Summer Farro Salad with Tomatoes and Basil
A simple and hearty salad of farro, tomatoes, fresh basil, goat cheese and toasted pine nuts with a quick balsamic vinaigrette. It keeps well so it's perfect for meal prep, potlucks and summer dinners.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (10 oz) uncooked farro
- 2 teaspoons salt , divided
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (half of 1 lemon)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 large clove of garlic , finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes , halved
- ¼ cup packed fresh basil , chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 4 oz goat cheese , crumbled
- Additional salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Cook farro: Bring approximately 6 cups of water to a boil on the stove. Season with 1 ½ teaspoons of salt. Add farro and cook until al dente, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool (If you want to serve this salad warm, let it cool for only 5-10 minutes, just so it won't melt the goat cheese).1 ½ cups (10 oz) uncooked farro, 1.5 teaspoons salt
- Toast pine nuts: Add pine nuts to a small skillet set over medium-high heat. Stir almost constantly and the pine nuts will toast pretty quick. Watch that they don't burn! Remove from the skillet and set aside to cool.⅓ cup pine nuts
- Prepare vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and pepper. Set aside.0.5 teaspoons salt, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 large clove of garlic, ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Combine salad: Toss cooked farro with the vinaigrette until incorporated. Stir in the sliced tomatoes, herbs, pine nuts and goat cheese.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 days (see make-ahead notes below).
Notes
- Make-ahead instructions: This salad keeps very well! If you want to prep it more than 1 day ahead, I recommend adding tomatoes and basil right before serving so they look and taste fresh.
- Ingredient substitutions: You can use feta instead of goat cheese, and pistachios or slivered almonds would be delicious in place of the pine nuts. Use any fresh, in-season tomatoes, chopped into bite-sized slices.
Calories: 264kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 7mg, Sodium: 640mg, Potassium: 244mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 539IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 39mg, Iron: 2mg
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