This healthy roasted carrot farro salad is packed with protein and fiber, to keep you satisfied. It’s filled with grains, chickpeas, roasted carrots, dried cranberries, feta and fresh mint. The salad is tossed in a citrus orange dressing which perfectly compliments the nuttiness of the farro!
Grain salads make a great lunch or dinner side. We really love preparing this salad ahead of time and therefore is a great option for meal prep. You can prep all the components up to 3 days in advance. To obtain the best texture, I recommend adding the dressing just before eating.
What is Farro?
Farro is a type of ancient wheat grain that has its hull removed. It is an extremely nutritious grain, a good source of protein and rich in fiber. It’s healthier than white rice and it’s gluten-free.
It has a nutty flavor and a chewy texture. Like barley, farro is chewy when cooked.
You can find it in most grocery stores or natural stores. You can also buy it online.
Farro Substitutes
If you’re unable to find farro or would like to use a different type of grain, here are some great alternatives:
- Barley (similar texture and taste)
- Quinoa
- Couscous
- Wild rice or brown rice
Farro Salad Ingredients
- Farro: The star of this recipe is farro! It’s a great addition to a salad because of its texture. We cook the farro for a few minutes before assembling the salad.
- Carrots: we love using nantaises carrots because of their sweetness! If using regular variety, you will need less carrots since they’re bigger. By roasting the carrots with olive oil, they will caramelize and it will bring even more crunch to this salad!
- Chickpeas: to add more proteins to this salad. Use canned cooked chickpeas. You can also use dried chickpeas and cook them beforehand.
- Cranberries: dried cranberries to sweeten the taste to the salad and also make a beautiful contrast of colours.
- Mint: roughly chopped fresh mint . You can also use basil or parsley as well.
- Feta: crumble feta to get that salty taste in each bite.
Easy Dressing
I wanted to make sure this salad is simple to put together. That’s why we’re adding all the dressing ingredients directly into the salad to save us one step. The dressing includes the following ingredients : orange juice, orange zest, olive oil and apple cider vinegar.
Pro Tips
- Rinse Farro : it’s often covered in a dry, powdery coating. Make sure you rinse them before cooking.
- Season well: be generous, but keep in mind there’s feta in this recipe which will bring saltiness.
- Pour the dressing when you’re ready to eat. The salad covered in dressing will last up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Other Salad Recipes to Try:
Roasted Carrot Farro Salad with Orange Dressing
4
servings15
minutes20
minutes35
minutesThis healthy roasted carrot farro salad is packed with protein and fiber, to keep you satisfied. It’s filled with grains, chickpeas, roasted carrots, dried cranberries, feta and fresh mint. The salad is tossed in a citrus orange dressing which perfectly compliments the nuttiness of the farro!
Ingredients
- Salad
Farro : 1 cup dry
Nantaise carrots: 7-8 carrots cut in batonnets
Olive oil: 2 tbsp
Chickpeas: ½ cup of cooked chickpeas (rinsed)
Feta: 1 cup of crumbled feta
Mint or parsley : ¼ cup roughly chopped
Dried cranberries: ½ cup
- Dressing
½ orange navel : the juice and the zest of ½ orange
Olive oil: 3 tbsp
Apple cider vinegar: 1 tbsp (you can also use white balsamic vinegar)
Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F degrees.
- Rinse the farro with cold water and drain. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the farro and reduce heat. Let it simmer for about 12-13 minutes, until tender yet still crunchy. Strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- On a baking pan with parchment paper, add diced carrots. Drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil and season well. Toss with your hands and spread evenly unto the pan. Cook for about 12-14 minutes, until cooked through.
- In a big bowl, add cooked farro, roasted carrots, chickpeas, feta, mint and dried cranberries. Mix well. Add the dressing ingredients directly into the salad. Season well & toss to combine. If you’re meal prepping, I recommend adding the dressing when you’re ready to eat.
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