Salsa Verde

• 1 pound (453g) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 1 jalapeño pepper, halved and seeded
• 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• ½ medium white onion, cut into thick rings
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• Optional: ¼ teaspoon masa harina mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Toppings & Assembly

• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• 4 ounces (113g) blue cheese or Roquefort, crumbled
• 4 tablespoons sour cream
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
• Toasted pepitas or quick-fried tortilla strips
• Lime wedges, for serving

Method

1. Pickle the onions.

Combine vinegars, warm water, piloncillo, salt, calamansi juice, coriander, peppercorns, and ginger in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low just until sugar and salt dissolve. Do not boil. Remove from heat. Place sliced red onion in a heatproof jar or bowl. Pour warm brine over onion until fully submerged. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 1 week. Drain before serving.

2. Make the salsa verde.

Position an oven rack 6 inches below the broiler and preheat to high. Arrange tomatillos cut-side down, jalapeño, garlic, and onion on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil 5-7 minutes until charred. Flip and broil 3-4 minutes more. Cool slightly and peel garlic. Transfer vegetables to a blender with cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Pulse to a chunky consistency. Transfer to a small saucepan and simmer 5-7 minutes to thicken slightly. If using masa harina slurry, whisk in during simmer. Remove from heat.

3. Cook the farro.

Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add farro and toast, stirring constantly, 3-4 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Add roasted garlic broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cover and cook 35-40 minutes until tender but chewy with no hard core. Before draining, reserve ¾ cup of the starchy cooking broth. Drain farro. Return farro to the pot over low heat. Add reserved broth and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Stir vigorously 3-4 minutes until liquid reduces to a light glaze.

4. Bloom spices and integrate beans.

Push glazed farro to one side of the pot. Add remaining olive oil to the cleared space. Add cumin, smoked paprika, and chile powder to the oil. Stir constantly over medium-low heat 45-60 seconds until fragrant. In a small bowl, mix miso paste into melted garlic butter until smooth. Add refried beans to the pot with the spiced oil and stir to coat. Add the miso-garlic butter mixture. Stir gently but thoroughly over low heat 1-2 minutes until fully incorporated and heated through. Taste and adjust salt only if needed.

5. Scramble the eggs.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Beat eggs lightly. Pour into skillet. Cook slowly, forming large, soft curds. Remove from heat while eggs are still slightly wet. Fold half the eggs into the grain base and reserve half for topping.

6. Assemble the bowls.

Divide the farro-bean-egg mixture among 4 bowls. Ladle warm salsa verde generously over each. Top with reserved soft-scrambled egg, sliced avocado, crumbled blue cheese, drained pickled red onion, and fresh cilantro. Place 1 tablespoon sour cream on top of each bowl. Finish with toasted pepitas or tortilla strips. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

Chef's Notes (Read Before You Cook)

• Farro variety matters. Whole grain (integrale) requires 35-40 minutes of cooking time. Semi-pearled farro cooks in 20-25 minutes and requires less liquid. Check your package before you start.
• Use low-sodium broth. The refried beans and miso both carry salt. Taste before adding any additional seasoning after bean integration.
• Bloom the spices properly. Lipophilic flavor compounds in cumin, paprika, and chile powder only activate in fat. Forty-five to sixty seconds in hot oil is not optional - rushing this step produces flat, powdery spice flavor.
• Mix miso into the garlic butter first. Adding miso paste directly to the hot pot causes clumping. Emulsifying it into melted butter first ensures even distribution.
• Reserve the farro cooking broth. The starch it carries is what creates the glaze that binds the grain base together. Do not skip this step.
• Pull the eggs early. Soft-scrambled eggs continue cooking from residual heat after you remove the pan. Take them off the heat while they still look slightly underdone.
• Pickled onions need at least 30 minutes. An hour is better. The calamansi adds floral brightness; the sherry vinegar provides a nutty oxidative depth that bridges to the charred salsa.

Make-Ahead & Leftovers

• Pickled red onions hold refrigerated for up to 1 week. Make them the day before for best flavor.
• Salsa verde holds refrigerated for up to 5 days. Reheat gently before serving.
• The farro-bean base holds refrigerated for up to 4 days. Reheat over low heat with a splash of broth or water to loosen.
• Eggs must be made fresh. Do not scramble ahead.
• Assemble bowls to order. The components hold separately; assembled bowls do not.

