By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour and 10 minutes
- Rating
- 5(1,189)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Farro is a sturdy grain that stands up well to formidable ingredients like beets, their greens and salty feta cheese. That hardiness and versatility, as well as its sweet, nutty flavor, have made farro a popular option for filling out a salad in order to create a main dish. If you’re in doubt, sliced or shredded poached or roasted chicken would make a nice addition. Either way the farro absorbs color from the red beets, giving the dish a pinkish tint that only deepens as hours pass. (In fact, you can make the dish up to a day ahead. And it travels well, making it fine picnic fare.) Soak the grains for an hour before cooking, and be sure to cook until tender, or else the salad will be chewy.
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Ingredients
Yield:8 servings
- 2medium or 3 small beets (any color) with greens, the beets roasted, the greens stemmed and washed in two changes of water
- 1cup farro, soaked for one hour in water to cover and drained
- Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
- 2tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1small garlic clove, minced or pureed
- 1teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½cup extra virgin olive oil (may substitute 1 to 2 tablespoons walnut oil for 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil)
- ½cup broken walnut pieces
- 2ounces feta or goat cheese, crumbled (more if desired for garnish)
- ¼cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, marjoram, chives, mint
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
271 calories; 20 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 171 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, add salt to taste and the greens. Blanch for two minutes, and transfer to the ice water. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely and set aside.
Step
2
Bring the water back to a boil, and add the farro. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes, stirring from time to time, or until the farro is tender. Remove from the heat and allow the grains to swell in the cooking water for 10 minutes, then drain.
Step
3
While the farro is cooking, make the vinaigrette. Whisk together the vinegars, salt, garlic and mustard. Whisk in the oil(s). Add to the farro. Peel and dice the beets and add, along with the beet greens, feta or goat cheese, herbs and walnuts. Toss together, and serve warm or room temperature with a little more cheese sprinkled over the top if you wish.
Tip
- The roasted beets and cooked beet greens will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator, and the cooked farro for five days. You can assemble this salad hours or even a day ahead; it will redden with time.
Ratings
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out of 5
1,189
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Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
kathrin
Great salad! But I wouldn't use that much oil next time...
cheching
I have made this with both feta and goat cheese (not at the same time), and they were both equally delicious! Also, I'm not sure why the farro recipes on this site always call for an inordinate amount of olive oil in the vinaigrette, but I only used 1/4 cup and it was more than enough. The unintended benefit of reducing the olive oil is that it cuts a HECK of a lot of calories from this dish.
Steve
Made this with Lentils du Puy rather than farro, lacinato kale (lightly steamed), parsley and chives and it was delicious, and gluten free (for my mother in law.)
elizabethL
Used what I had on hand, and added carrots and some sliced radishes. Ingredients ended up being: 8 baby beets (quartered lengthwise for wedges), beet greens, Trader Joe's 10-minute farro, carrots roasted with olive oil and sliced thin in 2-3 in. pieces, and this vinaigrette with somewhat less oil and no sherry vinegar. It turned out great! Though simpler it did not need much help. I totally forgot about the feta but it wasn't necessary. I garnished with some radishes... meh on that.
Erica
It says the beets are roasted in the notes, but I don't see anything about actually roasting them in the recipe?
kac
Great recipe--but I couldn't stand the idea of roasting beets in July. So I cleaned golden beets and cooked them in the pressure cooker for 15-30 minutes on high. Went to clean the cooker and realized they left this amazing bitter-sweet orange concentrate. So I diluted that, salted it, and cooked the farro in it (remembering notes from Charlie Bird's farro salad). The farro tastes great, the beets are perfect, and my kitchen is no hotter than this morning! Yay!
Kim
I didn't have beets with greens, so used barely wilted baby spinach instead. May cut down on the olive oil next time, as this comes out a bit on the oily side. Tasted even more delicious on the second (and third) serving. Makes a great lunch!
Melissa
This is excellent! I used mozzarella - it was fabulous. The warm farro gently melts the cheese binding it all together. This is great for all occasions. I will be making this again & again.
Kennedy
One of my favorite recipes. I double the beets and add in some spinach or kale if the greens aren't as abundant. I add 50% more mustard into the vinaigrette to give it more punch. I find that the vinaigrette-to-other-junk ratio is a bit high, so I throw in more farro and veggies to compensate.
Marguerite
I've been feeling kind of "meh" about beets lately, but this dish has renewed my love. I didn't want to turn the oven on, so I "roasted" the beets on the grill. The smokiness works great with the rest of the flavors. MUCH better the next day!
