Feta Farro Salad

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Bright Mediterranean inspired flavors make this feta farro salad a perfect main dish for a light meal, or a refreshing side. This farro salad is delicious, bright, and beautiful.  

I discovered something pretty cool the other day when I was walking around the grocery store… quick cooking farro. Normally, I’m wary of quick-cooking anything, but farro, like barley, is a wheat grain that takes a long time to cook. The promise of farro ready to use in 10 minutes (more like 15 with boiling the water) was pretty exciting to me. I knew I was going to make it into a salad to keep with the “simple and quick” theme. I picked up a little creamy feta, and then waited something ridiculous like two weeks before putting this together. And then I made it twice in three days. 

Farro, if you haven’t heard of it, is a type of hulled wheat. It comes in three sizes. Farro is often used in cooking because it retains a nice chew and firm texture, similar to barley. If you follow the “ancient grains” trend, you may have seen the largest size of farro sold as “spelt”.

Normally, farro takes about 30-40 minutes to cook, which requires a little planning ahead. I purchased the quick cooking farro used in this recipe at my local Trader Joe’s. If you can’t find it at your grocery store, use regular farro and plan for a little extra cooking time, or look for a quick cooking barley. It’s not exactly the same, but it’ll do. And you don’t want to miss out on this salad.

Personally, I prefer to enjoy this salad slightly warm, mixed shortly after the farro has finished cooking. It holds up well for a couple days in the refrigerator. Personally, I think it’s best if taken out of the refrigerator about 20 minute prior to serving. If you are planning to make this in advance, mix the farro and dressing, then refrigerate. Reheat the farro slightly and mix in the feta, arugula, herbs and tomato the day you plan to serve.

I hope you enjoy the recipe for this feta farro salad, darlings!

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Feta Farro Salad

Yield: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Bright Mediterranean inspired flavors make this feta farro salad a perfect main dish for a light meal, or a refreshing side for a picnic or barbecue. It's a great way to try ancient grains in your diet!

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Ingredients

• 1 cup quick cooking farro
• 2 cups broth or water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes about 10-15 tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
• 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
• 3-4 cups arugula or spinach roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Bring the broth or water to a boil over medium high heat in a medium sauce pan with a lid. Add the farro, then reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until the farro is tender. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside. (see notes)
2. Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook about 5 minutes until translucent. Pour over the farro.
3. In a jar with a lid or a small bowl, shake or whisk together the remaining olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and lemon juice.
4. Pour the dressing over the farro and onion mixture and stir. If you are prepping the salad in advance, stop here, and refrigerate up to a day. Warm the farro slightly the day you plan to serve (you don't need it to be hot, just not fridge cold) and add the remaining ingredients.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine. Adjust the seasonings to taste.
6. For the best flavor, allow the salad to sit 20 minutes before serving for flavors to blend. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
7. Leftover salad keeps in the refrigerator nicely for about 4 days. Great for prepping lunches for work!

Notes

If you are using regular farro and not quick cooking farro, add about 10 minutes to the cook time. You may also need to add an additional 1/4 cup of liquid. Check about 15 minutes into the cooking time. You can always drain excess liquid once the farro is tender.

If you make the farro in advance, take it out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before you plan to add the other ingredients.

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