Vegan Farro Salad With Pistachios and Lemon Vinaigrette

This vegan farro salad has it all — fresh herbs, crunchy nuts, leafy greens, chewy grains, crispy veggies, salty parmesan, and a tangy vinaigrette. Yes, please! Here’s what keeps me coming back to this lunchtime favorite over and over again:

• It’s a vibrant and colorful centerpiece for the table
• It hits all the different textures — creamy, crunchy, chewy, and more
• You can cook the farro in advance and toss everything just before serving

Key Ingredients

This farro salad is inspired by Charlie Bird’s recipe except I swap in dairy-free parmesan and skip cooking the farro in apple cider for a more savory dish.

Farro: The base of the salad is this chewy grain. It’s hearty and nutty and soaks up the vinaigrette while it’s still warm. Farro is related to wheat and has gluten, so if you’re GF, substitute quinoa.

Arugula: Just a couple handfuls add a peppery kick to the salad. I prefer to use baby arugula, as it’s milder — but regular will work just fine, especially as the warm farro wilts it when you toss the salad.

Cherry tomatoes: Half them lengthwise — the juicy tomatoes are a match made in heaven for the fresh herbs and parmesan cheese.

Radishes: Radishes add a crunchy spiciness to the salad.

Pistachios: Toasted, salted pistachios add a delightfully nutty crunch. If you’re nut free, you can also use any toasted seeds like pepitas or sunflower seeds.

Fresh herbs: This salad calls for mint and basil. Parsley and dill would also be nice.

Lemon vinaigrette: A super simple combo of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Vegan parmesan: My favorite is in block form so that you can shave it over the salad in large chunks using a vegetable peeler.

How to Make This Farro Salad

First, cook the farro in salted boiling water. Pay attention to the type of farro you buy — “pearled” farro has the outer husk removed and takes much less time to cook than whole farro. Follow the directions on the package for the most accurate cooking time.

Prepare the salad while the farro is cooking. Chop your ingredients and place everything in a large salad bowl.

Make the vinaigrette by adding all the ingredients to a mason jar. Once the farro is done cooking, drain it and add the vinaigrette to the hot farro so that it absorbs most of it.

Add the dressed farro to the salad bowl and toss with the rest of the ingredients. Serve immediately.

Vegan Farro Salad

This Charlie Bird inspired vegan farro salad has it all: fresh herbs, crunchy nuts, leafy greens, chewy grains, crisp veggies, salty parmesan, and a tangy vinaigrette.

5 from 4 votes

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Course Salad

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup pearled farro
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup roasted, salted pistachios
• 1/4 cup fresh basil (chopped)
• 1/4 cup fresh mint (chopped)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
• 1/2 cup radishes (thinly sliced)
• 2 cups baby arugula
• 1/2 cup vegan parmesan

Instructions

 

• Cook the farro according to package directions, adding 1 tsp salt and the bay leaves to the water in the pot.
• Make the dressing by placing the olive oil, lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a mason jar and vigorously shaking it until it's emulsified.
• Once the farro is done cooking, drain and add the dressing while still warm.
• Toss the dressed farro with the rest of the ingredients in a large salad bowl and serve immediately.

Notes

Gluten free: Farro is not gluten free. To make this GF, use quinoa.

Nut free: Do not use pistachios. Substitute sunflower seeds.

Keywords vegan farro salad