Summer Farro Salad, including Farro Salad Dressing, is the perfect cooked grain salad. Using farro, bulgur, brown rice or whatever your favorite cooked grain, this basic recipe uses both fresh product and healthy canned foods for a salad that’s light, yet filling.
I love this simple cooked grain salad. The reason I call it a cooked grain salad instead of a farro salad is because you can easily substitute any cooked grain that you love or have on hand for the farro. I’ve made it with cooked bulgur, brown rice and even a mixed grain blend.
What is farro?
Farro is a grain. More specifically, it is an unhybridized form of wheat that has a firm, chewy texture. It’s most commonly used in soups and salads, like this one. If you’ve never tried farro or any other cooked grain in a salad, you are missing out.
Cooked grains are the perfect vessel to soak up the amazing flavor of the farro salad dressing. Basically the dressing is a lemon vinaigrette made with just a few staple pantry ingredients.
Along with the cooked grains, this salad has a blend of fresh produce and healthy canned ingredients. For the fresh produce, there’s finely chopped kale, diced red peppers and mango. To complement these fresh items are canned chickpeas. which pack a punch of protein.
Farro Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Ingredient List
Farro, or any other cooked grain
Canned chickpeas, drained
Mango, fresh or canned
Red Peppers (any color will work)
Kale, finely chopped
Lemons, juice with seeds removed
Olive Oil
Dijon Mustard
Honey
Dried Basil
Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
Summer Farro Salad
I love serving this summer farro salad when it’s hot outside. Prepare the cooked grain salad in the morning when the kitchen is still cool, pop it in the refrigerator to chill, and then eat it for lunch.
If you are more of meat-loving type, try serving it along side the a beautiful piece of grilled chicken, salmon or steak. The flavors of the lemon vinaigrette will really complement a grilled piece of meat.
How to Make Cooked Grain Salad
Full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts for farro salad with lemon vinaigrette can be found on the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook farro (or whichever grain you choose) according to package instructions. Drain well.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked grain, drained chickpeas, diced mango and red pepper, and chopped kale.
- Pour farro salad dressing the salad ingredients, and stir well.
- Eat warm or refrigerate until ready to serve.
How to Make Farro Salad Dressing
- Whisk together fresh lemon juice, olive oil, dried basil, Dijon mustard and honey until completely emulsified.
- Pour over salad.
Notes About Summer Farro Salad:
- Use bulgur or brown rice instead of farro, if desired.
- Cook Farro or other grains according to package instructions. Drain well.
- Substitute yellow, orange or even green peppers for red if desired.
- Chop the kale into small pieces, removing any woody stems.
- Fresh lemons work best for the juice. The flavor is more pronounced.
- Fresh mango or canned mango works great. If using canned, drain well.
- In a bind, yellow or stone ground mustard could be swapped for Dijon mustard.
- Summer kale salad tastes amazing warm, but just as good chilled.
- Eat this cooked grain salad as an entrée or serve with chicken, pork or beef as a side dish.
- Can’t find farro or bulgur? Check out our Pantry Esstentials list in our Amazon Store.
Old Fashioned Summer Salad Recipes
Taco Salad with Homemade Dressing
Healthy Side Dish Options
While we love a good potato side dish, we also love serving healthier options to go along with whatever main dish is on the menu. Here are some of our favorite healthier side dish recipes.
Summer Farro Salad including Farro Salad Dressing- A Cooked Grain Salad (using farro, bulgur, or brown rice)
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 cup farro
- 15.5 oz. can chickpeas drained
- 15 oz. mango diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 3 cups kale de-stemmed and cut into strips
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Cook farro (or any other grain) per package instructions. Drain well.
- In a bowl, mix cooked farro, chickpeas, mango, bell pepper and kale.
- In a separate bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, basil, mustard, honey and salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour over salad.
- Eat warm, or refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
- Use bulgur or brown rice instead of farro, if desired.
- Cook Farro or other grains according to package instructions. Drain well.
- Substitute yellow, orange or even green peppers for red if desired.
- Chop the kale into small pieces, removing any woody stems.
- Fresh mango or canned mango works great. If using canned, drain well.
- In a bind, yellow or stone ground mustard could be swapped for Dijon mustard.
- Fresh lemons work best for the juice. The flavor is more pronounced.
- Summer kale salad tastes amazing warm, but just as good chilled.
- Eat this cooked grain salad as an entrée or serve with chicken, pork or beef as a side dish.
Nutrition
This looks so good!!! Any suggestions on a replacement for the chick peas? 🙂
Stacy, I asked Barbara and she said you can leave them out if you aren’t a chickpea fan. If you want to substitute, she suggests “any other bean of their choice – great northern beans would be similar or change it up with black beans.” Hope this helps!
Megan