I mix fall veggies like fingerling and sweet potatoes with tart green apple, fresh jalapeños, and umami-bomb pecorino Romano cheese in my fiber-loaded farro salad. Sometimes I make something that’s as guilt-free as it is indulgent. This is one of those times.
This one takes me a while to eat. That’s because I’m always looking to craft the perfect bite. And I accidentally realized that there are literally a dozen perfect bites in the same bowl of food in my farro salad. I could go with the roasted sweet potato and pecorino for umami. Or jalapeño, apple and cashew for a bite of sweet, nutty heat. Or fingerling potato and zucchini. I found that the flavor combination options were pretty dang robust. Ben was already on his second bowl by the time I made it halfway through my first.
Lately, I’ve been leaning into making food that tastes good – but that, ahem… favors my waistline. So making something like a Mediterranean style natto bowl or a mushroom and fennel farro risotto has been my priority. But first and foremost, it’s gotta be enjoyable or I’m not eating it. So the fact that this farro salad is low in sodium, packed with fiber and other nutritious ingredients kinda comes secondary. There are a ton of perfect bite combinations in this salad, and that’s what I care about most.
Table of Contents
Why I Like Farro
Farro is an ancient grain that has a nutty flavor on it’s own. But what I like most is that it takes on whatever flavors I throw at it. If I cook it in chicken stock, it’ll taste like chicken. If I add soy sauce, it’ll be umami. Since it’s used so heavily in Italian cuisine, I typically trend towards Mediterranean flavors when using it – but it’s super versatile.
Ingredients
- Farro: I use 1 cup of pearled farro for this recipe.
- Vegetable Broth: This is the cooking liquid for the farro. I’ve tried with both veggie and chicken broth. And once, when I was out of both, I used water with a pinch of salt.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Use a good first press olive oil to pan fry the vegetables.
- Sweet Potatoes and Fingerling Potatoes: The caramelization on the roasted potatoes is actually my favorite part of this entire salad.
- Carrot, Red Onion and Zucchini: For a fun play on textures, and plenty of color.
- Garlic: Once I’ve pan fried and oven roasted the garlic, it’s slightly charred and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
- Balsamic Vinegar: This adds a subtle tart and fruity element. Sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar are good alternatives.
- Jalapeño Peppers and Granny Smith Apple: Keep these fresh.
- Cashews and Pecorino Romano: These are the finishers I add at the very and right before serving. Nutty and umami.
Variations
This farro salad is endlessly customizable.
Add herbs or fresh greens. Basil or mint immediately come to mind. And I love adding leafy greens like shredded spinach, baby kale or romaine.
Try a different cheese. Mozzarella or burrata cheese would send this dish down a decidedly creamier path. Goat cheese or feta would impart a more grassy, savory element.
Make it vegan. Just leave the cheese out entirely.
Alter the spice. This is easy. When I make this for people who are sensitive to spice, I remove the seeds from the jalapeño peppers. When making it for my spice junky husband, I leave the seeds in.
How To Make It
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a medium size baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil and set aside.
- Rinse and cook the farro. Rinse the farro grains under water and drain. Bring the farro and stock to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and lower the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 mins, turn the heat off and drain the excess liquid if there is any. Transfer the farro to a large bowl and set aside.
- Pan fry the veggies. Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat and when the oil is hot, add the sweet potato, fingerling potatoes, carrot, and red onion. Check the recipe card below for timing guidelines. Add the garlic and zucchini last.
- Season and roast vegetables. Add the balsamic vinegar and toss the vegetables to coat them evenly. Transfer the vegetables onto the baking sheet in one layer. Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes.
- Mix, season and serve. Take the vegetables out of the oven and add them to the farro. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Expert Tips
Rinse the farro before cooking. This is just to remove dust and debris that may have hitched a ride in the long journey from the farm to processing to the grocery store. I never skip the rinse.
Don’t roast the apples, cashews or jalapeños. This salad has roasted elements: fingerling and sweet potatoes, zucchini, carrots onions and garlic. And it has fresh elements: chili peppers, apples, cashews. Those cooked and fresh ingredients provide an intentional contrast both in terms of flavor and texture. The fresh snap plays off the rustic roasted earthiness.
Sprinkle lemon juice on the apples to keep them from browning. This is an old trick, but it works. It also introduces a bit more contrasting tartness to the dish.
Storage
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Farro salad keeps fairly well in the fridge – although the apples will eventually brown. It’s best to remove the apples for storage.
I enjoy these leftovers at room temperature, sprinkled with a little salt and pepper.
While it is possible to freeze cooked farro, I don’t recommend freezing the composed salad. The cheese will take on a strange, gummy texture when thawed.
What I Serve With Farro Salad
When I make hearty salads like this one, I immediately gravitate to soups and stews. Here are some of my favorite plug and play options.
- Tuscan White Bean Soup
- Edamame Vichyssoise (Chilled Edamame and Potato Soup)
- Umami Pinto Bean Stew
- Minestrone Soup
- Creamy Potato Celery Soup
Frequently Asked Questions
If this was rice or quinoa, leftover cooking liquid would be a problem. But when making farro, it’s common for there to be some unabsorbed liquid. Think of it more like pasta. Just drain it in a fine mesh sieve or colander.
This is mainly to cut down on cooking time. The pan frying gives the vegetables a head start. Carrots and potatoes in particular take quite a while to cook. The final step of roasting them in the oven imparts them with deep caramelization.
It means farro has been nourishing people for a long time. It’s a whole grain that is said to have been found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs. It was brought to Ancient Rome around 44 BCE – where it was the predominant grain used in Italian cooking until rice took the top spot.
No. Farro comes from three different wheat species. People with gluten allergies can try making this with brown rice. Or make my zesty quinoa salad instead.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Do you have other favorite grain salads you love to eat? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
Hearty Farro Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 people 1x
- Category: Salads
- Method: Mixed
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
I roast rustic fall veggies and mix them with heart-healthy, fiber-loaded farro. My farro salad is brimming with tart apple, spicy jalapeños and umami-packed pecorino Romano cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 cup farro
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped bite size
- 3 fingerling potatoes, chopped bite size
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped bite size
- 1 red onion, peeled and chopped into half moons
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 zucchini, chopped bite size
- 2 tablespoons balsamic or sherry vinegar
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped bite size
- 1/4 cup cashew nuts
- 1/4 cup shaved pecorino Romano or feta cheese, optional (skip to make this recipe vegan)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a medium size baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil and set aside.
- Rinse farro under water and add to a small pot with stock.
- Bring farro to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain excess liquid, transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
- Pan fry the vegetables. In a large pan over medium high heat, add olive oil, sweet potato, fingerling potatoes, carrot and red onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and zucchini and cook for 3 minutes.
- Season the vegetables. Add balsamic vinegar and toss. Turn the heat off and transfer vegetables to the baking sheet.
- Roast vegetables for 20 minutes and add to cooked farro.
- Mix and serve. Add the remaining ingredients and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Notes
Store the leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 308
- Sugar: 8.8g
- Sodium: 160.4mg
- Fat: 8.2g
- Saturated Fat: 1.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 46.9g
- Fiber: 8.6g
- Protein: 8.5g
- Cholesterol: 2.4mg
Looks good–I’ll have to try it. One of my favourite things is pot barley and I find it’s a healthy alternative just like farro that gets overlooked by many people.