Summer Farro Salad with Zucchini Asparagus and Feta Recipe
A fantastic and simple farro salad with summer vegetables, fresh basil and feta cheese to enjoy with your favorite grilled meats!
Equipment
- Large pot of salted water to blanch the asparagus
- medium bowl of ice water to shock the asparagus tips
- medium pot to cook the farro
- Medium Nonstick Skillet to sauté the vegetables
- Large bowl such as a large salad bowl or serving bowl for the final dish.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus tips only
- 1 cup pearled farro
- 1 ¾ cups vegetable stock unsalted or low sodium
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 12 cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ½ medium red onion diced medium
- 1 small bell pepper yellow, orange or red, diced medium
- 1 small zucchini sliced in half lengthwise, then cut into ¼” pieces
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- 4 large basil leaves chiffonade
- Juice of ½ of a large lemon
- 2 Tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- Kosher salt to taste if needed
Instructions
Blanch the Asparagus Tips
- Prepare a bowl of ice water. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the asparagus tips for 2 minutes. Remove them to the medium bowl of ice water to shock and cool down. After 5 minutes, remove the asparagus tips from the bowl of ice water and place on a paper towel to dry.1 bunch asparagus
Cook the Farro
- Rinse the farro a few times to remove the “dust” from the grains. Cook the farro according to package directions, replacing the water with vegetable stock and adding the black pepper. Ours cooks for around 13-15 minutes, but follow package instructions for best results.1 cup pearled farro, 1 ¾ cups vegetable stock, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- While the farro cooks, add the halved cherry tomatoes to a large serving bowl and set aside.12 cherry tomatoes
- Once the farro is done, drain off excess liquid and put the warm farro in the bowl directly on top of the tomatoes. Let it sit to cool while you finish the rest of the dish.
Sauté the Vegetables
- In a skillet, add the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, zucchini and a pinch of kosher salt. Sauté for a few minutes until the onion is translucent and the zucchini has softened. Remove from the heat and add to the big bowl of farro and tomatoes and allow to cool a bit.2 teaspoons olive oil, ½ medium red onion, 1 small bell pepper, 1 small zucchini, Pinch of Kosher salt
Assemble the Salad
- Once the farro and vegetables are somewhat cooled, fold in the basil, add the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, then fold in the crumbled feta cheese. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed and serve!4 large basil leaves, Juice of ½ of a large lemon, 2 Tablespoons good extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup feta cheese, Kosher salt to taste
Notes
Substitutions:
- Cherry tomatoes: You can use grape tomatoes, or other small juicy tomatoes here if cherry are difficult to find.
- Vegetable stock: Chicken stock works here as well, but you can always use water.
- Red Onion: We like red onion for the flavor and color, but you can substitute white or yellow onion
- Zucchini: Yellow squash is an easy substitute for zucchini, but any summer squash will work here.
- Feta cheese: We love the briny flavor or feta, but you can use goat cheese or even blue cheese if desired.
- How to store leftover farro salad: Store leftover farro in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- How to serve leftover farro salad: It can be served cold, at room temperature, or warm it gently in the oven if desired.
- This can be made ahead of time if needed as it is still excellent when made a day or so before you want to enjoy it. It is also excellent to make for weekly meal prep to eat throughout the week. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
- The blanching time may need to change depending on the size of your asparagus tips. Use the default 2-minute blanch time for medium asparagus tips. If they are exceptionally large or small, add or subtract 30-60 seconds on the blanching time.
Nutrition
Calories: 350kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 11gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 636mgPotassium: 530mgFiber: 11gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1835IUVitamin C: 38mgCalcium: 146mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
