Sometimes I just don’t feel like eating a cold, lettuce based salad when it is still cold and blustery outside. You know? Luckily, grain based salads like this warm farro salad with roasted root vegetables can come to the rescue!
How to Make this Warm Farro Salad
- This salad starts by roasting up some of my favorite root veggies: butternut squash and rainbow carrots but can easily be adapted to whatever roasted vegetables you may have on hand. Some other veggies that would be great for this salad include: Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and sweet potato.
- To cook the farro, you’ll add 3 cups of water to a saucepan with 1 cup of rinsed farro. Simmer for 30 minutes until tender and drain any excess water. Easy-peasy! Cook up a batch of farro on the weekend and add it to salads all week.
- To incorporate some greens, I also sautéed a bag of spinach with lots of garlic since you can’t have a salad without a little bit of green. 😉
What is Farro?
Farro is ancient grain in the wheat family. I picked it up from the bulk bins at Whole Foods the first time about a year ago. I am always looking to experiment with new ingredients in the kitchen! When cooked, farro has a chewy texture and a slightly nutty flavor. It reminds me a lot of barley, but has a bit more bite to it after cooking.
Is Farro Good for You?
Nutrition-wise, farro is similar to other whole grains with 7 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein per 1/2 cup cooked farro. If you can’t find farro, you can definitely replace it with your favorite grain/starch like barley, quinoa, brown rice, or wheat berries. You’ll need 2 cups of cooked grain to make this salad if using something other than farro.
Is Farro Gluten Free?
No — Farro is a type of wheat so it does contain gluten.
Looking for more recipes that use farro? Check out these!
- Italian Farro Soup | Vegan
- Strawberry Avocado and Farro Salad | Vegetarian
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Step up your salad game by making this warm farro salad with roasted root vegetables! Simple ingredients like roasted vegetables, lemon and rosemary complement each other perfectly.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry farro
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 1 cup peeled and cubed butternut squash
- 2 carrots, peeled and quartered
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 1 (5 oz.) bag baby spinach
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 lemon juiced (~1/2 tablespoon lemon juice)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
- Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the farro:
- In a medium saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the farro, reduce to a simmer and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain water and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
For the roasted vegetables:
- In a large mixing bowl, toss squash and carrots in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake until tender and lightly browned, about 45-60 minutes.
For the Salad:
- Add your cooked farro and roasted vegetable to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a non-stick skillet, heat up the other 1/2 tablespoon olive oil for 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes or until spinach has started to wilt. Stir in the garlic and cook another minute. Season with salt and ground black pepper and add to the mixing bowl with the farro and vegetables.
- Stir in the lemon juice, zest, rosemary, vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and goat cheese. Season with additional salt and pepper. Serve warm or chilled.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/5 salad
- Calories: 315 kcals
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 37.5 g
- Fiber: 7.5 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
When do you add the rosemary?
Hi Valerie, You’ll need to add the rosemary in the very last step. I added it to the directions above. Thanks for catching that!
Thanks so much! I ended up roasting the veggies with the rosemary before seeing your response. I’ll have to try it in the dressing next time. We used this recipe for a hospital event and everyone loved it!
★★★★★
Is this recipe enough for 4 adults as a main dish? It sounds delicious!
Hi Barbie! This is enough for 4 adults as a side dish.