This chewy Farro Salad is one of my favorite one-pan salads, combining the nutty flavor of farro with broth-rich sauteed vegetables and pecorino.
The salad is tossed in a delicious lemon vinaigrette and can be enjoyed warm or cold alongside some crusty Italian bread and a choice of meat for a nutritious meal.
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❤️ Why I love this recipe
- This delicious farro salad can be served warm or cold - giving you more options!
- Using hardy kale instead of spinach and arugula in this recipe means avoiding a wilted mess.
- This farro salad is packed with fresh ingredients and many health benefits.
Enjoy this warm and chewy farro salad with lemon and herb vinaigrette as a delicious side dish for holidays, midweek family meals, or potlucks!
🛒 Ingredients
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Note: The full list of this recipe ingredients with their amounts and options are listed in the recipe card below.
- semi-pearled dry farro
- shallots
- red pepper flakes
- extra virgin olive oil
- kale
- chicken broth -- may also use beef or vegetable broth
- grape tomatoes - can also substitute cherry tomatoes
- balsamic vinegar
- kosher salt
- pecorino cheese - may also use parmesan cheese
- fresh lemon - zest and juice
- fresh basil
- ground black pepper
🗒 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Boil water with salt in a saucepan. Cook the farro on simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Remove from the heat, drain, and set aside.
- Saute the shallots with garlic, pepper flakes, and oil over medium heat.
- Stir in the kale with the broth until softened.
- Add the tomatoes, salt, vinegar, pecorino, and zest.
- Add the farro.
- Stir to combine.
- Make the vinaigrette by combining the basil, oil, lemon juice, salt, and ground black pepper.
- Toss the salad with the vinaigrette and serve.
🔪 Equipment
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- Saucepan
- Deep skillet
- Mixing spoon
- Liquid measuring cup
- Dry measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Small glass bowl
🤔 FAQs
These are the questions we are most frequently asked about making the Mediterranean Farro Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette recipe.
This farro salad combines chewy farro with sauteed sweet cherry tomatoes, shallots, kale, and a lemon vinaigrette.
Farro is whole-grain wheat that has a nutty flavor and can be enjoyed as a side dish or a main meal, depending on the ingredients added to it. You eat farro as you would eat rice or quinoa.
No. It is a type of whole grain that can be used as a base for cold salads, warm salads, stews, and soups or as a substitute for rice and pasta.
Both quinoa and farro are healthy options when eaten in moderation. Farro is higher in carbohydrates but also contains more calcium.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- I prefer using organic Tuscan kale from Trader Joe's for this salad.I t’s already cleaned and torn into piece.
- Much like pasta and rice, it’s important to cook the farro with enough salt before combining it with the rest of the ingredients.
- Always use high-quality extra virgin olive oil when making the vinaigrette dressing for the best flavor.
- Enjoy this tasty salad warm or cold.
📚 Variations
- Instead of the juicy tomatoes, use sun-dried tomatoes.
- For extra flavor, add apple cider to the saucepan with water when cooking the farro.
- You can also add spinach or peppery arugula to this salad, but only fold it into the salad just before serving so that it doesn’t wilt.
- Use low-sodium broth to reduce the salt intake in this dish.
- Add feta cheese to this salad for a Greek influence.
- Add black olives to this farro salad for a greater Mediterranean influence.
🥫 Storage
Store leftover farro grain salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
I don’t recommend freezing this tasty farro salad, the nutty texture of the wholesome grain and the vegetables may alter.
📗 Related Recipes
- Farro With Tomatoes - Chewy farro cooked in an onion-tomato seasoning as a delicious and easy one-pan meal.
- Farro Tabbouleh With Kale - A green herbal salad with nutty farro for added texture and bold flavor.
- Farro And Peas - Swap out rice for farro in this adapted Venetian Risi e Bisi for a healthy family dish.
- Mediterranean Pearl Couscous Salad - A delicious pasta salad with fresh summery vegetables, olives, feta cheese and a light lemony vinaigrette.
- Lemon Chicken Orzo: A Quick Mediterranean Dinner – This meal takes just 30 minutes to prepare. It is packed with Greek flavors. Plus, it cooks in one skillet.
🍽 Serve with
Enjoy this delicious salad as an easy side dish with grilled chicken thighs, pork chops, or other Mediterranean recipes.
Turn this Mediterranean farro salad into a main meal by adding shredded chicken or turkey to the mixture.
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
Farro recipes have quickly become high on my list of favorites. In fact, if you’ve been following me for a while then you’re likely to have come across dishes such as Grilled Rosemary Chicken With Farro Risotto and Farro Salad served in lettuce cups.
These are just two examples of how versatile this ancient whole grain is, not to mention the high nutritional value, deliciously nutty flavor, and chewy texture they bring to any dish!
Another salad you may enjoy is our Tuna Bow Tie Pasta Salad. Everyone loves the adorable farfalle pasta and the taste is perfect for summer and outings.
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
What's new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.
📝 Recipe Card
This easy one-pan farro salad combines chewy farro with sauteed vegetables and pecorino in a flavorful reduced broth tossed with a lemon vinaigrette. Enjoy this tasty salad as a side dish, or add your choice of protein for a wholesome main meal.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
📖 Recipe
Mediterranean Warm Kale Farro Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
Ingredients
For the Farro Boil
- 3 ¼ cups water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups semi-pearled dry farro rinsed (12 oz.) This is to prevent farro grains from sticking, rinse away excess starch under cool water before cooking.
Sauté
- ½ cup sliced shallots
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 7 cups chopped kale 10 oz.**
- ¼ cup chicken beef or vegetable broth
- 2 cups halved grape tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup shaved pecorino 1.5 oz.
- Zest of 1 lemon
For the Vinaigrette, Whisk
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper q.b. quanto basta to taste
Instructions
- For the farro: boil 3 ¼ cups water ad ½ teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Add the rinsed farro, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, 15-20 minutes; remove from heat ad drain any excess water.
- Sauté shallots, garlic, and pepper flakes in 1 Tablespoon oil in a sauté pan over medium-heat, 1 minute. Stir in kale and ¼ cup broth; cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, vinegar, and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir in farro, pecorino, and zest.
- For the vinaigrette, whisk together basil, ¼ cup oil, and lemon juice; season with ½ teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss salad with vinaigrette to coat.
Notes
Nutrition
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Mangia bene; Vive bene { Eat well; Live well}
Alla prossima.
