Farro with Feta Cucumbers and Sun-dried Tomatoes
This salad combines farro with Mediterranean ingredients such as cucumbers, lemon juice, feta and mint for a delicious salad you can enjoy as a side dish, or even for lunch! This would be perfect to bring to a potluck or BBQ this Memorial Day weekend!
I’m in love with farro these days and I have been having so much fun cooking with it lately. Farro is an ancient Italian grain that has been rediscovered and is becoming quite popular in the US and throughout Europe. It’s a great source of fiber, protein and iron, with a nutty flavor and chewy texture. It’s wonderful in salads, side dishes and even soups. The pearled variety is as easy to cook as boiling pasta, takes only about 15-20 minutes.
Here in New York I can easily find farro in any natural foods market but I realize some of you may not be as lucky, so if you can’t find farro where you live you could use barley, quinoa, whole wheat couscous or even whole grain elbow macaroni in it’s place. If farro is available near you, I highly encourage you to try it!!
Farro with Feta Cucumbers and Sun-dried Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked pearled farro
- 2 tbsp minced red onion
- 1/4 cup minced sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup fresh grated feta
- 2/3 cup finely chopped cucumber, seeds removed
- 1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp finely chopped mint or parsley
- kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook farro in salted water according to package directions until al dente, about 15-20 minutes.
- Drain and let cool.
- Combine with remaining ingredients and toss well. Serve chilled or room temperature.
Nutrition
So yummy! My guy begged me to please make this again!! I used chopped cherry tomatoes instead of sundries bc that’s what i had on hand…and added sautéed garlic bc i am a garlic fanatic lol! Def recommend this one!Â
My first time making a recipe with Farro and of course being SkinnyTaste this one didn’t disappoint. Perfect for mealprep and enjoyed with some grilled chicken or a couple of drumsticks. Yum Yum!
Mmm, just made this for the second time for a BBQ this afternoon. I doubled it because there were no leftovers last time!
Didn't have sundried tomatoes, used fresh cherry tomatoes, and don't care for mint so substituted a chiffonade of fresh green and purple basils. Just delicious–can't wait for dinner (I'm sneaking spoonfuls from the bowl until then).
Where I live you cannot buy Farro, sadly, but I used quinoa. And instead of the normal dried tomatoes i used the dried ones in oil. I totally looooooove this dish, i don't want to eat any other salad anymore.
Sold definately gonna try it, and if I dont like the Farro I'll just switch to quinoa next time…
Sold definately gonna try it, and if I dont like the Farro I'll just switch to quinoa next time…
I love this recipe! I've made it many times since you first posted it. I had never tried farro before and love the texture and flavor of it especially in this salad.
SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!
This is my new go-to potluck salad for summer. I've not found Farro anywhere, but I did try it with Trader Joe's Harvest Grains blend. It works perfectly. I've made it several times and I use a greek seasoning blend from Penzy's for seasioning (rather than just salt/Pepper). Also, try this with some grilled salmon mixed in and it is perfect for a work lunch.
This is so good! I've made it twice in the past three days! Also, as a side note for anyone who is wondering, my package of Farro said to soak it for 8 hours before cooking, but I skipped this step. It turned out just fine!
The points also confuse me. WW online says 6 points. Anyone?
Needless to say, I love this, but do not like sundried tomatoes, so I substituted artichoke hearts and then added 1 tsp. of smoked paprika for a little punch.
Are you guys plugging in a cup of uncooked farro or cooked? Maybe that's why the points aren't coming up right? Also are you leaving out the veggies since they are 0 points? I only count the food that has points and i am getting 4 pts/serving.
I am literally devouring this salad at this very moment. I made it over my lunch break thinking ahead for dinner, but then I made a mistake and sampled it. I decided to forgo my planned lunch, pop this into a container to bring along with me to work and now I can't stop eating it. Perfection.
This was awesome! More farro recipes, please!
This is so good and super filling! I added a half a can of chickpeas and have eaten it for lunch everyday this week!
