You are going to love this tasty Mediterranean Farro Salad. Made with juicy tomatoes, salty olives, and crumbles of feta over crisp greens, this salad is finished with a simple homemade dressing.
This Mediterranean Farro Salad is a combination of scrumptious flavors and textures that make it one of my favorites. From the crisp greens to the grains of farro to the briny feta cheese crumbles, there are so many delicious elements to enjoy. The dressing is a simple mix of lemon and garlic, creamy but not heavy. You can serve this for a light lunch or as the salad course for a larger meal. It goes well with just about any main course, but especially chicken or fish dishes.
Another thing that makes this salad excellent is its versatility. You can make substitutions and add extra ingredients based on what you have in your fridge or to match the dinner you'll be serving. But this mix of crisp and juicy veggies with tender farro to add protein and make it more filling is pretty amazing as it is. I hope you fall in love with these great flavors like I have. Now, let's look at what goes into this Mediterranean Farro Salad in more detail.
Video Tutorial
What you'll need
- Farro. Other grains can be used instead. Rice, quinoa, amarath, or bulgur make great options.
- Greens. I used a combination of arugula and baby spinach. You can use either/or.
- Veggies. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion.
- Olives. Black olives or kalamata olive would work here.
- Herbs. Parsley and dill. Skip one, if you desire.
- Dressing: Lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper.
How to make this salad
1. Make the dressing. In a small jar, shake together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. Set the dressing aside.
2. To a large mixing bowl, add the greens, cooked farro, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onions, parsley, and dill. Pour the dressing on top and mix well.
3. Transfer the salad to a mixing bowl and garnish with feta cheese crumbles.
What is farro
Farro is a high-protein, high-fiber ancient whole-grain wheat, that looks similar to barley. It is slightly more oblong and larger grain. Like barley, farro retains a notable amount of chew when it gets cooked. Farro and barley can be used interchangeably in most recipes. Farro is a wheat product and contains gluten.
How to cook farro
Cover farro with at least 2” of water (or broth) and a dash of salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 20-30 minutes or until the farro is tender. It's best to check the cooking time indicated on the package. Drain and serve hot or cold.
Tips for the best Mediterranean Farro Salad
- Use dijon mustard. This type of mustard gives your dressing a light acidity from the vinegar it's made from. Spicy brown can be too granular for a dressing, and yellow mustard too overpowering.
- Chop the veggies similarly. Cutting the vegetables to a similar size ensures that each bite gets a little of everything, and no one ingredient overwhelms the salad.
- Choose a block of feta over crumbles. Blocks of feta that are soaked in brine tend to have more flavor than feta sold as crumbles. Just break off as much as you'd like to use from the block with clean hands.
- Make this ahead. Save yourself time by prepping the dressing and farro ahead of time and storing in the fridge. You can also pre-cut the vegetables. Then just assemble when you are ready to serve.
Variations to this Recipe
- Make the dressing a little sweet. Instead of a dijon mustard, you can make the dressing with honey mustard to give it a little touch of sweetness.
- Substitute another grain. This salad can also be made with other grains, like brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, bulgur, sorghum, or buckwheat groats.
- Add other vegetables. Enjoy this Mediterranean Farro Salad with sliced green pepper, pepperoncini, shredded carrots, beets, zucchini, or broccoli. Just cut everything to a similar size.
- Add nuts. Try this dish with your favorite nuts for added flavor and protein, not to mention great texture. Pine nuts, chopped pecans, almonds, walnuts, and cashews are all great options.
How to Store it
Store any leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The vegetables will begin to leak moisture as they sit, so only make as much as you can eat in a day or two. Storing the dressing separately in a sealable jar will also help the greens and veggies last longer.
What to Serve this with
- On its own. This makes a satisfying meal all by itself.
- With proteins. Serve it alongside Creamy Mushroom Chicken, Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast, Easy Lemon Butter Salmon, or Salmon in Creamy Sauce.
- With soup. Pair this Mediterranean Farro Salad with Turkey Cabbage Soup, Moroccan Chickpea Soup, Easy Greek Chicken Lemon Soup, or Easy Lemon Lentil Soup.
- With pasta. Enjoy your salad before dishing up a plate of Creamy Pasta with Prosciutto, Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Garlic, Chicken Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce, or Cheesy Spinach Lasagna Rolls.
Is farro gluten-free?
Because farro is a type of wheat, it contains gluten just like any wheat product.
I hope you adore this flavorful and refreshing Mediterranean Farro Salad as much as we do. It's so versatile and complementary to other dishes, you'll love adding it to your weekly meal rotation.
More tasty salad recipes:
Mediterranean Farro Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
For the Salad
- 3-4 cups tightly packed spinach/arugula mix
- 2 cups cooked farro
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 2-3 Persian cucumbers, diced
- ¼ medium red onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup black olives, sliced
- 2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp. finely chopped dill
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbles
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a small jar, shake together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper. Set the dressing aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the greens, cooked farro, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onions, parsley, and dill. Pour the dressing on top and mix well.
- Transfer the salad to a mixing bowl and garnish with feta cheese crumbles.
Notes
Variations to this Recipe
- Make the dressing a little sweet. Instead of a dijon mustard, you can make the dressing with honey mustard to give it a little touch of sweetness.
- Substitute another grain. This salad can also be made with other grains, like brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, bulgur, sorghum, or buckwheat groats.
- Add other vegetables. Enjoy this Mediterranean Farro Salad with sliced green pepper, pepperoncini, shredded carrots, beets, zucchini, or broccoli. Just cut everything to a similar size.
- Add nuts. Try this dish with your favorite nuts for added flavor and protein, not to mention great texture. Pine nuts, chopped pecans, almonds, walnuts, and cashews are all great options.
This is an easy lunch to make and take to work all week - I just store the greens separately from the farro + chopped veggies to keep them from getting soggy. Yummy and healthy and I love that I can prep it once and then have it all week
Thanks, Brit! I make this salad quite often, it is definitely a great fit for the lunch box. And it's healthy, too!