This salad is light, delicious and perfect as a side dish or light lunch. It accompanies heavier dishes like steaks and chops as well as a light piece of grilled chicken. You can also make this for lunch and have a satisfying and delightful day!
What is Farro?
Farro is actually not only one ancient grain, yet three. We mostly see it used in Italian cooking. In Italian Farro means, “ancient wheat grain”. It has been around for so many years and like so many other things are really making a comeback. People are realizing that it has a beautiful depth of flavor and can go with so many different flavor combinations.
In this light and delicious salad, I have paired it with quickly sauteed zucchini and yellow squash with a bit of crumbled feta cheese for a little salty note. The very light and simple dressing of lemon and fresh basil ties this all together.
What are some benefits of using Farro?
-It is very healthy for you. Farro is an extremely nutritious grain. It’s an excellent source of protein, fiber and nutrients like magnesium, zinc and some B vitamins. It is a much healthier choice than rice or other grains.
-It contains more fiber than most grains out there. Most of our modern diets today are low in fiber. Farro can help give a great fiber boost with only 1 cup of farro you can boost up to 20% of your daily fiber intake.
-It contains a high level of antioxidants. Whole grains are associated with improved health because they contain a wide range of antioxidant compounds, such as polyphenols, carotenoids, phytosterols and selenium. In addition, whole grains, along with fruits and vegetables, are one of the most important antioxidant sources in our diets today.
-It is a great source of protein compared to many other plant-based foods. For a grain, Farro is actually very high in protein. In only 1/4 cup of farro, you can gain up to 6 grams of protein for your day. Not too bad at all.
Lastly and maybe most importantly for my mama friends out there that may be like me and trying to shed that pesky baby weight… Farro is a weight loss friendly food. This basically means adding it into a healthy diet as your grain or starch for your meal is going to help aid you in losing weight more quickly.
What else can I add Farro to besides salads?
Farro is delicious added at breakfast time instead of oats to make a bowl of farro with some fresh fruit and a little almond milk. You can also add it simply into soups with kale or butternut squash. It can be subbed out for arborio rice into a beautiful farro risotto. Basically, think of where you may use other rice or grains and you can try to sub out with farro!
Farro Salad
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini thinly sliced
- 2 medium summer squash thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ cups cooked farro
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- Lemon Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced or pressed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Stir in the zucchini and squash
- with a big pinch of salt and pepper and stir. Cook, stirring often, until the zucchini gets soft
- and slightly caramelized, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- While the zucchini cooks, you can prepare the farro and toast the pine nuts. As a note, this is a
- great salad to use leftover farro, rice or quinoa! You can make the farro ahead of time.
- To toast the pine nuts, heat the nuts in a skillet over medium-low heat. Toss the nuts and shake
- the pan a few times until they are golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- To make the salad, combine the farro with the squash in a large bowl. Toss in the feta cheese,
- pine nuts and fresh basil. Add about ¼ cup of the dressing, tossing well. Taste and season with
- salt and pepper as needed. If needed, you can add more dressing, or serve the salad as is with
- the dressing on the side.
- Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
- In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Continue to
- whisk while streaming in the olive oil. This dressing stays great in the fridge in a sealed
- container for a week or so, so feel free to make a double batch if desired! ENJOY!
Chef’s Tips
When cooking farro, make sure that you do not overcook. It can become mushy and portage-like if you over cook it. You want to make sure you follow the cooking instructions on the package as they are usually all slightly different. For this salad, you will make your farro ahead and cool it down completely before tossing it with the other ingredients. Feel free to make the farro even the day before.
In this recipe we are lightly sauteing the veggies, but you can certainly grill them as well for an added depth of flavor. Lastly, make some extra dressing, you will want to use it on so many things. It is perfect for grilled asparagus or even poured lightly over some baby arugula. You will be able to enjoy it on so many things. ENJOY!
My favorite equipment for this recipe
I love this sauce pot with the lid to cook the farro and drain it easily with the easy drain lid. I love this for making pasta for the kids as well.
**Let me know in the comments what you think of this recipe and if you make it, how did you like it!
