Mediterranean Farro Salad
Mediterranean farro salad is loaded with fresh veggies, olives and tangy feta cheese and finished with a light, bright lemon vinaigrette to take this side dish over the top!
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 8 oz. farro (see notes)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ English cucumber, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper (or yellow or orange), diced
- ½ cup diced red onion
- ⅓ cup chopped Kalamata olives
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
For the lemon vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- zest and juice of 1 large lemon
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the farro according to package instructions and then let cool.
- Add the farro to a large bowl along with the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper red onion, olives and feta cheese. Stir well to combine.
- Make the vinaigrette. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon zest and juice, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper in a small jar with a lid. Cover and shake well to combine. (Alternatively, add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk really well until combined.)
- Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and stir very well to get everything coated.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Farro: I use a quick cooking farro (from Trader Joe’s), but regular farro works fine, too, it'll just require more time to cook so please plan accordingly.
Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes - or grape - are readily available and work great in this salad, texture wise. You could also substitute Roma tomatoes or even heirloom tomatoes if you prefer.
Cucumber: I prefer to use an English or hot house cucumber for this because they have fewer seeds. You can also sub a regular cucumber and just remove some of the seeds before you chop it.
Red onion: I personally love red onion, raw, cooked, pickled, however. But if you are sensitive to them or yours is especially pungent, chop the red onion and soak the pieces in cold water for about 5-10 minutes. Then drain the water off and use the pieces for your salad. (You could also leave it off if you prefer.)
Olives: These add a great briny-ness and of course go with the Mediterranean theme. You can get Kalamata olives from the olive bar at the grocery store or use the jarred ones. Just make sure they are pitted.
Dressing: The recipe includes an easy homemade lemon vinaigrette but you could substitute a store-bought dressing if you prefer.
Make ahead: The entire salad can be made in advance. You can also make the farro ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the salad.
Leftovers: Keep the salad stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Add an extra splash of white wine vinegar and/or olive oil to the salad to wake it back up before serving, if needed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 301mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g
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