Salads are a staple food in my house and most of them will include tomatoes & cucumbers. During summer time we pretty much can have Greek Salad daily. However, in winter I try to add more greens and maybe grains like farro or quinoa to my salad. You’ll love this Mediterranean Farro Salad because not only is refreshing & delicious, but also filling and packed with fiber.
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What is Farro?
I’ve been on a farro kick lately since I discovered that my grocery store started carrying farro:). Last week I made this Farro Pudding , it’s really one of my favorite desserts because it reminds me of back home.
Farro is an ancient grain loaded in fiber and protein. This grain is known for its antioxidant qualities. Also, it is packed with minerals and nutrients. Farro is basically a wheat type. In Europe there’s a debate on which type of wheat can actually be called farro and there are 3 types in question.
To Soak Or Not To Soak Farro?
When I lived back in Albania we used to soak farro grains. However, here in US markets you can buy pearled farro. Pearled farro cooks faster and doesn’t need to soak overnight. Pearled farro usually cooks in about 25 minutes and needs a 1:2 ration between farro and water. So for every cup of farro you need 2 cups of water. Technically you shouldn’t have any water left after 25 minutes, but if you do and farro is cooked, then just drain the excess.
Farro Salad Recipe Notes, Ingredients And Tips
This is a very simple salad, you can throw it together in a short period of time. Plan on cooking farro ahead of time. Farro takes 25 minutes to cook. Drain and set aside to chill.
I always buy tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers and kalamata olives. These ingredients are always on my shopping list as we pretty much use them daily.
This salad can be used as a main dish or a side salad to some kind of protein. Salad itself is vegan and Mediterranean Diet friendly, however you can add the rest of meal as you see fit for your lifestyle. If you’re not vegan, you can add a side of fish to this salad to complete the meal.
- You can replace arugula with baby spinach or spring mix.
- You can use red bell pepper instead of green, just note that the red variety tastes sweeter.
- Don’t compromise on the cucumber, get English cucumber. The other variety doesn’t taste as good.
- I used lime and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) for the dressing, however you can use lemon too.
Mediterranean Farro Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup pearled farro grains
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 1 shallot
- 2 cups tomato medley
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 english cucumber
- 2 tbsps cilantro
- 4 tbsps olive oil extra virgin
- 1 lime
- 0.5 cup kalamata olives
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Boil farro in water. Add a splash or olive oil and a pinch of salt to water. Let cook for 25 minutes. There will be almost no water at end of 25 minutes. If there is drain in a colander. Let cooked farro aside to cool down.
- Chop the shallot, add in a container with cold water. This will remove the strong smell.
- Dice the bell pepper. Peel and dice the cucumber too.
- Chop the cilantro and then squeeze the lime.
- Finally start assembling the salad in a salad bowl. There's no proper order to do this, you can just mix everything together.
- I add the arugula first then drained farro. Then I add the cucumbers, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Followed by olives, onions and cilantro. Finally I add olive oil and lime juice and lastly salt. Mix everything together and serve.
- I can serve this for dinner as a meal or as a side to a fish meal. That's a matter of preference. Enjoy:)
Video
Nutrition Label
Nutrition
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No he probado el farro anteriormente, pero si es rico en fibra y proteína ya es de mis opciones favoritas. Esa ensalada se ve súper refrescante. Me encantan las opciones así para mantenerme comiendo saludable.
Wow no conocía el farro! Pero se ve delicioso! Debe estar deliciosa esta ensalada de farro tremenda combinación ! Necesito probarla ! Me encanta probar nuevas ensaladas y dressing ! Pero la mediterránea es de mis favoritas
Farro looks like a similar grain we have in Peru, I have to find out if it’s the same or similar but I never imagine having them in a salad. That Farro salad looks delicious and easy to make. 😋
I’m becoming more and more a grain lover, so this farro salad it’s going into my list of to-do recipes!
I love farro salads, it’s so light and healthy! I am going to make this recipe, looks delicious!
Thank you Rory:))).
I only tried farro a few years ago for the first time. I really love the texture of it and that it is so good for you. I can’t wait to try this farro salad recipe!
I only tried farro a few years ago for the first time. I really love the texture of it and that it is so good for you. I can’t wait to try this farro salad recipe!