This is the quintessential summer salad–the one that everyone at the cookout lines up for. Cantaloupe, cucumbers and fresh mint are the refreshing base. Sweet cherry tomatoes add bright notes (and color!) and farro lends heft and nutty taste. Salty feta and a tart red wine vinaigrette round out the flavors in this easy make-ahead salad.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Active: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Active: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 3/4 cups farro
- 3 cups thinly sliced cucumber half-moons (from 2 medium cucumbers)
- 2 cups cubed cantaloupe (1-inch cubes; from 1 small melon)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped chives
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- 1/3 cup fresh mint, cut into chiffonade
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the farro and cook until tender, 22 to 24 minutes. Drain, spread out on a large plate and let cool.
- Combine the cucumbers, cantaloupe, tomatoes and farro in a large serving bowl; set aside.
- Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, shallots, chives, 2 teaspoons salt and several grinds of pepper in a medium bowl until emulsified. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad, add the feta and mint and gently toss until the salad is evenly coated.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 389 |
| Total Fat | 19 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 47 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Cholesterol | 22 mg |
| Sodium | 630 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 389 |
| Total Fat | 19 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 47 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Protein | 13 g |
| Cholesterol | 22 mg |
| Sodium | 630 mg |
Reviews
Delicious, healthy salad that even my grain-suspicious, feta-hating husband loved! I’ve made it with both cantaloupe and with watermelon, and both are equally good. I think the magic of this salad is in the crunchy/soft/salty/sweet/tangy aspects that contrast and complement each other perfectly. It’s our ideal summer salad entree!
Haven’t made it – need a substitute for farro – daughter has celiac but it sounds delicious
Yummy
This sounds “delicious”
I’ll try it soon
I’ll try it soon
Great salad! I have made this as is, and have also combined the cantaloupe with dried apricots.
This is a great salad, I loved it. I now cant wait for summer to do more. I love the combo of the red wine with the mellon. As much as it doesnt sound like, it goes great together.
This is our go to summer salad bowl. The dressing is awesome and I do cut the salt by 1 tsp. The great part is we’ve used many different fresh fruits from the cantaloupe, watermelon, to blueberries. We’ve also added fresh avocado and some spring mix lettuce. We cool down the farro by running it under cold water for a cool, crisp summer meal. Love this dish!
Love this salad, great summer dinner, and healthy. Tomatoes and cucumbers fresh from the farmers market and fresh herbs from my garden and the melon adds such a wonderful sweet flavor. This will be my go to summer salad.
Loved this! Super fresh, light, and delish. I didn’t have red wine vinegar so used white wine vin instead and it was still delish.
My family loved this! Very healthy summer salad. I served it alongside sliced grilled steak. I did have to use brown rice instead of the farro because my supermarket doesn’t sell it.