This Farro Salad with Spring Vegetables is loaded with whole grain and crunchy vegetables. Itโs a healthy side dish, or it can be a meal all by itself. The nutty chew of the farro pairs nicely with the crunch of the vegetables. It’s topped with an easy and delicious artichoke vinaigrette you will love. This salad is a winner!
Fresh and Healthy-
Oh, Spring! It’s great, isnโt it? I love when I start seeing little flowers just start to peek up out of the ground. I just started to notice that last week. Itโs pure magic after three months of the cold and gray of winter.
When this time of year hits, I am so ready for fresh veggies and lighter dishes. This farro salad recipe is the perfect cure for the winter blues. I love the colors, and it is great with soup, main dishes, or all on its own.
The Salad Ingredients
Farro
Farro in the Italian language means โancient wheat grainโ and it is thought to be one of the first crops ever cultivated. Itโs texture is chewy and it has a nutty flavor to it. This grain is very versatile, and makes a great replacement for rice in most dishes.
There are three types of Farro: Spelt, Emmer, and Einkorn. The word Farro does not actually refer to only one grain, but these three types. The most common in the US is Emmer.
If you are looking for an ingredient to add to your diet that has quite a few health benefits, Farro is a great choice. For more information on itโs nutritional benefits, check out this article from Healthline.
Purple Carrots
I love purple carrots! They taste the same as your garden variety orange, but they just add so much color to any dish they are a part of. With a dark purple exterior and a bright yellow center, they bring a bit of sunshine to a recipe.
Be sure to slice the carrots as thin as you can, since they are not cooked for this recipe.
Radishes
Radishes not only add some punch, but some color as well. You want to be sure these are cut into thin slices, radishes can have a strong flavor.
Leeks
Raw leek has a nice mild flavor that is not too strong in this salad. I only use the white part for this recipe. You can always save the green leek tops for making vegetable stock.
Asparagus
There are not many things that say โSpringโ louder than asparagus! Try to use thinner stalks for this recipe. Since they will be raw, the thicker spears tend to be a bit woody unless they are cooked.
The Artichoke Vinaigrette
While I donโt use many processed or jarred ingredients, I must say that jarred marinated artichoke hearts are a favorite of mine. Using the marinade in the dressing adds a nice flavor to the vinaigrette.
You could use dried thyme if you can’t find fresh, but really try to get the fresh thyme for this recipe!
If you decided to use this vinaigrette on other salads, I wouldnโt stop you. Itโs a good one!
Serving Suggestions and Variations
I love this salad on its own, but itโs great paired with my Cream of Asparagus Soup for a light dinner. It would also be nice with my Curried Chicken Salad with Coconut for a picnic.
This salad makes a nice work lunch. It makes enough to last nearly the whole work week, and you donโt even need a microwave!
Kept in a tightly sealed container, this salad will keep for about 4 days. You can store it with the dressing mixed in, no need to keep them separate.
If you canโt find any purple carrot, feel free to use orange, white, or yellow carrots instead. Or, just use a different color of carrots anyway because you can!
For an alternative to the leeks in this salad, chopped shallot is really nice. Just make sure that you are using something mild in flavor.
While this recipe utilizes Spring veggies, you can definitely make this year round! Butternut squash, shaved brussels sprouts, fennel, dried cranberries, broccoli, cauliflower, or pretty much any veggies that are great raw would be a nice addition or replacement for the ones listed in the recipe.
If you tried this recipe, Iโd love to hear how it turned out! Just leave a rating or comment below, or take a picture and tag me @thecoppertable on Instagram, or share with your friends on social media! If you have not signed up for my weekly newsletter, you can do that below. I have all sorts of exclusive content just for newsletter subscribers, and Iโd love for you to join. This recipe is linked to #CookBlogShare Week 11, hosted by Melissa. Happy Cooking!
Farro Salad with Spring Vegetables
Loaded with whole grain and crunchy veggies, this farro salad is a healthy side dish or a meal all by itself.
Ingredients
For the Farro
- 1 cup uncooked Farro
- 3/4 cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 small Dried Bay leaf
For the Vegetables
- 8 ounces small Asparagus Spears (about 1 cup of asparagus spears cut into one inch pieces)
- 1/4 cup thin sliced Radish (1-2 radishes)
- 2 medium Purple carrots, thin sliced
- 1/2 large Leek, white part only
For the Artichoke Vinaigrette
- 4 Marinated Artichoke Heart Quarters from the jar
- 2 tsp fresh Thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup Marinade from Jarred Artichoke Hearts
- 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 5 tsp Honey
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Heat a small saucepan on medium high heat. Toast the uncooked Farro for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the 3/4 cup water, small bay leaf, and the 1/2 tsp of salt to the saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and turn the heat to medium.
- Cook for 15 minutes, then drain the excess water. Set the cooked farro aside to cool.
- While the farro cools, cut off any woody ends from the asparagus and cut the spears into one inch sections.
- Thinly slice the radishes and purple carrots.
- Cut the leek in half lengthwise and slice the white part of half the leek into thin slices. Rinse any dirt or grit from the leek slices and pat dry.
- To make the dressing, remove the fresh thyme leaves from their stems.
- Place the 4 artichoke heart quarters, 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, 1/2 cup of artichoke marinade, 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 5 tsp honey, 2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper into a blender and pulse until smooth. Or, you can place all ingredients into a bowl and use a stick blender.
- Toss the salad and the dressing together in a large bowl and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 350Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2194mgCarbohydrates: 62gFiber: 10gSugar: 17gProtein: 12g
All information presented and written within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietitian and any nutritional information should only be used as a general guideline. Statements within this site have not been evaluated or approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is provided for recipes contained on this site. This information comes from online calculators. Although The Copper Table attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
I really like the look of this and how it could be adapted to other grains too. great use of spring vegetables and I have been wondering what to do with farro – want to try it! Thank you!
Thank you Melissa, I hope you like this recipe. It really is very adaptable!
Such a delicious and easy salad to make. We love it. Thanks for sharing.
You are most welcome Megan!
What a beautiful salad – an ideal Spring dish!
Thank you Alexandra!
Im looking forward making this salad, would love to try your dressing.
Thank you Jean. I love the dressing on this salad, it’s one of my favorites.
I love everything in this farro salad! And the artichoke vinaigrette is so perfect with it.
Thank you Ananiah, glad to hear you like it!
What a gorgeous salad this was, just perfect. Thank you!
You are welcome Keri!
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever used farro before! This is a great recipe for it and it’s really well rounded.
Thank you Lillian! I really like Farro, and I prefer it over brown rice. It’s one of my favorite grains!
Such an amazing salad recipe! My family is going to love it! Thanks!
You are welcome Nora!
This salad is so perfect for spring! Thank you!
You are welcome Amanda! I agree, this is a great Spring recipe!