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Hearty Harvest Farro Salad

Hearty Harvest Farro Salad: Your Essential Recipe for a Flavorful Fall & Winter Grain Bowl

Embrace the vibrant flavors of the season with this delightful Harvest Farro Salad. Packed with wholesome goodness and an abundance of flavor, this vegetarian grain salad is a perfect centerpiece for your fall and winter table. Whether you’re seeking a nutritious weeknight meal, a satisfying lunch option, or a crowd-pleasing addition to holiday potlucks, this recipe delivers on all fronts. Its hearty nature and bright, fresh taste make it a truly versatile dish.

This nourishing recipe was originally crafted in collaboration with Bob’s Red Mill in November of 2016. We appreciate your continued support for the brands that help bring delicious content to Aggie’s Kitchen!

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A vibrant Harvest Farro Salad bowl featuring cooked farro, crisp chopped apples, pears, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds, garnished with a fresh herb sprig.

Discovering the Magic of Farro: An Ancient Grain for Modern Meals

If you haven’t yet experienced the culinary delight that is farro, now is the perfect time to introduce this ancient grain into your kitchen. We’ve featured farro in several of our favorite recipes, such as the refreshing Garden Farro Salad with Feta and the robust Italian Tuna and White Bean Farro Salad – both of which are highly recommended for your next meal plan!

Farro truly is an exceptional grain for numerous compelling reasons. Unlike lighter grains like quinoa or couscous, farro boasts a wonderfully hearty, chewy texture and a distinctively nutty flavor that makes it stand out. This unique mouthfeel and taste profile make it an ideal base for salads, adding a satisfying depth that truly elevates the dish. Its “oomph” factor ensures that a salad built around farro isn’t just a side dish, but a substantial and fulfilling meal in itself.

Beyond its fantastic taste and texture, farro is a nutritional powerhouse. A single serving provides an impressive 7 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber. This powerful combination works synergistically to keep you feeling full and energized for longer, preventing those midday slumps. This makes salads like our Harvest Farro Salad an absolute no-brainer for healthy lunches or lighter dinners. It’s a smart choice that nourishes your body and satisfies your palate, proving that healthy eating can be both easy and incredibly delicious.

Close-up of Harvest Farro Salad showcasing its rich textures and colors: golden farro, red cranberries, green celery, white apple pieces, and dark pumpkin seeds.

Crafting the Perfect Harvest Blend: Seasonal Ingredients That Shine

The inspiration for this Harvest Farro Salad emerged from a common culinary challenge during the transitional seasons: navigating the “in-between” periods when some summer produce has faded and winter varieties are not yet abundant. While many might find limited options, this recipe celebrates the bounty that *is* readily available during fall and early winter. We focus on crisp, flavorful ingredients that offer both nutrition and a delightful sensory experience.

This salad makes brilliant use of classic fall fruits: crisp apples and juicy pears. These fruits not only provide a natural sweetness and a refreshing crunch but are also economical and widely available during this time of year. We recommend varieties like Pink Lady or Honeycrisp apples for their firm texture and balanced sweetness, and Bosc or Anjou pears for their subtle flavor and delightful bite. Paired with tart dried cranberries, these fruits create a harmonious blend of sweet and tangy notes. Dried cranberries, with their chewy texture, also add a beautiful pop of color and an additional layer of flavor that is quintessential for holiday-inspired dishes.

Toasted pumpkin seeds are another star ingredient, contributing a satisfying crunch and a dose of healthy fats and nutrients. Their earthy, slightly savory flavor complements the sweetness of the fruit and the nuttiness of the farro beautifully. A touch of finely chopped celery adds a clean, crisp freshness that brightens the entire salad. Together, these components transform a simple grain base into a vibrant, textural, and incredibly flavorful “harvest” masterpiece.

This salad is not only a fantastic way to utilize seasonal produce but also a thoughtful option to bring to any holiday potluck. It offers a refreshing contrast to the often heavier, richer comfort foods that tend to dominate holiday spreads, providing a much-needed burst of freshness and healthy goodness.

Harvest Farro Salad served in a white bowl, ready to be enjoyed as a healthy and colorful meal.

The Bright Finish: Clementine Vinaigrette

What truly ties all these wonderful flavors together is the vibrant Clementine Vinaigrette. If you caught our video showcasing just how incredibly simple this dressing is to prepare, you’ll know it’s a game-changer! The bright, citrusy notes of the Clementine Vinaigrette provide a zesty counterpoint to the sweetness of the apples, pears, and cranberries, preventing the salad from becoming overly rich. It infuses every bite with a refreshing tang that cleanses the palate and highlights the individual flavors of the harvest ingredients.