New to These Ingredients & Techniques?

• Farro is an ancient whole grain wheat with a nutty, slightly chewy texture that holds up to braising and saucing without turning mushy. Farro integrale (whole grain) takes 35-40 minutes to cook and has the most fiber and chew. Semi-pearled farro cooks faster but has less texture. Look for it in the grain or natural foods aisle. Bob's Red Mill and Trader Joe's both carry it reliably.
• Calamansi is a small Southeast Asian citrus fruit with a flavor that sits between lime and mandarin orange - tart, bright, and slightly floral. Bottled calamansi juice is the practical option, available at Asian grocery stores and on Amazon. Lime juice is a workable substitute but produces a simpler, sharper result without the floral note.
• Piloncillo is unrefined Mexican cane sugar sold in small cone or block shapes. It has a deeper, more complex sweetness than white sugar - closer to molasses - and dissolves well in warm liquid. Find it in the Mexican foods aisle or at Latin grocery stores. Dark brown sugar is a direct substitute.
• Tomatillos are small green fruits in papery husks with a tart, slightly vegetal flavor that forms the backbone of salsa verde. They are not unripe tomatoes. Husk and rinse them before use - the husks leave a sticky residue. Find them fresh in the produce section of most grocery stores, or canned in the Mexican foods aisle.
• Masa harina is dried corn flour made from nixtamalized corn - the same base used for tortillas and tamales. A small amount whisked into liquid acts as a thickener with a subtle corn flavor. Maseca is the most widely available brand, found in the Mexican foods aisle.
• Pepitas are hulled pumpkin seeds - flat, green, and mildly nutty when toasted. They add crunch and subtle earthiness as a topping. Find them in the bulk section, snack aisle, or Mexican foods section. Toast them dry in a skillet over medium heat until they start to pop, about 3-4 minutes.
• Blooming spices means cooking ground spices in hot fat for 45-60 seconds before adding other ingredients. The fat carries fat-soluble flavor compounds deeper into the dish than water-based cooking can. The spices should sizzle gently and become very fragrant. If they smell sharp or harsh, the heat is too high.
• Glazing with reserved starch water is the technique in Step 3 where the starchy farro cooking liquid is added back to the drained grain and reduced to a light coating. The dissolved starch acts as a binder, giving the farro a cohesive, slightly glossy texture that holds the bowl together rather than falling apart into loose grains.

NUTRITION

Assumptions

• Pickling brine discarded; approximately 20% of the brine's sugar and salt counted as consumed
• Low-sodium roasted garlic broth
• Standard 16 oz can refried beans (sodium will vary significantly by brand)
• 1 egg, 1/4 avocado, 1 oz blue cheese, 1 tablespoon sour cream per serving

Per Serving (1/4 of recipe)

Calories

Protein

Carbs

Fat

Fiber

Sugars

Sodium

Sat. Fat

Cholesterol

~683 kcal

~27g

~73g

~32g

~16g

~11g

~1,630mg

~11g

~236mg

Whole Recipe (4 servings)

Calories

Protein

Carbs

Fat

Fiber

Sugars

Sodium

Sat. Fat

Cholesterol

~2,731 kcal

~108g

~294g

~128g

~66g

~42g

~6,530mg

~46g

~945mg

Where the calories come from (per serving)

• Grain base (farro, beans, oil): ~320 kcal
• Egg, avocado, blue cheese, sour cream, butter: ~289 kcal
• Salsa verde: ~50 kcal
• Pickled onions: ~25 kcal

Optional toppings (per serving)

• Pepitas (1 tablespoon): +53 kcal, +4.7g fat, +2.6g protein
• Tortilla strips (1/2 oz): +70 kcal, +9g carbs

Estimated values. Sodium in particular will vary based on refried bean and broth brands. Provide nutrition labels for those two ingredients to tighten the numbers.

Robert Meyers-Lussier

© 2026 Robert Meyers-Lussier. All rights reserved.