Mediterranean Farro Salad
Updated Jul 14, 2021, Published Oct 08, 2019
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Fresh, vibrant, and packed with flavor! This Mediterranean Farro Salad is a hearty yet wholesome dish made with farro, juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, briny olives, and creamy feta—all tossed in a zesty lemon dressing. Perfect for meal prep, potlucks, or a light weeknight dinner.
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!
Farro lovers! Be sure to try my Tomato Farro Risotto for another amazing farro recipe!
More Mediterranean-inspired salads:
- Tunisian Salad Platter (or Assiette Tunisienne)
- Lemony Broccoli, Barley and White Bean Salad
- Cauliflower Artichoke Tabbouleh
- Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad
- Quinoa Tabbouleh with Grilled Vegetables
- Mediterranean Barley Salad with Green Beans, Red Bell Pepper, Olives and Feta
Mediterranean Farro Salad
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
- 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.
- Drain the farro in a sieve and rinse with cold running tap water. Set aside to drain thoroughly.
- Combine red bell pepper, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, parsley, scallion and Kalamata olives in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk together garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Add drained farro to vegetables and stir to combine.
- Add dressing and stir.
- Transfer to a serving platter and top with feta cheese and parsley sprigs.
Notes
- For a gluten-free version, use short-grain brown rice or quinoa.
- If gluten is not an issue, barley can be substituted for the farro.
- To cook farro, bring a large saucepan of generously salted water to a boil, add the farro, and let it cook away until it’s tender. When it’s cooked, let it drain in a sieve.
- If you don’t like the salad so lemony, start with 1/4 cup lemon juice and add more to taste.
- Combine the salad, but leave the dressing and feta cheese off. When ready to serve, add the dressing and feta cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Very good! I followed the recipe except for using dried parsley, no fresh in the house. I had about 3 cups of my garden green beans I just picked so I blanched them and added to the mix. Very versatile, will make again.
Hi, Pat, Thanks so very much and happy you love this recipe. I love the versatility of this recipe, too! Appreciate your taking the time to come back and comment and rate.
I have made a similar recipe and added tender blanched asparagus spears. Thank you.
Thanks so much for your input and asparagus would probably be a nice addition.
Do you think adding ham to this would work? I can’t decide. Thinking I might need to omit the olives in case it would be over acidic.
Thanks!
Hi, Julie, Thanks so much for your question. I think ham would be fine if you want some added protein. Not sure ham would go with the lemony dressing and feta, but you can always try a forkful before fully adding it. Olives and ham might make it kind of salty, so try that out first, too. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!!
Thanks!!
OMG so good. I halved the recipe as it was just for me over a couple days. I didn’t have parsley so left that out. I threw in some chickpeas as well as I had some in a container in the fridge. Was a really good add in. Love the lemony taste and with all the protein it was a very satisfying meal for a couple days. Boiling more farro right now as I type to make again. Might throw in some chopped spinach. Thank you!
Hi, Joanne, Thanks so much and so happy you love this recipe! This salad is certainly versatile; chickpeas are a great addition. Appreciate your taking the time to come back and comment. Thanks again!
This was amazing, so fresh and great texture! 10/10!
Definitely making again!
Hi, Jaimie, Thanks so much and so happy you love this recipe! Appreciate your taking the time to come back and comment.
To make this a dinner salad, what are your thoughts on tossing in either Great Northern or black beans?
Hi, Rita, Thanks much for your question. I don’t think black beans are right, but you could certainly do Great Northern or cannellini beans. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!