The natural acidity from the clementines also plays a crucial role in balancing the hearty farro and the subtle bitterness that can sometimes come from whole grains. It’s a light, refreshing dressing that enhances rather than overwhelms, making the salad incredibly addictive. This vinaigrette is not just a dressing; it’s a flavor bridge that connects all the elements of the salad into a cohesive, delicious experience. Its simplicity belies its impact, proving that sometimes the freshest, most straightforward ingredients create the most profound flavors.

Elevate Your Salad: Variations and Serving Suggestions

While this Harvest Farro Salad is utterly delicious in its purest form, it’s also incredibly adaptable to your preferences and the occasion. We initially considered adding cheese to the recipe, and while we decided to keep this particular version “clean” for a lighter profile, crumbled feta or a tangy goat cheese would be absolutely delightful additions. The creamy, salty notes of cheese can add another layer of complexity and richness, making the salad even more appealing for entertaining or for those who appreciate a touch of dairy. Imagine the briny bite of feta against the sweet cranberries, or the creamy tang of goat cheese melting slightly into the warm farro – pure perfection!

Beyond cheese, don’t hesitate to get creative with other additions. Toasted pecans or walnuts would echo the nutty flavor of the farro and add another layer of crunch. For a boost of green, consider stirring in some finely chopped fresh parsley, mint, or even baby spinach. If you want to make it even heartier, roasted butternut squash or sweet potato chunks could be a fantastic seasonal inclusion, bringing more sweetness and warmth. This salad is also wonderful served at room temperature, allowing the flavors to meld beautifully, but it’s equally refreshing when chilled, making it a perfect make-ahead dish.

This Harvest Farro Salad is not just a side dish; it’s substantial enough to be a main course for lunch or dinner. It’s an excellent choice for meal prepping, as it holds up well in the refrigerator for several days. Its vibrant appearance and unique flavor profile also make it an ideal candidate for holiday gatherings, potlucks, or any festive meal where you want to offer a healthy yet satisfying option.

Are you a fan of wholesome grain salads? Then you’ll love exploring these 12 Healthy Whole Grain Salad Recipes, featuring a variety of grains including farro, quinoa, wheat berries, and brown rice!

Print Recipe

Harvest Farro Salad

Yield: 4 main dish servings

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes (for farro)

Finished Harvest Farro Salad dish.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Farro, uncooked
  • 1 large crisp apple, chopped small (Pink Lady or Honeycrisp recommended)
  • 1 large pear (or 2 small pears), chopped small (Bosc or Anjou recommended)
  • 1 large celery stalk, chopped small
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/3 – 1/2 cup Clementine Vinaigrette (recipe linked)
  • Big pinch coarse salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
  • Optional: crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese

Directions:

  1. Prepare farro according to package directions (typically involves simmering in water for 20-25 minutes until tender but still chewy). Once cooked, drain any excess water and spread it on a baking sheet or shallow dish to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to ensure it’s thoroughly chilled, which helps prevent the fruit from browning when mixed.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled farro with the chopped apple, pear, celery, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds.
  3. Gently toss all ingredients with the Clementine Vinaigrette. Start with 1/3 cup and add more if desired, depending on your preference for dressing.
  4. Season the salad generously with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
  5. Serve immediately at room temperature or chilled.
  6. If you are preparing the salad ahead of time and not serving immediately, it’s best to add the dressing just before refrigeration. This helps to prevent the apples and pears from browning. When ready to serve, you may need to add an additional splash of Clementine Vinaigrette to freshen it up, as the grains tend to absorb the dressing over time.

This recipe was originally developed and created for Bob’s Red Mill.

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More Wholesome Farro Recipes to Explore:

Craving more farro? This versatile grain lends itself beautifully to a variety of dishes. Here are a few more delicious farro recipes to add to your repertoire, ranging from light salads to hearty mains:

  • Italian Tuna and White Bean Farro Salad: A Mediterranean-inspired dish that’s perfect for a satisfying lunch or light dinner, packed with protein and robust flavors.
  • Garden Farro Salad with Feta: A fresh and vibrant salad showcasing seasonal vegetables and tangy feta, an ideal choice for warmer weather or a refreshing side.
  • Black Bean Farro with Avocado | Reluctant Entertainer: A hearty and flavorful bowl combining the goodness of black beans, creamy avocado, and chewy farro.
  • Balsamic Chicken and Broccoli over Farro | Dine & Dish: A comforting and nutritious meal featuring tender balsamic chicken and crisp broccoli served over a bed of farro.
  • Kale Salad with Farro and Honey Dijon Dressing | Rachel Cooks: A healthy and flavorful salad that brings together nutrient-rich kale, substantial farro, and a sweet-tangy honey Dijon dressing.

Disclosure: This recipe, including its development and accompanying post, was created in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. We received compensation for our time and effort in bringing this delicious content to you. Your support for the brands that collaborate with Aggie’s Kitchen allows us to continue sharing our passion for food and creating new recipes!