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    Home » Recipes » Sides

    Mediterranean Farro Salad

    Published: May 22, 2019 · Modified: Jul 20, 2020 by Alyssa · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    This post is sponsored by iHerb. As always, the opinions and text are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep My Sequined Life going!

    This Mediterranean farro salad includes cannellini beans, pine nuts, figs, and more in a hearty dish that works beautifully as a side dish or light meal. Served straight from the fridge or at room temperature, this nutritious farro salad features several prep-ahead elements to make it a great choice for entertaining.

    Assembled farro salad in a serving bowl

    I am ridiculously excited to share this farro salad with you today. It's a hearty grain salad that's at its best straight from the fridge or at room temperature, and it features a satisfying mix of flavors and textures perfect for the warmer weather months.

    As soon as my first batch was gone, I immediately made a second. And we didn't even host a gathering! My husband and I can really put a dent in some farro salad, though it's not hard to do when it works for lunch, part of dinner, a snack...

    An overhead shot of farro, olive oil, and figs from iHerb

    I ordered most of the ingredients for this recipe outside of fresh herbs and vegetables from iHerb (affiliate link). Have you ordered from them before? If not, iHerb is an online retailer that carries over 30,000 natural products and ships to over 150 countries.

    Their orders are shipped from climate-controlled distribution centers to help ensure the quality of your products, and iHerb offers 24/7 customer service available in 10 different languages. Because sometimes you just want to chat with a representative, ask your question, get your answer, place your order, and cross 'order groceries' off your to-do list as efficiently as possible. iHerb makes that happen. 

    An overhead shot of ingredients from iHerb: pine nuts, apple cider vinegar, and cannellini beans

    Recipe ingredients

    What I love about ordering from iHerb is that I can buy a variety of ingredients that can be hard to find elsewhere in one fell swoop. I know that I'm lucky to live near a big city with many shopping options, but driving from place to place picking up specialty items gets tedious and takes up half the day. Not my favorite thing to do, you know?

    For this Mediterranean farro salad, I was able to save myself all the legwork and ordered a whole host of healthy goodies in just minutes. I bought (affiliate links):

    • organic farro
    • organic extra-virgin olive oil
    • organic pine nuts
    • cannellini heritage beans
    • organic apple cider vinegar, and
    • super plump dried figs

    Like, super plump and moist jarred figs. They are a serious find, and I already plan to order more to make fig cookies around the holidays. YUM.

    Everything came quickly and I was impressed with the packaging. The figs and vinegar are in glass containers, and each was wrapped generously in bubble wrap so nothing would happen to them in transit.

    **New customers! You can receive a discount on your first iHerb order with no minimum purchase by clicking here.**

    An overhead shot of the ingredients in separate bowls: cooked farro, white beans, figs, dressing, asparagus, and tomatoes with fresh herbs

    Step-by-step instructions

    This Mediterranean farro salad comes together easily, with several different prep-ahead options to make assembling it even more efficient. Farro is an ancient grain that is actually quite nutritious, acting as a good source of iron, protein, and fiber. It provides such a great base to this substantial side dish salad. 

    First I cooked the cannellini heritage beans according to the package directions. White beans are one of my favorite additions to grain salads as they add some oomph in terms of fiber and protein. With their creamy texture and slightly nutty flavor, these beans certainly didn't disappoint.

    Next I cooked the farro, also according to package directions. Told you this recipe wasn't too tough. After thirty minutes of cook time, the farro manages to be hearty, chewy, and fluffy all at the same time. Love it! 

    Cooked farro in a serving bowl

    Now it's time for roasting and toasting. Fresh asparagus spears are seasoned, drizzled with oil, and then softened and roasted in the oven, with the pine nuts following closely behind to briefly toast. As always when toasting nuts, keep a close eye on them while they're in the oven as they can go from wonderfully golden-brown to singed and burnt very quickly. These are too good to waste.

    All of the above steps can be done the day before serving this Mediterranean farro salad, or even earlier!

    An overhead shot of tomatoes, white beans, asparagus, pine nuts, herbs, and figs on top of farro in a serving bowl before being mixed together.

    Just prior to assembling, whisk together the dressing ingredients, which include organic extra-virgin olive oil, organic apple cider vinegar, a bit of honey to counter the vinegar tang in the best way, garlic, and salt and pepper.

