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★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
Hearty and Flavorful
This hearty and healthy salad eats like a meal and is layered with flavor!
Made with a blend of fruits and greens, topped with a creamy tahini-based dressing, this farro salad recipe is easy to assemble and can be made any time of year since it incorporates winter-friendly fruits.
Packed with Fiber
When you're feeling the need to detox from comforting casseroles, this is a great go-to. It's a vitamin and fiber-packed salad.
This recipe offers a unique blend of fruits and greens creating amazing flavor and easy-to-eat texture.
Homemade or Bottled Dressing
Annie's Goddess Dressing can be used in place of the homemade dressing if you are short on time.
Toasted for Even More Flavor
The toasted farro adds extra nuttiness along with pecans. Sliced pears, dried cherries, and crunchy shallots add a touch of sweetness and a subtle bite.
Creaminess
Feta cheese and creamy tahini-maple-lemon dressing finish this salad off, adding richness and plenty of tang.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
Here's a look at the fruits, veggies, and greens you'll need, plus ingredients for the dressing.
For the Salad:
- Farro. This comes dried. You'll toast it before cooking to bring out its nature nutty flavor.
- Arugula. This has a peppery flavor which adds a nice layer of flavor to this salad.
- Pear. Red anjou pear was used to develop this recipe, but any pear variety will do. Choose one that is still quite firm so it holds up to being tossed in the salad. If pears are unavailable, swap them for apple slices or use a firm peach, if you'd prefer.
- Dried cherries. Or you can use dried cranberries.
- Pecans. You can toast these as well for added flavor.
- Shallot. This has a nice subtle flavor. You can also use a red onion if you prefer.
- Flat-leaf parsley. Fresh is best but you can use dried if that's easier.
- Feta cheese. Crumbled. You can eliminate the feta to make the recipe vegan.
For the Dressing:
Mix together: olive oil, sea salt, tahini pasta, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and maple syrup.
Save the lemon zest from your juiced lemon and use it to garnish the salad for extra zest.
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
This farro salad comes together in just a few steps. Here's a look at the steps.
- Toast dried farro in a skillet, for flavor.
- Cook the farro using the package instructions.
- Whisk together dressing ingredients.
- Slice the pear and sshallot.
- Layer everything in a bowl and drizzle with dressing.
- Enjoy!
Simple as that. Optionally, you can also toast the pecans for extra flavor.
★ Tips & FAQs ★
Tips
- Seasoning the farro while still hot allows the kernels to absorb better.
- Spreading the farro out on a baking sheet to cool prevents it from becoming overcooked and gummy.
- The pear will quickly discolor once cut. To prevent browning, toss the pear slices with lemon juice before serving.
- Slice shallots paper-thin so they can absorb the dressing and mellow in flavor.
FAQs
Salad is best enjoyed fresh; however, if you are meal-prepping or are planning on having leftovers you want to save for later, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple days.
Just be sure to keep the dressing separate and add it right before you're ready to eat. Storing the farro separately will also help the salad greens and fruit not to wilt so quickly.
Yes! Try this salad topped with rotisserie chicken, cooked salmon, hard-boiled eggs, or several dollops of hummus for a more complete, protein-packed meal that could potentially serve as a healthy, yet hearty dinner.
This farro salad can be served with soup, sandwich, a baguette, or a side of pasta like mac and cheese.
★ More Salad Recipes ★
Love tasty salads?
Browse all my easy salad recipes and Pin your favorites for later.
Toasted Farro Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Salad
- 8 oz dried farro (1 cup)
- 6 cups arugula
- 1 pear
- ¼ cup dried cherries
- ¼ cup toasted pecans
- ¼ cup thinly sliced shallot
- 2 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoon crumbled feta (optional)
Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt divided
- 2 tablespoon tahini paste
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup
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Instructions
- Toast farro. Dry toast the farro in a pan set over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant.
- Cook farro. Rinse the toasted farro using a strainer then cook according to package instructions. Immediately toss the cooked farro with 2 tablespoons olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt while still hot. Spread seasoned farro onto a baking sheet to cool.
- Make dressing. In a small bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and maple syrup with the remaining ¼ cup olive oil and ¾ teaspoon salt. Whisk until smooth. Or, add all ingredients to a mason jar, tighten the lid and shake.
- Layer salad ingredients in a bowl. Place seasoned farro in a large salad bowl the add arugula, sliced pear, pecans, sliced shallots, and dried cherries.
- Add dressing, parsley, and feta. Drizzle the prepared dressing over the top and toss well to coat. Scatter the parsley and crumbled feta (if using) over the top. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Rinsing the farro before boiling reduces the amount of starch in the water and keeps the farro from getting sticky.
- Farro cooking time is highly dependent on variety. I’ve used Italian pearled farro for this recipe, which cooks in just 15 minutes.
- For an easy variation, skip the homemade dressing and use Annie's Goddess Salad Dressing.
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