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This delicious Farro salad has peas, arugula, feta, and a juicy lemon dressing. It’s light, fresh, and ready in 30 minutes or less!
Farro is a specific type of wheat that has been used in Middle Eastern and Italian cuisine for thousands of years. I love it because it’s chewy, and I’m obsessed with anything containing that magical combination of arugula, lemon, and feta.
This salad is one of my favorite spring lunches. It’s absolutely perfect with a glass of iced tea on a warm day.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Farro: Look for semi-pearled or pearled farro (not whole farro). These types have some or most of the grain removed and the quickest cooking time.
Step-by step instructions
- To make the dressing, in a large serving bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add farro and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add water and salt to taste (I like 1 teaspoon) and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until farro is tender, about 15-18 minutes.
- Drain through a fine-mesh sieve.
- then spread farro out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet to cool to room temperature.
- To the serving bowl with the dressing, add cooled farro, peas, arugula, dill, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Toss to combine and sprinkle with feta.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 10 cups of salad, enough for 10 (1-cup) servings (or 5 larger, 2-cup servings if serving for lunch).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Cook and chill the farro and prep the dressing. Store the ingredients in the refrigerator separately until ready to serve. Then toss everything together when you need it.
- Walnuts: For a delicious crunchy topping, add some toasted walnuts.
Recipe FAQs
Farro is a form of wheat and therefore not gluten-free. If you’re looking for a GF substitute, try brown rice or sorghum. Pearled barley, wheat berries, and spelt berries all contain gluten, too.
More hearty salads with grains
Farro Salad with Peas and Feta
Ingredients
For the lemon vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups farro semi-pearled or pearled (see note 1)
- 3 1/2 cups water
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
- 3 cups arugula (about 3 ½ ounces)
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh dill
- 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese for serving
Instructions
- To make the vinaigrette, in a large serving bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper). Set aside.
- To cook the farro, in a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add farro and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add water and salt to taste (I like 1 teaspoon) and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until farro is tender, about 15-18 minutes.
- Drain through a fine-mesh sieve, then spread farro out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet to cool to room temperature.
- To the serving bowl with the vinaigrette, add cooled farro, peas, arugula, dill, and salt and pepper to taste (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Toss to combine and sprinkle with feta.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Farro: Look for semi-pearled or pearled farro (not whole farro). These types have some or most of the grain removed and the quickest cooking time.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 10 cups of salad, enough for 10 (1-cup) servings (or 5 larger, 2-cup servings if serving for lunch).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Cook and chill the farro and prep the dressing. Store the ingredients in the refrigerator separately until ready to serve. Then toss everything together when you need it.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is the Executive Chef and CEO of Culinary Hill, a popular digital publication in the food space. She loves to combine her Midwestern food memories with her culinary school education to create her own delicious take on modern family fare. Millions of readers visit Culinary Hill each month for meticulously-tested recipes as well as skills and tricks for ingredient prep, cooking ahead, menu planning, and entertaining. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the iCUE Culinary Arts program at College of the Canyons.
I am really impressed with this recipe! It’s a keeper!