1. First cook the farro: Put 2 quarts (8 cups) of water into a pot with 1 1/2 tsp of salt. Turn heat to high to bring to a boil. Once boiling, add 1 cup rinsed farro. Bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-high and boil uncovered for 30 minutes until tender. Drain the excess water once done.
2. While the farro is cooking, start making the soup:
3. Dice up the onion, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and carrots.
4. Preheat a large pot to medium-high heat with avocado oil.
5. Add the diced onion and mushrooms and cook for 5-7 minutes until the onion is translucent.
6. While waiting, dice up the chicken into small pieces.
7. Once the onion is translucent, incorporate the diced sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic, and the diced carrot and cook a minute or two while stirring everything together.
8. Add the diced chicken and cook until no longer pink, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Season with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
9. Put 2-3 handfuls of spinach in with 8 cups of broth in and bring to a light simmer. Simmer until the spinach is wilted and the carrots are tender. 
10. Once the farro is done cooking, drain the excess water, then put the drained farro into the soup and stir it all together.
11. Remove the soup from heat, then add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and the ricotta and mix it all together. Taste test and add another 1/4-1/2 tsp of salt or so if desired.
12. Put the soup into bowls, garnish with fresh grated parmesan if desired, and serve with fresh baked sourdough or toast.
13. Please be sure to leave a comment and rating if you try this recipe! I would love to hear your feedback and your engagement on my website means more than you know!

Modifications and variations:

• I love adding ricotta because the creamy and slightly sweet nature of it balances the acidic/tart flavor of lemon and really takes the flavor of the soup to the next level. With that said, you can substitute heavy cream (I would do about 1/3-1/2 cup) instead, or if you are dairy-free then you can omit it completely. It’s still delicious without it but has a slightly more tart and bright flavor.
• I personally think of the lemon flavor as more on the mild side and very balanced for this soup, but you can increase the lemon juice / zest according to preference. I used a large lemon that was very juicy and I found it perfect, but maybe buy 2 lemons in case you want extra in the soup.
• Switch up the veggies however you desire – for example, you can use kale instead of spinach, add celery, omit the mushrooms or sun-dried tomatoes, etc.