BEAUTIFUL PHOTO and I would love this chilled on my deck for lunch any day!
Thanks for sharing
Dave at eRecipeCards.com
I'm also confused about the points – the ww points calculator says this is 6 points plus rather than 4…
I made this yesterday with some grilled chicken and steak and all my guests LOVED IT! I have wanted to try farro for a while now and I'm so glad I did! This will be in my rotation for side dishes from now on! Thanks Gina
Made this and Gina's BLT (or BST) Macaroni Salad for guests over the Memorial Day weekend. SO GOOD!!! I didn't have mint, so I missed out I think, but nonetheless, this dish was excellent, thanks Gina!
Made this yesterday for a picnic and it was great! Next time I think I might try using some fresh basil with it instead of the parsley and of course add some garlic. Thanks for another great recipe!
Just made this and LOVE it! The texture of faro is great!! Makes it feel more hardy than rice. I would think this would be good as a meal if you added shrimp into it!
Thanks!!!
Excellent…as always. Had to make it with quinoa, but is was excellent. I'll add chicken to my leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Thanks! Jessica
So bright and colorful. This looks delicious!
I have never heard of farro but I can't wait to try this!!
I made this tonight subbing pearled barley and fresh tomato for the farro and sun-dried since it's what I had on hand. It's wonderfully simple, great flavors. I'm already looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow 🙂
Looks good! I always enjoy using whole grains in salads like this.
Gina the salad was amazing! I'm confused about the weight watchers points+ . When I plug in the information it comes up as 6 points +.
Me too! I have this in the queue — planning to make this weekend. I plugged into WW points plus calculator to confirm value, and it is 6 points plus.
Just made this using Quinoa (that's all I could find at my local stores) and skipped the Feta (sorry, I don't like cheese, weird, but true). I am eating it now. It's amazing! I made it to have ready for dinner tonight. I am eating a bowl for my late afternoon snack. I just can't wait. Thanks for the great recipe!
Eating this while I type- WOW! I've really enjoyed all of your recipes that I've tried so far, but this one is possibly my favorite. I made it as directed except used crumbled feta and subbed roasted red peppers for the sun dried tomatoes. Thank you for introducing me to a new grain. This recipe is going to be in heavy rotation for me all summer long!
I stumbled across your site about two months back when I was looking for a crockpot applesauce recipe. I used yours and it was fantastic. I have been hooked ever since! I just tried this recipe tonight and it came out wonderful. I never even heard of farro before and was thrilled that I was able to cook it (I have never been able to properly cook rice, not even the ones that boil in a bag)!! Being a college student I am always trying to eat healthier and your blog has been helping me a lot lately! Thanks
Awesome!
Made this tonight, it was SUPERB!! Only subs I made was using Vidalia for the red onion, and feta crumbles. Definitely a keeper for the summer salads! Only trouble is I want to eat the entire bowl! Thanks, Gina!
What is the comparison in regards to calories/goodness and points of rice (brown/ white) quinoa and farro? Thanks
Is the Lemon Juice overpowering? I know it's only a TBSP but I am really not a fan of lemon juice. I tried a similar recipe using orzo and it called for lemon juice and chicken stock. It was absolutely disgusting. I don't recall how much lemon juice though that's why I ask. Can it be left out? Aside from that it looks fantastic. =)
No it's subtle, or use a little vinegar.
Absolutely hooked on Farrow since I read a recipe for Farrow and Sausage Stuffed Peppers on Epicurean Bliss blog (another great blog!!!) This sounds wonderful! Will be trying it tonight.
using brown rice for now as I have 2 bags in the pantry…might add some zucchini too…
Thank you again Gina for another fabulous recipe! this looks sooooo good and I bet it's filling too, and pretty low in calories for a whole cup.. I have not tried farro but I definitely plan on making this soon..can't wait to try it!
