Farro and Kale Salad

  4.5 – 21 reviews  • Grain Recipes
Level: Easy
Total: 45 min
Active: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  1. 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  2. 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  3. 1 small shallot, diced
  4. 1 cup farro, rinsed
  5. 2 sprigs oregano
  6. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  7. Juice of 1 large lemon
  8. Juice of 1 orange
  9. 1 small bunch Tuscan kale, stemmed and finely shredded
  10. 1/2 cup dried cherries or 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and halved
  11. 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  12. 4 ounces goat cheese

Instructions

  1. Put the walnuts in a small, heavy-bottomed skillet over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely on a small baking sheet.
  2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the shallot and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the shallots have softened and are fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the farro and toast in the olive oil, stirring often, for about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in 2 cups water, the oregano and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the farro is cooked through and tender, about 25 minutes. Remove the oregano sprigs, drain the farro, and set aside.
  3. Whisk together the lemon juice, orange juice, remaining 1/3 cup olive oil and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the warm farro and toss to coat. Add the kale, cherries, cucumber and walnuts and toss to combine. Crumble in the goat cheese, toss gently just to mix and serve.  

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 of 4 servings
Calories 658
Total Fat 42 g
Saturated Fat 9 g
Carbohydrates 61 g
Dietary Fiber 10 g
Sugar 23 g
Protein 17 g
Cholesterol 13 mg
Sodium 624 mg

Reviews

Nicholas Campbell
Another great salad recipe from Giada. Followed directions as is. Wish I’d followed my gut to wait until it cooled to add goat cheese and add less of it. But will make it again. Would be great with parmesan instead of goat as well.
Brandy Underwood
This is a WONDERFUL Salad. Made just as. It keeps so well too. Would be a perfect pairing with grilled protein like chicken or salmon. It’s actually better the 2nd day
Shannon Garcia
Great recipe! I used sunflowers seeds instead of walnuts because of an allergy, and dried cranberries instead of cherries because that was what I had on hand. I added some leftover roasted sweet potato because I needed to use it up and served it with some leftover roasted chicken (also a Giada recipe). 
Michele Richard
This is a great recipe. I added roasted butternut squash and substituted pecans for the walnuts. Great fall meal or side dish.
Jose Santana
This is so yummy! I’ve never cooked farro before and it was super easy and every element in the recipe was a perfect choice for the salad. This is FABULOUS, I highly recommend it.
Jason Gutierrez
Delicious!!! I substituted golden raisins for the cherries
Vanessa Jimenez
Love this salad!!!
Alex Chapman
This recipe was so easy to make. I was even more delighted about how great it tastes. All the flavors came together and you could taste everything in a perfect bite. We ate this as a meal by itself but I’m sure it would make a great side dish too. We took extra time to cut the kale in small pieces, and toasting the walnuts really helps accentuate that nutty flavor.
Terry Nash
Great recipe. I used fresh cherries and did add some more seasoning. Loved it.
Eric Miller
I’m giving this a 5 because I want to encourage people to try it!  I discovered this a couple of months ago and I’ve made it half a dozen times since then for my vegetarian, vegan and meat eating crowd.  Everyone likes it.  You can easily leave out the goat cheese, add it later, or leave as an individual topping.  I have varied this quite a bit adding a dash of a light, citrus balsamic, or pepitos.  It is a great basic salad.

 

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