Farro Salad with Peas and Feta

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.

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

1. 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.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add farro and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

3. 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.

4. Drain through a fine-mesh sieve.

5. then spread farro out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet to cool to room temperature.

6. 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.

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Farro Salad with Peas and Feta

By Meggan Hill

This delicious Farro salad has peas, arugula, feta, and a juicy lemon dressing. It's light, fresh, and ready in 30 minutes or less! 

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 10 servings (1 cup each)

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Calories 391

5 from 7 votes

ReviewPrint

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

For the lemon vinaigrette:

• ▢ 1/4 cup olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 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 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

1. 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.
2. Yield: This recipe makes about 10 c. of salad, enough for 10 (1-c.) servings (or 5 larger, 2-c. servings if serving for lunch).
3. Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
4. 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

Serving: 1cupCalories: 391kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 11gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 228mgPotassium: 302mgFiber: 12gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 532IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 139mgIron: 2mg

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