Yum! I just discovered farro this past weekend. Costco sells it too. I made it with cooked asparagus, cooked zucchini, chopped fresh spinach, chopped tomato, feta, and cooked diced chicken breast. Added olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Chilled it all – made a fantastic meal! Cooking Light has some recipes in the most recent issue too.
If you would like to know more about farro and how to use it, see my post,http://jovinacooksitalian.com/2012/04/25/cooking-with-italian-grains/
Yum! I know where to get farro, but I don't normally keep it in my pantry. I do, however, have some gorgeous extra-coarse red bulgur wheat that would probably make a great substitute.
Where do you find farro? I had it Scallops over it in a restaurant and LOVED it… lots of nutty qualities.
Any healthy food or whole foods market.
Whoa, I've never even heard of farro before. There are so many crazy grains and pastas out there! I'm still getting into quinoa. so.behind. Thanks for the suggestion! I'll add this one to the list too.
I love farro! Whole grain salads like this are my favorite thing to take for lunches during the week.
Thanks for the great idea of something different to do with farro. We love it and since my husband was diagnosed with diabetes we use it in place of most other starches. I cook mine in chicken stock to add flavor. Love your posts Gina!
Hope I can find farro. I'm not a huge fan of brown rice so finding a good alternative would be super! Thanks for sharing!
I never had Farro, but it looks good! I am betting I'll like it!! The rest of the recipe looks fantastic! Great flavor combination!!
I think this will be on my summer menu a lot this year. Thanks.
Can you use regular tomatoes in place of the sun-dried ones?
sure, why not 🙂
I didn't have farro so I used Barley. The flavors of this salad are amazing! Thank you.
I'm crazy about farro too and this sounds fantastic!
I have never cooked with Farro but am looking forward to trying it out! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
that looks delicious! I have never heard of it. I bet it is a green diamond food too!
Yum! I received some Farro in a Foodzie box and still have yet to use it. May have to try this recipe. Thank yooou 🙂
is farro gluten free?
I don't believe it is gluten-free.
Farro is such a great alternative grain. I love the idea of serving it cold as a super refreshing salad. I bet some fresh dill in here too would be amazing!
Haven't heard much about farro, so I'm glad you posted a recipe with some info about it! You like it better than brown rice, eh? Hmm…I might have to try!
I actually do like it better, although I still eat brown rice. Pearled farro cooks quicker than brown rice.
What a delicious Mediterranean salad this is, Gina! Love the fresh flavors you used. Thanks for sharing. Also, I'm having a ChicWrap giveaway today that you should enter!
Leave it out!
MY oh MY… I can't wait to try this recipe!!!
I'd love to try this recipe, but I'm not a huge fan of feta. Is the feta flavor very prevalent? Any suggestions on possible substitutions? Maybe goat cheese or fat free ricotta?
I used goat cheese in mine and it was great!
Sun-Dried Tomatoes – assuming the dried in the bag, and not the ones packed in oil, right?
Planning to take this and your asian lettuce wraps on camping trip this weekend!
Sorry I should have said, I buy the ready to eat ones in the salad section. They are not packed in oil but are very soft.
Salad bar section or produce department.
This sounds delightful! Yum!
How does faro compare to bulgar wheat? I have never heard of it until this post.
You'll have to try it, I love the texture and taste of it.
This looks amazing!!! Adding the ingredients I don't have to my grocery list. I have never had farro before but always wanted to try it out.
I am so sick of the normal side dishes and have been going over points trying to find sides I like…Its my sons 3rd Birthday this weekend and am going to try this out on him. His favorite food is rice, maybe this well be a hit. Thanks Gina!
I hope he likes it!! Enjoy 🙂
I love this salad Gina!
Seriously, I think I like it better than brown rice! It's so good!
I love the flavor and texture of farro, too – I usually use it in a hot dish with roasted veggies, but this looks great for summer!
I LOVE farro. Not just because it cooks so much faster than rice, but I totally agree that the texture/flavor is awesome. I use it in stir-fry now and it's fantastic.