Mediterranean Farro Salad

Mediterranean Farro Salad with a light, lemony dressing, crunchy vegetables and feta cheese is refreshing and perfect year-round!

Temperatures have been in the 90’s here until yesterday and will be in the low 80’s this week.  So, I thought I’d get one more great salad to you before sharing some fall recipes.

We just returned from a lovely weekend in Charleston, South Carolina where farmer’s markets with fresh summery vegetables were still in full swing.  There wasn’t a pumpkin in sight!

With the earthy color of the farro, Mediterranean Farro Salad is the perfect “transitional” salad into fall if you still have a few vegetables from your garden or you just can’t get into fall food yet with the high temperatures continuing in many parts of the country.

What is farro?

It’s an ancient grain with a nutty flavor that’s very good for you.  It has a satisfying chew similar to barley and it even looks like barley.  Farro has been cultivated in Italy for centuries.  It’s related to wheat so it’s not gluten-free.

You’ll generally find two types of farro:  Whole-grain and pearled.  Whole-grain farro can be tricky to cook and involves having to soak it overnight.  However, pearled farro, which has some of the bran removed, is very easy to cook.  Here’s more information on farro and how to cook it from Bob’s Red Mill.

How to cook farro:

To cook pearled farro, simply get a large saucepan of water boiling then salt it generously and let it cook away until it’s tender.  When it’s cooked, let it drain in a sieve.  This is referred to as the “pasta method.”  I also cook brown rice this way and it produces beautiful, fluffy brown rice every time.

How to make Mediterranean Farro Salad:

• After cooking, draining and cooling the farro, some knife skills are all you need!
• Combine chopped scallion, red bell pepper, cucumber, halved cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and lots of fresh Italian parsley.

• Add some garlic, lemon juice, good olive oil, salt and pepper….

• Place the Mediterranean Farro Salad on a serving platter, top with feta cheese, garnish with fresh parsley sprigs….

Voila!

Enjoy the rest of the warm weather while it’s still here and make this Mediterranean Farro Salad!

More Mediterranean-inspired salads:

• Tunisian Salad Platter (or Assiette Tunisienne)
• Lemony Broccoli, Barley and White Bean Salad
• Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
• Cauliflower Artichoke Tabbouleh
• Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad
• Quinoa Tabbouleh with Grilled Vegetables
• Cauliflower Antipasto Salad
• Cucumber Red Onion Feta Cheese Salad
• Greek Vegetable Salad with Marinated Feta Cheese

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Yield: 8

Mediterranean Farro Salad

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Mediterranean Farro Salad with a light, lemony dressing, crunchy vegetables and feta cheese is light, refreshing and perfect year-round!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 cup pearled farro
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 English cucumber, peeled if desired, seeded and diced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 bunch Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, leaves and tender stems, finely chopped plus more parsley for garnish
• 1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts only, chopped
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup lemon juice (or to taste)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add salt and the farro. Boil for 15-20 minutes or until farro is tender but not mushy.
2. Drain the farro in a sieve and rinse with cold running tap water. Set aside to drain thoroughly.
3. Combine red bell pepper, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, parsley, scallion and Kalamata olives in a large mixing bowl.
4. Whisk together garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
5. Add drained farro to vegetables and stir to combine.
6. Add dressing and stir.
7. Transfer to a serving platter and top with feta cheese and parsley sprigs.

Notes

If you don't like the salad so lemony, start with 1/4 cup lemon juice and add more to taste.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 303Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 571mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 10g

The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

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