    Simply pour it over the cooked farro, stir to coat the farro evenly, and then stir in the rest of the ingredients, including the sliced figs, fresh tomatoes, and fresh herbs, until combined.

    This Mediterranean farro salad is ready to serve at room temperature, or is enjoyable straight from the refrigerator. If waiting to serve, just give it a stir before setting out to redistribute the dressing that has made its way to the bottom of the bowl. 

    A wooden serving spoon scooping out a portion of farro salad from a serving bowl

    Recipe notes

    • I've cooked the cannellini beans both on the stovetop and in the pressure cooker with success. 
    • Cooking the beans, roasting the asparagus, and toasting the pine nuts are all steps that can be done a day or more in advance of assembling and serving this farro salad.
    Assembled farro salad in a serving bowl

    Mediterranean Farro Salad

    This Mediterranean Farro Salad includes cannellini beans, pine nuts, figs, and more in a hearty dish that works beautifully as a side dish or light meal. Served straight from the fridge or at room temperature, this farro salad features several prep-ahead elements to make it a great choice for entertaining.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Mediterranean
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 279kcal
    Author: Alyssa

    Ingredients

    Cannellini beans:

    • ½ cup Bob's Red Mill Cannellini Heritage Beans, cooked

    Farro:

    • 1 ½ cups Bob's Red Mill Organic Farro
    • 4 ½ cups water (36 oz)

    Asparagus:

    • ½ bunch asparagus spears, trimmed
    • Drizzle of olive oil
    • Salt and pepper, to taste

    Pine nuts:

    • ¼ cup Now Real Food Organic Pine Nuts

    Dressing:

    • 6 tablespoon La Tourangelle 100% Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
    • 2 ½ tablespoon Dynamic Health Laboratories Organic Raw Apple Cider
    • 2 tablespoon honey
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

    Assembly:

    • 3.5 oz St. Dalfour Luscious Figs, sliced
    • 5 oz cherry tomatoes, sliced (or mini San Marzano)
    • ½ tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
    • ½ tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or your favorite herbs
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Cook the cannellini beans:

    • Sort and rinse ¾ cup of the cannellini beans. Set a medium saucepan over high heat and add the beans. Cover the saucepan and let it come to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer/cook for 60-90 minutes, or until beans are soft. Add additional water as needed throughout the cooking process to make sure the beans stay covered. You will have extra beans leftover.

    Cook the farro:

    • Add water to a medium saucepan, and then add the rinsed farro. Cover and set the saucepan over high heat until it reaches a boil. Uncover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook/simmer for 30 minutes, or until the farro is soft. Drain and add cooked farro to a large bowl to cool to room temperature.

    Roast the asparagus:

    • Preheat oven to 400°F. Trim the ends from the asparagus and place the spears in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
    • Roast for 6-8 minutes, or until the asparagus has become slightly tender. Let cool, then slice into smaller pieces.

    Toast the pine nuts:

    • Reduce oven heat to 375°F. Place pine nuts on a dry (ungreased) rimmed baking sheet and toast for 6-8 minutes, or until they are just becoming fragrant and are golden-brown. Remove immediately to a plate or bowl to cool once done.

    Make the dressing:

    • Add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper to a bowl and whisk well to combine. If not assembling the farro salad right away be sure to whisk it again right before using.

    Assemble the farro salad:

    • Once the farro has cooled, pour the dressing over top and stir everything up to coat the farro completely. Add the cannellini beans, sliced asparagus, pine nuts, figs, tomatoes, and herbs and stir to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving, stirring it up just prior to serving to redistribute the dressing. Farro salad will stay for several days in the refrigerator.

    Notes

    The cook time displayed is an estimate for cooking the beans. It assumes the other ingredients that need to cook, roast, or toast for shorter amounts of time will be done during that window, as well.
    This post contains affiliate links

    Nutrition

    Calories: 279kcal
    Tried this Recipe?Tag @mysequinedlife - I love to see what you're making!

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

    Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer

    An overhead shot of the assembled farro and bean salad in a serving bowl with a wooden serving spoon

     
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    Comments

    1. Allynne says

      May 23, 2019 at 8:07 am

      5 stars
      Amazing!

      Reply

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