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Soliday Sister Farro Salad | A flexible, collaborative farro salad that features carrots and their tops alongside a garlic infused olive oil dressing. | SeasonedVegetable.com #fallrecipe #wholegrains #vegetarian
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Soliday Sister Farro Salad
Prep Time
4 hrs
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
4 hrs 30 mins
 

A flexible, collaborative farro salad that features carrots and their tops alongside a garlic infused olive oil dressing.

Servings: 10
Ingredients
Salad
  • 2 cups dried chickpeas
  • 3 quarts low sodium vegetable broth, divided
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 sprig rosemary, fresh or dried
  • 2 cups dried farro
  • 5 to 6 fresh carrots with tops, washed
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed
  • 1/4 cup minced parsley
  • 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Dressing
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 4 to 5 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and cut in half
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cook the chickpeas
  1. Place 2 cups of dried chickpeas in a slow cooker.
  2. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of garlic powder on top and add 1 quart of broth.
  3. Place a sprig of rosemary on top (be sure to remove when the beans are done).
  4. Cover and cook on high for 2 to 4 hours until chickpeas are tender.
  5. Remove the sprig of rosemary and drain the chickpeas.
Cook the farro
  1. Bring 2 quarts of water to a rapid boil over high heat.

  2. Add farro and cook on high heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes or until farro is soft but still chewy. The grain should start to look kind of frayed or split at the edges but still retain its shape.

  3. Drain excess water, then rinse with cold water. Leave farro in strainer to cool to room temperature

Make the dressing
  1. Place the olive oil and garlic cloves into a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until the garlic begins to brown and the oil is fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes.
  2. While the garlic and oil cooks, combine lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, smoked paprika, cinnamon, sugar and salt into a small, heatproof bowl.

  3. When the oil is done cooking, remove it from the heat and discard the garlic cloves. 

  4. Pour the oil into the bowl with the other dressing ingredients. Whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved and dressing ingredients are thoroughly combined. 

  5. Taste and add more lemon juice, balsamic, or salt as needed.

Assemble the salad
  1. Remove carrot tops and dice greens into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces. Grate the carrots on the largest grate of a box grater. If you have a food processor, the grating tool is your best friend!
  2. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half, or in quarters if they’re on the larger side.

  3. Place the chickpeas, farro, carrots, carrot tops and parsley into a large bowl. Crumble the feta cheese on top. 

  4. Pour the salad dressing over all the ingredients and stir until it is evenly distributed throughout the salad.

Recipe Notes

SEASONED SECRET

You can easily use 2 15-ounce cans of chickpeas if you prefer. Be sure to drain and rinse well before adding to the farro salad. Don’t have fresh rosemary? You can add 1 tablespoon of dried rosemary to your chickpeas. My crockpot does best with a 4 to 1 ratio for water and chickpeas but your mileage may vary. Instead of broth, you can add bouillon paste or cubes and water.

VEGAN

This salad is easily made vegan, with cheese served on the side; I did this for a work potluck recently and it was a hit with omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans alike.

GLUTEN FREE

Brown rice is going to be the best gluten free grain that mimics the farro texture for a gluten free salad.

CHECK THE FRIDGE

You can also add dried fruit to this farro salad. Apricot would be very good probably, as would tart cherries or cranberries. Nuts such as chopped walnuts or almonds and additional greens such as arugula, or kale that has been finely minced and massaged would also be nice to add or vary.