Farro Salad with Tomatoes and Roasted Broccolini

If you’ve never had farro before, it’s a nutty, delicious grain that’s packed full of protein. Farro, like quinoa, works well in both hot and cold dishes, making it very versatile. Farro is popular in many Mediterranean dishes and can be a perfect addition to a healthy diet.

One of my favorite ways to prepare farro is to cook it, drain it, let it cool, and then toss with my favorite veggies, oil and vinegar. Roasting the veggies, like I do in this salad, ramps up the flavor and takes this way beyond a typical salad but it’s certainly not necessary.  Asparagus, broccoli, broccoli rabe, leeks, and kale all work well here. Roast or steam your veggies, whichever you prefer.

Farro Salad with Roasted Broccolini and Tomatoes Recipe

• 1 cup pearled farro
• 8 oz. broccolini, chopped into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 1-2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 oz. crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:

1. Put farro in a medium-size saucepan and cover with water by a few inches
2. Bring to a boil, reduce to rolling simmer, and cook 12-15 minutes, just until tender to the bite
3. In a colander, drain, rinse with cold water and drain well again
4. Pour into large bowl and set aside
5. While farro is cooking, preheat oven to 400º
6. Place broccolini and garlic on a small roasting pan, toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and roast 17-20 minutes, until broccolini and garlic start to soften and brown
7. Remove from oven, let cool for 10 minutes and then toss with farro
8. Add diced tomatoes and feta cheese
9. Add oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper and toss well
10. Let sit about 1 hour before serving, to let all the flavors come together

Isn’t it a beautiful salad? Some roasted red peppers and fresh parsley or basil is also really great – I was completely out of all of these things when I made this batch, (this is a real-life blog, folks!), but it was still delicious.

This is also great with diced cucumbers and dill.  Or beans and cilantro.  Or fennel – either roasted or raw. Don’t be afraid to mix this up – I always say don’t be afraid to play with your food and this is definitely a salad you can play with and call your own. I mix this up based on what I have in my fridge (or in my garden) – it’s a very versatile salad. Farro is an easy, simple base to a myriad of veggies and flavors.

Wondering how to cook or what to make with farro? Now you know how easy it is to make this healthy grain into an even healthier salad.

Enjoy!