Farro & Arugula Salad

Farro, an ancient variety of wheat, forms the base of this veggie-rich salad. There are endless variations too! Once you make the farro base, mix in different veggies & cheese, nuts & fruits, or a protein food of choice!

Prep Time: 30 minutes    Total Time: 40 minutes

WHAT YOU NEED:

1-1/2 cup dry farro, cooked according to package directions (see Tips)

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar (optional; see Tips)

½ tsp. salt

1 medium lemon (about 1 tsp. lemon zest and 3 Tbsp. lemon juice)

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/4  round fennel bulb, shaved (about 1 cup)

2 cups baby arugula (about 2 ounces)

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut chiffonade

Ground black pepper, to taste

1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved or grated (about 1/4 cup)

 MAKING IT:

Cook farro according to package directions, salting cooking water. For extra flavor, substitute 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar for ½ cup of the farro cooking water, if desired.  Cook farro until center is slightly chewy, adding more water if necessary. Drain off any excess water.  Cool farro in a large bowl for at least 45 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together black pepper, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add olive oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly.  Stir dressing into cooked farro. At this point, farro mixture will keep for up to 2 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator (bring to room temperature before continuing with the recipe).

Just before serving, stir in tomatoes, fennel, arugula and basil. Season with additional pepper and salt, if desired.  Top with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.  Makes about 8 cups or 8 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving (about 1 cup): 220 Calories; 10g Total Fat; (2g Sat Fat; 0g Trans Fat); 0mg Chol; 220mg Sodium; 28g Total Carb; (3g Fiber; 4g Sugars); 6g Protein

TIPS:

There are several types of farro available. Whole grain farro generally takes 40-45 minutes to cook. Pearled or semi-pearled farro (which as some of the outer bran removed) cooks in about 10-30 minutes, depending on the variety. Whichever you farro choose, follow package directions for cooking. Generally, 1 cup dry farro yields about 2-3 cups cooked farro.

For extra flavor and acidity, substitute 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar for ½ cup farro cooking water, if desired. If you don’t have white balsamic vinegar, use 1/2 cup white or red wine vinegar with 1 tsp. sugar added and dissolved.

Add your protein of choice, such as beans, seafood or chicken, to make this salad a heartier main dish.

For a low sodium version of this recipe (75 mg/serving), omit the salt.