Fresh Farro Salad with Homemade Greek Dressing
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Prepared with fresh chopped romaine and butter lettuces, spicy salami, bright cucumber, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, red onion, chickpeas, and farro this salad is a true Mediterranean-inspired fresh delight!
why I love this farro salad:
I love when I can start collecting fresh lettuce from the garden! This time of year is when the lettuce is finally ready to harvest full heads, which make incredible salads. I love this farro salad with Greek dressing for a fun way to use up all of the summer veggies in my garden!
Easy to Make. This salad comes together quickly, and there’s hardly any cooking required. You can easily toss this summer side dish together in under 30 minutes.
Tangy and Spicy. The flavors of this salad are tangy and slightly spicy with the addition of salami. The tangy red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and lemon in the Greek dressing give this salad a bit of a bite, and it tastes amazing with freshly cracked pepper.
Garden Fresh. Is there anything better than finding a truly great fresh salad recipe? I love when I can use fresh ingredients from my garden! This salad is perfect for mid to late summer when all of the garden produce is ready for harvesting.
gathering ingredients to make farro salad:
To make this fresh farro salad, you will need to gather a few key ingredients. This salad is truly simple, and it easily comes together for a side dish at dinner or an appetizer before lunch.
Greek Dressing. The dressing for this recipe is homemade, though you can easily replace the homemade version with store bought if you prefer!
Farro. You will need cooked farro for this recipe. You can easily find this ancient grain at the grocery store, sometimes in the health food aisle.
Lettuce. Your choice of lettuce is truly up to you. For this recipe, I used a mix of romaine and butter lettuce from my garden!
Salami. I decided to use salami in this salad recipe, and I have been trying to stay away from nitrates and other added ingredients so I chose a nitrate-free salami. This salad would also be delicious with shredded roasted or grilled chicken.
Cucumber. I would suggest using a Persian or English cucumber for this salad.
Red Onion. You will only need 1/2 of a medium red onion for this recipe, sliced very thinly. A mandolin can help with this!
Red & Yellow Bell Pepper. You can use either colors or both! I think roasting the pepper beforehand can be truly delicious, too.
Chickpeas. Make sure to drain and rinse your chickpeas before tossing them in your salad.
what is farro?
Farro is an ancient grain with its origins rooted in Mesopotamia. In fact, studies say that it’s 20,000 years old. How incredible is that? It was found in the tombs of ancient Egyptian pharaohs and is mentioned in historical texts to have fed the Roman Legions. Being an ancient grain, this means that it has remained universally unchanged for thousands of years.
Farro has a nutty flavor profile, similar to cashews, and has been described to have undertones of cinnamon and spices. It can be used in various types of dishes including as a hot breakfast cereal like oatmeal, tossed in salads, or cooked into soups. It’s incredibly good for you, too! It it high in fiber and protein and calorie dense.
How to Cook Farro:
Soak whole grain farro in water overnight, or soak pearled or semi-pearled farro for at least 30 minutes.
Cook the farro at a ratio of 1 part farro to 3 parts liquid, 1:3. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and add the farro. Cover the pan and lower the heat to a simmer, cooking soaked farro for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Finished farro will be fork-tender and the water will have entirely been soaked into the grain. Serve warm or chill to use cold on a salad.
how to make greek dressing:
Homemade Greek dressing is so easy to make, you will wonder why you haven’t been making your own for your entire life! With a few simple ingredients, you can whisk this yummy salad dressing together in under 15 minutes.
Step One: In a medium bowl combine red wine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Whisk to combine, about 2 minutes.
Step Two: Once all of the ingredients are combined, slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking while you pour. Continue to whisk until the olive oil has combined into the other ingredients, or emulsified.
Step Three: Use the dressing right away or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 to 6 days.
what to put in a fresh farro salad:
This farro salad is filled with delicious ingredients that are often found in Mediterranean or Italian dishes. It’s so yummy with bright cucumbers, crisp red onion, and juicy cherry tomatoes! You can add or substitute ingredients as you choose. I personally love these particular add-ins served with homemade Greek dressing.
Lettuce. Romaine is really great, but butter lettuce also tastes fantastic with this salad dressing!
Salami.
Cherry Tomatoes.
Cucumber.
Red Onion.
Red Bell Pepper.
Yellow Bell Pepper.
Chickpeas.
Cooked Farro.
Kalamata Olives.
Parmesan Cheese.
how to make fresh farro salad:
Step One: In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, salami, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, bell peppers, chickpeas, farro, and olives. Drizzle the Greek salad dressing over the fresh ingredients and toss to combine with salad forks. Alternately, you can combine all of the ingredients and the dressing in a salad spinner, spinning the salad until it is well coated.
Step Two: Serve the salad fresh with parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to your taste.
Step Three: To store the salad, store the ingredients separately in the refrigerator and DO NOT toss with the dressing to prevent the lettuce from becoming soggy. Wait to toss the salad in the dressing until just before serving.
final thoughts:
If you are looking for your next great summer salad recipe to serve at dinner or pack into your work lunch, then you are going to absolutely love this Fresh Farro Salad with Homemade Greek Dressing. It’s bright, tangy, and perfectly fresh! Making a fresh lettuce salad can be difficult to figure out, so I hope this recipe makes the entire process a lot easier. Enjoy this yummy summer side dish!
xoxo Kayla
Fresh Farro Salad with Homemade Greek Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp (10 ml) Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp fresh oregano, minced
- 2 tsp fresh basil, minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 6 cups mixed lettuce such as romaine and butter lettuce, chopped roughly
- 4 oz (113 g) salami, chopped
- 1 cup (150 g) cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 medium cucumber, sliced 1/4-inch (6-mm) thick
- 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
- 1/2 cup (42 g) red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup (42 g) yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup (164 g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup (194 g) cooked farro, chilled
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Whisk to combine, about 2 minutes.
- Use the dressing right away or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 to 6 days.
- In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, salami, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, bell peppers, chickpeas, and farro. Drizzle the Greek salad dressing over the fresh ingredients and toss to combine with salad forks. Alternately, you can combine all of the ingredients and the dressing in a salad spinner, spinning the salad until it is well coated.
- Serve the salad fresh with salt and pepper to your taste.
- To store the salad, store the ingredients separately in the refrigerator and DO NOT toss with the dressing to prevent the lettuce from becoming soggy. Wait to toss the salad in the dressing until just before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
248Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
