Farro Summer Salad
Farro Summer Salad
I love a refreshing salad in the summer. Creamy broccoli crunch salad, easy cabbage salad and peanut chicken lettuce wraps (technically not a salad, but hey, there’s lettuce!) are some of my favorites.
Usually, I’ll ring in the warmer weather with a traditional Greek yogurt potato salad but I wanted to switch it up with this farro summer salad. Refreshing and light, it’s made with fresh summer vegetables, crispy apples, and chewy farro.
This easy salad comes with a homemade sweet dijon mustard dressing and is a great way to get in whole grains and healthy fats. Farro is an ancient grain, high in protein, a great source of fiber and filled with nutrients. Nutritious AND delicious? Yes, please!
Seriously, this salad has it all. I love the chewy texture of farro balanced with the crunchy corn and crispy apples. The peppery arugula, nutty taste of farro, and the sweetness of apples gives this salad a balanced mix of flavors without being overwhelming.
Add in Air Fryer Blackened Chicken or Cast Iron Flank Steak to make this a complete meal. Pair it with Dill Pickle Pasta Salad and Grilled Chicken Teriyaki for your next spring or summer potluck.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 10 grams of protein and 6g of fiber per serving.
- Uses seasonal vegetables.
Ingredients and Substitutes:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions. See recipe card below for full ingredients list and instructions for the farro summer salad.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use grilled corn on the cob for a smokey flavor or canned for a sweeter flavor.
- Substitute parmesan cheese for feta cheese, goat cheese or mozzarella balls.
- Use any type of apples. I prefer granny smith for their slightly tangy flavor.
Dietary Modifications
- To make dairy-free, omit the parmesan cheese.
- This recipe is not gluten-free, as farro is a type of wheat.
How to make the Farro Summer Salad
Step 1: Make farro
First, rinse the farro and drain. In a medium saucepan, combine farro and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the farro is tender and no broth remains, about 35-40 minutes. When the farro is done, transfer to a large bowl to cool.
Step 2: Prep and grill corn and zucchini
Next, heat the grill on high heat. Slice the zucchini and spray with cooking spray and season with salt. Do the same for the corn, without the husk.
Place the zucchini and corn on the grill and cook until the zucchini is soft and the corn is charred and popping (image 1). Remove and chop the zucchini and slice alongside the corn on the cob to remove the kernels from the cob.
Step 3: Prep dressing
In a small bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside (image 2).
Step 4: Combine salad
In a large mixing bowl combine the arugula, farro, zucchini, corn, apples and parmesan (image 3).
Top with the dressing and mix together until evenly coated (image 4).
Step 5: Season and serve
Finally, season with salt and pepper or fresh squeezed lemon juice and serve as a side dish.
Serving and storing info
The farro summer salad makes a great side dish to your bbq. Serve with High Protein Pasta Salad and Grilled Teriyaki Chicken.
I suggest only assembling and dressing the amount of salad you know you’ll eat. For meal prep, store grilled veggies, arugula, cooked farro and dressing in separate airtight containers to avoid the salad getting soggy.
Check out some of our other easy meals!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Farro Summer Salad
📱 MyFitnessPal & MacrosFirst App Users
You can find this recipe and many others on MyFitnessPal and MacrosFirst by searching: Ohsnapmacros – Farro Summer Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole grain farro 180g
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
- 2 corn on the cob grilled
- 2 zucchini grilled
- 3 cups arugula
- 2 small granny smith apples chopped 7.7 oz.
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese shaved 28g
Dressing
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. coconut aminos
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp. honey
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, rinse the farro and drain. In a medium saucepan, combine farro and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the farro is tender and no broth remains, about 35-40 minutes. When the farro is done, transfer to a large bowl to cool.
- Next, heat the grill on high heat. Slice the zucchini and spray with cooking spray and season with salt. Do the same for the corn, without the husk.
- Place the zucchini and corn on the grill and cook until the zucchini is soft and the corn is charred and popping. Remove and chop the zucchini and slice alongside the corn on the cob to remove the kernels from the cob.
- In a small bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
- Then, in a large mixing bowl combine the arugula, farro, zucchini, corn, apples and parmesan. Top with the dressing and mix together until evenly coated.
- Finally, season with salt and pepper or fresh squeezed lemon juice and serve as a side dish.
Notes
- Use leftover grilled corn on the cob or canned.
- Measure the 1 cup of farro dry before you cook it.
- Top with chicken or steak for added protein.
- Any apple variety works well.
This salad was delicious!! I made it the night before I planned to eat it and was nervous about cold cooked zucchini haha but it was so good!! Added some chicken for extra protein
Cold roasted zucchini is sooo good lol!! I’m so glad you loved it!
Amazing summer salad, we enjoyed with grilled dinner for Father’s Day! Will make again! How much parm cheese do you recommend? noticed it wasn’t included in the ingredients but was in the steps!
1/4 cup, sorry it was left off and added back.