Warm Farro Salad with Maple Apple Cider Dressing

Name: Warm Farro Salad with Maple Apple Cider Dressing
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked semi-pearled farro; 1 bunch lacinato or dinosaur kale, finely shredded; 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary; 2 sprigs thyme, de-stemmed; 1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes; 3 tablespoons unsweetened dried cranberries; Pinch of sea salt; 3 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 1 teaspoon maple syrup; 1 sprig thyme, de-stemmed; Salt and pepper to taste

September 20, 2021

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Warm Farro Salad is a hearty and filling grain salad with chewy farro, earthy kale, fresh herbs, plus savory and sweet notes, thanks to sun dried tomatoes and dried cranberries. Made in just 20 minutes, it’s a must-make easy fall side dish.

Nut Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Egg Free

Warm Farro Salad with Maple Apple Cider Dressing

Bring on the grain salads! As soon as the temperatures start to cool just a little my cravings for crunchy, crisp salads seem to cease and I’m ready for something a little more hearty and filling.

Plus, the fact that the Jewish holidays, like Rosh Hashanah, were a little early this year, and I’m ready for fall big time.

This Warm Farro Salad with Maple Apple Cider Dressing totally fits the bill and has fall written all over it!

This Warm Farro Salad with Maple Apple Cider Dressing is…

Delicious
High in fiber
Made with whole grains
Great for feeding a crowd
Vegan and allergy friendly
Easy to make in less than 20 minutes

Ingredients to Make Warm Farro Salad

What I love most about this recipe is that you need just 10 ingredients (including some pantry staples) to have a variety of delicious flavors meld together in a satisfying salad that’s loaded with nutrients.

You’ll need:

Farro
Lacinato kale (also known as “dinosaur” kale)
Sun dried tomatoes
Dried cranberries
Fresh thyme
Fresh rosemary
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Apple cider vinegar
Maple syrup

What type of farro should I use for this farro salad recipe?

When you peruse the grain aisle you may find a few different types of farro available: whole farro, semi-pearled farro and pearled farro.

Dry whole farro can take a while to cook, so to speed up the cooking process I prefer to rely on semi-pearled farro. It does have some of the bran removed (where the fiber is), but still contains some fiber too, about 3-5 grams per serving.

If you cannot find semi-pearled farro you can use pearled farro, which is the most common type of farro sold in the U.S. Pearled farro has more of the bran removed and is therefore lower in fiber.

The benefit of eating whole grains is that they do contain fiber, so we want to make sure some whole grains remain.

What if I can’t find dried cranberries without added sugar?

I love using dried cranberries in fall recipes. They add a hint of chewy sweetness, while still being tart and delicious at the same time. However, most dried cranberries sold in the U.S. are sweetened because cranberries are naturally tart.

If you can only find sweetened dried cranberries, great, use them! If you prefer to limit the sugar in this recipe, you can order these unsweetened dried cranberries from Thrive Market (I have them on Autoship, especially this time of year!).

You could also swap in unsweetened dried:

Raisins
Apricots (chopped)
Prunes (chopped)

How to Make Warm Farro Salad

What I love most about grain salads is that they’re SO easy to make. Cooking grains can be intimidating (or at least more intimidating than cooking pasta), but they’re chock full of nutrients and so good for you. Plus, you can’t be the texture of whole grains, especially farro. Farro is so chewy it’s delicious!

The first step in this recipe is to get your farro cooking.

As I mentioned earlier, semi-pearled or pearled farro cooks quicker than whole farro. You’ll only need about 15-20 minutes to cook a cup of semi-pearled farro.

Cooking farro is similar to cooking rice. You need about double the water to grain. Bring it to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover until all of the water is absorbed.

Once you get the farro cooking you’ll prepare the remaining ingredients.

This is one of those multitasking recipes so you’ll be busy the entire time the farro cooks.

Chop kale
Chop sun dried tomatoes
De-stem the thyme and rosemary
Measure the dried cranberries
Prepare the dressing

Now it’s time to assemble the warm farro salad.

Add the warm farro on top of the kale and other ingredients. The warmth of the farro will cause the chopped kale to wilt just slightly. It’s the perfect texture!

Then dress the farro salad with your dressing. The dressing is very light.

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need to Make Warm Farro Salad with Maple Apple Cider Dressing

You only need a few basic kitchen items to prepare this warm farro salad.

You’ll need:

Stock pot to cook the farro
Large mixing bowl
Mason jar or small bowl with a lid for the dressing
Spoon for mixing

How to Food Prep this Recipe

Grain salads are great for meal prep. Not only can you make a large quantity to enjoy all week, but the grains are typically hearty enough that they hold up really well.

You can make this recipe at the start of the week and enjoy it in several different ways:

Warm as a side dish with a protein and vegetable
Cold with any leftover protein, like grilled salmon or roasted chicken
Room temperature with chickpeas and seeds sprinkled on top for extra protein

Let’s make it…