If you’re looking for an easy side dish for a special occasion or simply a fall salad to enjoy with Sunday supper, this fall farro salad is just the thing! It combines hearty farro, sautéed kale, crisp apple, salty feta and savoury beet for one flavourful bite!
I love a good salad any time of year and I especially love to play with produce of the season. Cold weather veggies, like kale, grow wonderfully here in Newfoundland.
My parents actually grow kale in their garden so I had to nab some
They were happy to share! They were overflowing with the stuff. Other delicious in-season fall goodies are beets and apples so I used them here. This fall harvest salad turned out lovely and it’s now on repeat on our home.
To make this recipe, simply get your farro going first. Then, roast beets, gently cook kale and prep the other ingredients and vinaigrette.
After that, it’s simply a matter of tossing everything together and digging in. Easy peasy deliciousness!
Ingredients for Fall Farro Salad
- Farro (of course)
- Beets (get pre-cooked beets to save time, if you like)
- Kale
- Apple for a little sweetness
- Oil
- Lemon
- Olive oil
- Fresh herbs
- Feta
- Seasoning
What is Farro?
Farro is an ancient grain that tastes kinda nutty, a little chewy and totally delicious! So, if after cooking, the farro still has a little chew, that’s totally normal…it’s supposed to be that way!
Farro is also super hearty. It’s so hearty, that it’s very difficult to overcook, which is one of the reasons it works wonderfully in salads, soups, skillets and casseroles.
You can buy various versions of farro, either pearled, semi-pearled or whole.
All vary somewhat in flavour and cook time (with the ‘whole’ variety having the nuttiest taste and longest cook time).
Whole farro is what I used in this fall farro salad. If you use another variety, you will have to adjust your cooking time accordingly.
How to Roast Beets
There are a few ways that you could prepare beets for roasting –
- If using whole, raw beets – Remove green tops from beets. Wash and scrub clean the beets, loosely wrap in foil, place on a baking tray (to catch any juices) and bake in a 375 degrees Fahrenheit oven for about 75 minutes or so until tender when prodded with a fork or knife (the time may vary slightly depending on the size of your beets.
Note: Because cook time can vary, depending on beet size, check on them at the 45 minute mark to see how they’re doing.
Carefully remove foil (there will be steam). Allow to cool a little until you can handle them. Then, peel and proceed with whatever recipe you’re using them in. - If using cut up, raw beets – Remove green tops from beets. Wash and scrub clean whole beets, peel, cut into roughly 1-inch slices or chunks, damp excess moisture with paper towel, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and spices (if using). Bake on a parchment lined sheet pan for about 40 to 45 minutes (or until tender), turning halfway.
- If using pre-cooked beets (as I did in this farro salad) – I used ‘Love Beets’, which are sold in packages whereas the beets are whole, peeled and pre-cooked. This is not sponsored or anything I just love the convenience and taste of this product. Even though the beets were pre-cooked, for this farro salad, I did toss with olive oil and some salt and pepper and roasted for a bit just to get a little caramelization.
Hungry for more? Subscribe to the Girl Heart Food Newsletter!
How to Prepare Kale
Like mentioned, for this farro salad, I also sautéed a little kale. I washed thoroughly and then cut out the centre rib. You want to get rid of that rib (see pic below).
It’s not that it’s necessarily a bad thing, it’s just tough and takes longer to cook than the leaves themselves. Just cut it out and thinly slice the leaves into bite-sized pieces or ribbons.
I simply cooked the kale in a little olive oil for a few minutes until it softened a little.
Kale adds a lovely heartiness and tends to have a little more mouthfeel and texture than, say, spinach. Keep in mind that when you are using kale in recipes, you want bite-sized pieces. You don’t want big leaves of kale in this salad.
Can I Use Another Green Instead of Kale?
Absolutely! If you’d rather, sub with baby spinach or arugula.
Keep in mind that they may wilt a little more than what kale would, but it will still taste delicious!
Can I Make This Salad Ahead of Time?
You bet you can! You can enjoy this salad warm or outta the fridge – whatever you prefer. Just keep in mind these tips if making ahead of time-
- As the salad sits, the colour of the beets may bleed into other ingredients, particularly the feta. Not a big deal, though.
