Farro Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

looking down at a bowl of farro salad with greens and fall fruits

Farro Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

This Farro Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette features crisp greens, fresh and dried seasonal fruits, rich shredded cheese, and chopped nuts with a citrusy poppy seed dressing.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 206kcal

Author Amee

Ingredients

For the Salad:

8 oz gourmet spring mix -you can also use 1 large head of romaine, torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup light sharp cheddar cheese -I used Cabot 50% cheddar, shredded from the block
1/4 cup dried cranberries Craisins
1 large apple cored and cubed
1 large pear cored and cubed
1 cup chopped cashew nuts

For the Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar *or sugar alternative
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice -or key lime juice
2 tsp onion finely chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sea salt
2/3 cup extra light olive oil -can sub with avocado oil, or your favorite light-tasting oil
1 tbsp poppy seeds

Instructions

For the Salad:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the quick-cook farro and boil for 10-12 minutes until tender. Drain well and set it aside to cool.
Toss the cooled farro with all the other salad ingredients in a large bowl until everything is evenly distributed.

For the Dressing:

In the bowl of a blender or food processor, add sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard and salt. Cover; process until blended.
With machine running, add oil in a slow and steady stream. Process until thick and smooth. Stir in poppy seeds until incorporated.
Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat, or serve on the side.

Notes

*Nutrition info is for salad ingredients without the dressing.

Perfectly cooked farro. If you’re using uncooked, raw farro, rinse it well under cold water to remove any dust or debris, then cook it in a large pot of boiling water like pasta (15-20 minutes for pearled farro, 25-30 minutes for semi-pearled farro, or 35-40 minutes for whole farro). Drain it well and fluff it with a fork before adding it to the salad.
Adding fresh fruits. It’s best to slice your apple and pear just before serving to prevent browning. If you do prep the salad a bit in advance, toss the apple and pear slices in lemon juice to prolong their freshness.

No blender or food processor? I’ve also used a mason jar with a blender ball to emulsify the lemon poppyseed dressing ingredients –just make sure you shake it really well so the sugar dissolves completely.
See variations section of the post for more ideas!

Nutrition