This farro salad is a fresh and colorful blend of grains, vegetables, olives, feta cheese and herbs, all tossed in a homemade dressing. An easy and unusual salad that’s healthy and can be made in advance.
I love a good salad, and sometimes the best salads don’t even involve lettuce. When I’m looking for a way to get my veggies in, I turn to orzo salad, chickpea salad and this fabulous farro salad.
I love looking for new ways to get my veggies in, and this farro salad is a real winner. It’s a blend of fresh veggies, chickpeas, feta cheese and olives, all tossed in the most delicious homemade vinaigrette. This salad is healthy, full of protein and will earn you rave reviews from family and friends.
What is farro?
Farro is a type of ancient wheat grain that has the hull removed. Farro is sold in the rice area of most grocery stores, and can be prepared by boiling the grains in salted water for approximately 20 minutes. Farro has a pleasant, chewy texture and mild flavor.
How do you make farro salad?
To make farro salad, you will combine cooked farro with cucumbers, roasted red bell peppers, chickpeas, kalamata olives, red onions and feta cheese. Everything gets tossed together with a simple savory dressing. From there, you can either serve your salad immediately or refrigerate it for up to 6 hours.
Tips for farro salad
- I like to use the small Persian cucumbers for this salad. If you can’t find this variety, use a seedless English cucumber instead.
- I use a bottle of pre-prepared roasted peppers for convenience sake, but you can roast fresh peppers if you prefer.
- This salad calls for parsley because it adds a fresh flavor and many people always have it on hand. If you don’t have parsley, other great herb options are dill, chives or mint.
- Make sure to cut all your veggies into small pieces so that they blend well with the tiny grains of farro.
- If you’re looking to save time, cook your farro in advance, up to 3 days before you plan to make this salad.
Is farro healthy?
Farro is full of nutrients! It contains plenty of fiber, protein, magnesium and zinc. It also contains a variety of antioxidant compounds which help protect against diseases. It’s a great substitute for refined grains such as white rice.
Farro Salad Variations
There are so many different ways to flavor your farro salad! Here are some of my favorite optional additions to this recipe.
- Grilled Chicken
- Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Marinated Artichoke Hearts
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Baby Spinach
Farro salad makes a great side dish, vegetarian main course, or potluck offering. It’s unexpected and unique, yet full of flavor and texture. Every time I bring this salad to an event, I get a ton of requests for the recipe!
More great salad recipes
- Black Bean and Corn Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Cherry Tomato Salad
- Pesto Pasta Salad
- Brussels Sprout Salad
Farro Salad with Feta
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked farro
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- 1 cup chickpeas canned, drained then rinsed
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers diced
- 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives sliced
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the farro, cucumbers, chickpeas, roasted peppers, red onion, feta cheese, olives and parsley in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, oregano and salt and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the farro mixture. Toss to coat, then serve
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on June 4, 2015 and was updated on February 3, 2019 with new content.
I love how you presented this salad! And even though I’m not a huge fan of tomatoes, the tomatoes you used in this recipe look amazing! xoxoxo
What a gorgeous salad!! I LOVE everything in it, around it, above it… uhm, I think I just fell in love with a salad!
This is definitely a perfect & healthy salad I need to make. It looks so fresh and delicious!
Your salad looks so fresh and yummy. Feel like having it right away! 🙂
Beautiful pictures. Makes it look so yummy!
Such a beautiful salad!! Can’t wait to try this!
I love all the colors in this salad and especially think the balsamic almond drizzle is special! What a fantastic salad!
I love salads and this one looks great! I will for sure be making this!!
This looks incredible! I cannot wait to try it! I love new, tasty healthy ideas! Thanks!
I LOVEEEE kalamata olives and my husband hates them so I never buy them but I think this salad gives me the perfect excuse to toss them in the cart next time. 😉
This salad seriously looks amazing. I want to eat it right now!
This sounds amazing and your pictures are stunning!
This looks so amazing..cant wait to try it, has all the ingredients I love! Thanks for sharing!
Valerie
Super healthy, but oh so delicious. Have a lovely weekend.
That looks so tasty! And healthy too!
I haven’t tried farro yet, but it’s been on my list for a while now! This salad looks fantastic, love the mediterranean flavours! Isn’t it great when your kids surprise you and like something you don’t expect them too? So much better than the opposite! 🙂
What a plateful of deliciousness is this gorgeous salad! With lovely colors, amazing textures and great combo of flavors – I’d say it’s perfect!
Farro is my go to grain after finding a big bag of it at Costco!
This looks so flavorful and delicious! This is summer in a bowl!
Your salad looks colorful, fresh and full of life. I just want to dive in!