- The longer the salad sits, it will absorb more of the vinaigrette. I would toss with the vinaigrette prior to serving.
Speaking of vinaigrette – The vinaigrette for this farro salad is simply made and you basically just throw all the ingredients in a jar, cover, shake and pour. I used thyme as my primary herb here, but you could totally use your fave. Tarragon would work lovely too, especially with those beets. - Also, those apples. The longer this salad sits, the apple may oxidize. Therefore, if making this farro salad ahead of time and want to do some prep, you can prepare everything aside from the apples and then toss them in (along with the vinaigrette) when serving.
More Recipe Tips and Variations
As mentioned above, I used pre-cooked beets in this recipe. If you are using raw, they will take longer to prepare.
I used ‘whole’ farro here so my cooking time was about 30 to 40 minutes or so. If you use ‘pre-cooked’ farro (or another variety), cooking time will be reduced considerably.
Though I didn’t use them here, walnuts would make a lovely addition in this farro salad.
Want to use something aside from apples? Diced pear would work great too.
More Fall Recipes You May Enjoy
- Harvest Wild Rice Salad – This satisfying side dish combines wild rice, roasted squash and pomegranate. Enjoy warm or as a cold rice salad recipe – whatever makes you happy!
- Apple & Gouda Mixed Green Salad – Plenty of apple, lots of greens and flavourful gouda make for one delicious (and super easy) green salad recipe, perfect for a light lunch or side with dinner.
- Roasted Root Vegetables Recipe – These sheet pan roasted vegetables have lots of fresh herbs and are so yummy, you’ll want to enjoy straight off the pan!
Hope you love this easy autumn recipe as much as we do!
If you make this fall farro salad recipe, be sure to leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed! Thank you!
Let’s Be Social!
Follow Girl Heart Food on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter for all the latest delicious eats! Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter!
Fall Farro Salad (with beet, kale, apple and feta)
Ingredients
- 1 cup 'whole' farro
- 1 pound cooked beets , cook into bite-sized pieces.
- 3 to 4 cups kale , cut into strips/bite-sized pieces (leaves only)
- 1.5 cups apple , diced (about 1 to 2 apples)
- ¾ cup feta cheese , cut into small cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil , divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon chives , minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme , minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse and drain farro with cold water through a fine mesh sieve. Then, cook per package instructions and cool slightly (typically for one cup of farro, use 3 cups or so of water (or broth) place in a pot with a pinch of salt, bring to simmer on medium low, cover and cook for 30 to 40 minutes. If there is any excess water after cooking simply drain. Fluff farro with a fork. You can add a little butter at this point too (totally optional).Note: I used 'whole' farro (which has the longest cooking time). If you use another variety, your cooking time will be reduced. You can always cook per package instructions, should you wish.
- Meanwhile, roast beets (remove excess moisture by damping with a paper towel). Toss beets in ½ tablespoon of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. On a parchment lined baking sheet, add cubes of beets and roast on 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, turning once. Remove from oven and let cool. Note: See body of post above for type of beets being used. I used 'pre-cooked' beets so my cooking time was reduced.
- In a nonstick pan add remaining olive oil and cook kale 3 to 5 minutes or until it just starts to wilt. Remove from pan.
- Place all ingredients in a bowl, along with dressing and stir to combine. Enjoy!
Dressing
- Place all ingredients in a small mason jar, shake to combine and pour over salad.
Notes
- As mentioned above, I used pre-cooked beets in this recipe. If you are using raw, they will take longer to prepare.
- As the salad sits, the colour of the beets may bleed into other ingredients, particularly the feta. Not a big deal, though.
- The longer the salad sits, it will absorb more of the vinaigrette. I would toss with the vinaigrette prior to serving.
- Also, those apples. The longer this salad sits, the apple may oxidize. Therefore, if making this farro salad ahead of time and want to do some prep, you can prepare everything aside from the apples and then toss them in (along with the vinaigrette) when serving.
- I used ‘whole’ farro here so my cooking time was about 30 to 40 minutes or so. If you use ‘pre-cooked’ farro (or another variety), cooking time will be reduced considerably.
- Though I didn’t use them here, walnuts would make a lovely addition in this farro salad.
- See body of post for more tips/variations.
Nutrition (estimate only)
