Veggie-Packed Mediterranean Farro Salad

This vegetarian farro salad recipe features lots of veggies, toasted pine nuts, crumbled feta and a light lemon olive oil dressing – and it’s packed with the hearty ancient grain known as farro of course! 

I don’t think I could ever happily live without grains. From whole grain toast and crusty Italian bread, to oatmeal, rice, and pasta, healthy grains are definitely a focal point of my diet, along with fruits & veggies. And one of my favorite grains lately has been the hearty ancient grain known as farro.

Farro has been eaten by humankind for a long time…as in, it’s been traced back to early Mesopotamia 20,000 years ago. It’s a bit nutty and chewy – and I happen to find it satisfying and deeeelicious.

I think that sometimes people find farro to be a bit intimidating because it’s not as well-known of a grain as, say, rice. But trust me when I say that it’s easy to cook farro and incorporate it into a lot of different meals. Today’s recipe is one crowd-pleasing way to eat farro!

This Mediterranean Farro Salad pairs the ancient grain with a few of my favorite veggies: red bell pepper, baby spinach, red onion and artichoke hearts. The salad also features toasted pine nuts for some crunch and healthy fat, along with crumbled feta cheese for a bit of saltiness and added flavor.

We toss everything together with a light dressing made with fresh lemon, extra virgin olive oil and honey… and voila!

This farro salad recipe makes for a tasty side dish or main course. I recommend making it alongside homemade soup and fresh bread {…because grains are where it’s at!}.

Veggie-Packed Mediterranean Farro Salad

Foodie Loves Fitness

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Servings 6 servings

Calories 360 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked farro or about 3 cups cooked
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 cups packed baby spinach
• 1-6 oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/3 cup pignolia nuts
• 1/4 red onion
• 1/4 cup fresh basil
• 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• Juice from 1/2 medium lemon
• 1/2 TBSP honey
• 1/2 TSP salt plus more to taste if needed
• 1/8 TSP pepper plus more to taste if needed

Instructions

 

• Cook the farro according to directions.
• Meanwhile, dice the pepper, chop the baby spinach and basil, and mince the red onion. Drain the artichoke hearts and roughly chop them. Place everything in a mixing bowl.
• Toast the pignolia nuts just until lightly browned (They burn easily, so keep an eye on them!). Place them in the bowl.
• Make the dressing by whisking the olive oil, lemon juice and honey in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Once the farro is done cooking, drain any water off (if necessary) allow it to slightly cool.
• Add the farro to the bowl. Sprinkle in the feta cheese, salt and pepper. Mix everything well. Drizzle in the dressing, mix again, then do a taste test to adjust seasonings if needed.
• This salad is great warm or cold. It stores in the fridge well, but if you're planning to serve it later, I suggest waiting to mix the dressing in closer to serving time.

Notes

*One serving of this salad also contains 42% Vitamin C, 55% Vitamin A and 18% Iron recommended DVs.*

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 10gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gFiber: 9g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other ways to cook with farro? Try my recipes for Farro Greek Salad and Italian Farro Stuffed Bell Peppers.

Tell me… Would you live without grains?