A delicious recipe for Farro Salad with pear, hazelnuts and arugula, keep it vegan or add pecorino. Either way it’s a tasty fall salad!
This Farro Salad practically sings of fall. Paired with pears, toasted hazelnuts, and arugula, it’s hearty enough to be a main course. Farro is so nutty and wholesome, I love it in salads- and it turns out we have quite a few on the blog!
My husband often wants meat for dinner, and I don’t. When 5 o’clock rolls around, it’s always the same rigamarole- “What’s for dinner?” my husband asks. And when I tell him what I’m thinking and if it sounds too healthy or too vegetarian, he immediately establishes a prejudice against it. 🙂 So I’ve developed a new tactic; I just don’t tell him. Ha! I wait until he’s good and hungry, then I place the beautiful bowl of food in front of him and wait to see what happens. I don’t even tell him what it is. And usually, what happens is, he eats it. And when he goes for seconds, I know that he likes it. Of course, there have been a couple of times when he’s flat-out refused, like when I served him a bowl of wilted nettles. Lesson learned. 😉 This is one dish he wholeheartedly gobbled up – so I know it’s good.
Farro Salad Ingredient Notes:
- Farro– Feel free to cook this ahead and refrigerate or even freeze. Farro can be swapped out for another whole-cooked grain. FYI: 2 cups of dry farro, yields 6 cups cooked. Toasting the farro beforehand adds unexpected depth and nuttiness to the finished dish – and this technique is one to keep in your back pocket and remember because it works with any grain, even pasta, elevating the finished dish.
- Pears– Any seasonal pear will work here and feel free to swap out apples for the pears. Using perfectly ripe fall pears makes this salad shine. Pears, unlike most fruit, don’t actually ripen well on the tree. They are picked unripe and prefer to ripen on your kitchen counter. If left on the tree to ripen, their cores will become mealy, and their outer flesh overly tannic. So be sure to give them a few days on the counter until they feel tender to the touch near the stem.
- Hazelnuts– Toast them first. Or swap them out for our Maple Pecans or toasted walnuts. If there are nut allergies, try toasted pumpkin seeds!
- Pecorino– optional, but adds a nice depth.
How to make Farro Salad
- Toast the farro in a dry pot until golden and toasty smelling. Add water and salt and boil like pasta, uncovered until perfectly tender, yet still a little chewy. Drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and place in a bowl. You can do this ahead and chill or freeze.
- Add the dressing ingredients and toss. At this point, you could refrigerate for later.
- Gently fold in the pears, toasted hazelnut and arugula. Adjust seasonings and add pecorino if you like.
On the homefront: September is my favorite month of the year. Here in the Northwest, days are gloriously sunny, while nights are deliciously brisk. The air feels charged with a special sort of energy, an effervescent quality that moves the trees in such a way, they seem to come alive. So mesmerizing. In our catering world, there is a natural, but intentional slow down for us – Brian goes on his 10-day trip into the woods- and I get my fill of luxurious solitude.
During our time apart, we forget about everything that drives us crazy about each other, and by the end of it we miss each other. Our reuniting lands just a few days before our anniversary on the Fall Equinox. It really couldn’t be more perfectly timed. So this is why I love September. Not to mention all the beautiful produce that is available – there is such an abundance.
I hope you enjoy this lovely farr salad! Please let us know in the comments below.
Happy September,
More Farro recipes you may like:
- Farro Tabbouleh Salad
- Kale Farro Salad with Almonds and Pomegranate
- Pickled Cherry and Farro Salad
- Farro Salad with Beets and their Tops
- Farro Bowl with Kale & Figs
- Roasted Cauliflower Kale & Farro Salad with Turmeric Dressing
- Farro Risotto with Acorn Squash
- 50 Farmers Market Recipes!
Farro Salad
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: salad, entree
- Method: tossed
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry farro
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/8 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
- 1/2 cup crushed roasted hazelnuts
- 3 large ripe pears- sliced
- handful or two baby arugula ( or sub lacinato kale)
- 1 1/2 ounces shaved or grated Romano Cheese ( optional, but delicious)
Instructions
- Toast farro in a dry medium pot over medium-high heat until lightly toasted and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Pour 8 cups water over the top of the toasted farro and add a generous pinch of salt.
- Bring to a boil and boil uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook to tender but still chewy. Once done to your liking, drain, rinse with cold water, drain again, and place in a bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, gently tossing as you go. Taste and adjust salt and vinegar to taste.
- If making this ahead, dress the farro, but leave out the pear, arugula and nuts until serving. Refrigerate. Re-taste the farro, as it can soak up some the flavor. Adjust as needed.
Notes
- Notes- if leaving the cheese out, adjust the salt ( the cheese adds salt to the dish).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 284
- Sugar: 14.7 g
- Sodium: 201.4 mg
- Fat: 15.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.4 g
- Fiber: 5.6 g
- Protein: 4.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
There is no dressing listed in the recipe? It just says add the dressing. Am I overlooking it?
Hi David, the dressing is right below the farro, in the recipe card “ingrediet list”. Just scroll down to the recipe card. 🙂
Don’t have Romano in the house, do you think feta will work?
Honestly, I’m not sure…but why not give it a try? Go light, add more taste. 😉 And let me know! Curious!
made this on a whim to use up few pears I had leftover and it was delicious! This is the second recipe of yours I have tried (after the vegan shiitake ramen) and they have both been delicious and very original! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes, this salad was great!
I made this on Thanksgiving, and everyone loved it. I’m going to make it on New Years Eve too. Farro is a new household favorite for salads. Thank you for continually expanding my kitchen repertoire Sylvia!
Thanks so much- happy you tried this!
This was delicious! I actually made your falafel sliders and served them on top of this salad (no bun).
Another amazing dish Sylvia. There is a reason this is my “go-to” website when I want to make a great meal. The colors and the flavors were really on point for the fall season. It was so easy too!! I will be making this one again. Thank you for sharing!
Oh Perfect! Glad it worked well. Thanks for sharing your feedback, really appreciate it!