Christine
Absolutely delicious. We both had second servings and there's just enough for lunch tomorrow. Did not pre-soak the farro (Bob's Red Mill), took approximately 30 minutes cooking time. Used 6 small beets and all the greens, only parsley as had no other fresh herbs on hand, and adjusted oils to 2 Tbsp walnut and 4 Tbsp olive. Dressed lightly, so have some dressing left for another use. Knockout with grilled salmon.
Nancy
The beet stems are good too. I cooked them 8-10 min. in the same pot of boiling water after blanching the greens and before cooking the farro. Chop into a fine dice and add to the salad.This has been a big hit with family, friends and at several potlucks. I prepare it a day or two ahead of time and always add the vinaigrette to the warm, drained farro.
Hannah
Really tasty and a great way to use beet greens. Came out way too oily- would cut down on oil next time (maybe use only 1/4 cup?), but keep vinegar the same. Good with some fresh lemon juice squeezed on before serving.
Kate
This dish was s huge hit in our house. We didn't have sherry vinegar so I subbed in a raspberry/basil vinegar and used fig balsamic. I also used a mix of golden and red beets/beet greens. The finished salad was vibrant and eye-pleasing. Three adults split this for a light meal, but it would also be a great side to salmon.
mcg
This is delicious, and better the next day. As I had only a small amount of beet greens, I added baby spinach. After tasting, I added more sherry vinegar (I did not use balsamic as that would overpower the sherry vinegar). Oh...I also added thinly sliced scallions. After tasting the next day, I felt it needed more feta. This is a great recipe which can be amended many ways and still come out good.
Eileen
I used (gasp) pickled beets. I blanched some chard in the water with the farro while it was simmering. Much easier, and it was great.
sam
Add a little lemon juice and slightly reduce olive oil quantity
taylor
Super easy, delicious. Use Kamut wheat instead of farro
sdepas
I was worried this would be hohum but it was great! I misread the instructions and served the beet greens raw and it was delicious so won't bother to do it right next time. I reduced the oil a bit and added more vinegar and Dijon. I also added a half cup of dry lentils to the farro. Great combo and will make again as a hearty fall salad. This would still be great without the cheese as a vegan side or main.
kim
This is such a great salad — I have made it many times. If your beets come with no greens, kale (if you want to keep leftovers) or arugula (flavor is great!) work well as substitutes. Adding a bit of rotisserie chicken is great if you’re so inclined.
Shelley
Used barley 'cause that is what I had. This is very good but way too oily. next time I will cut the oil way back.
LeslieJ
Delish and easy! Used 4 T EVOO and prepackaged beets from the grocery produce section, drained the cooked farro over chopped mixed greens from the farmers market, and added about 1 c chickpeas. Served with chopped fresh cukes from local farmstand to the side.
Elysa
Pistachios instead of walnuts (allergy) went great with feta and mint. Seasoned at serving with Tajin (chili, lime salt) which made the cheese taste pop! Loved this dish!
audrey
Perfect and easy. Used fresh mint and flat leafed parsley and probably double what was called for. Toasted walnut are always worth the effort.
Kelsey
Simplified with what was on hand to rave reviews! Used raw baby arugula, store-bought balsamic marinated beats, added watermelon radish and persimmon. Gorgeous to look at and delicious.
Cynthia Andersen
Nowhere in this recipe does it indicate to roast the beets.
Stephen in AP
"2 medium or 3 small beets (any color) with greens, the beets roasted" is in the ingredient list. Admittedly this isn't ideal recipe presentation, far from it, but it is there. And as I've learned - the hard way - long before now, it's important to read every last detail carefully during the initial read, including (perhaps especially), the ingredient listing, in a recipe.
Adair
Letting the salad sit in the fridge for a bit allows the farro to soak up the dressing and take on its flavor. This recipe definitely gets better the next day!
Kristin D.
Agree that you can use much less oil, but otherwise this salad was outstanding. I swapped pistachios for the walnuts I didn’t have and used garden chives and parsley. I’ve never cooked farro for this long before, and the result was so tender and delicious I will definitely use this method in the future. I skipped the cheese and there was so much flavor I didn’t miss it at all.
Suzanne
Delicious! I used kale instead of beet greens; chopped it up and added it to the farro and vinaigrette. By the time the beets were roasted the kale had softened up.
Wanda
Too much oil, not enough vinegar. Excellent otherwise.
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