Apple Spinach Farro Salad
Gorgeous Apple Spinach Farro Salad with hearty farro, juicy apples, fresh spinach, crunchy pecans and sweet cranberries, all tossed in a bright lemon vinaigrette. This vegetarian dish is healthy, bursting with flavor and easy to customize with additional protein! The perfect fall-inspired recipe to serve as a light lunch or side dish.
Ingredients
For the farro
- 1 1/2 cups farro (not quick cooking, sometimes called Pearled Italian)
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
For the lemon vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (juice from about 1 lemon)
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup olive oil
For the salad
- 3-4 cups cooked farro from above
- 2 handfuls baby spinach
- 1 medium pink lady, gala, or honey crisp apple thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans toasted
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries or craisins
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions including mostly green stem
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1/2 cup feta, shaved parmesan, or blue cheese optional
Instructions
- Rinse farro in cold water with a fine mesh sieve. Cook all farro ingredients in a rice cooker on brown rice setting, or bring all ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan, then reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer 30-45 minutes until liquid is absorbed and farro is light, soft and fluffy. Drain any remaining liquid, but don't rinse. Allow farro to cool slightly.
- While farro is cooking, whisk the dressing ingredients together until well blended.
- To make the salad, add cooled (room temp or slightly warm is best) farro to a large bowl. Mix in salad ingredients, except cheese. Drizzle dressing over the salad a little at a time while stirring salad. You may have a little dressing leftover. Top with cheese and mix.
Notes
*Salad ingredient measurements are a guide. Feel free to use up to about 1 cup of pecans, cranberries and green onion. You also may not need or want to use all of the vinaigrette.
Farro: Farro can be sold with the hull as whole farro or pearled (or semi-pearled), so you’ll want to make sure to check your packaging or the labels on the bulk bins for cooking instructions. Pearled farro will take around 15 minutes; unprocessed farro will take 25 to 40 minutes.
Make ahead: The farro can be made up to 3 days in advance and all of the other ingredients can be prepped the day before. See specific tips in the blog post under "leftovers & meal prep".
Gluten free option: Substitute wild rice (cooked according to package directions) for the farro. Long-grain brown rice or quinoa would also work.
Dairy free/vegan option: Omit the cheese and cook farro in vegetable broth.
Nut free option: Replace the pecans with pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds. Or completely omit the pecans.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (1 cup) | Calories: 428kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 425mg | Potassium: 293mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 874IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg