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!
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 aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet (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 aluminum 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 whole, peeled and pre-cooked beets. 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.
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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.
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!
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
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!
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Fall Farro Salad (with beet, kale, apple and feta)
Ingredients
- 1 cup 'whole' farro
- 1 pound cooked beets , cook into bite-sized chunks
- 3 to 4 cups kale , cut into bite-sized pieces (leaves only)
- 1.5 cups apple , diced (about 1 to 2 apples)
- ¾ cup feta cheese , cut into small cubes (opt for a vegetarian or vegan variety, if needed, to keep things vegetarian or vegan)
- 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.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Meanwhile, prepare beets for roasting. Remove excess moisture by damping beets with a paper towel. In a bowl, toss beets with 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 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.
- Heat remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add kale and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until it just starts to wilt.
- Place all ingredients in a bowl (along with dressing) and stir to combine. Enjoy!
Dressing
- Place all ingredients in a small jar, cover, 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.
- 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.
Nutrition (ESTIMATE ONLY)
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
Lindi
Hi there, should this salad be served warm? I cooked the farro, beets and kale before hand so should I heat them up again before I put the salad together?
Girl Heart Food
Hi Lindi, I actually served this salad cold and it was delicious. You can certainly prep everything in advance and toss with the vinaigrette when serving 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
mimi rippee
I love every ingredient in this salad. And to me, citrus dressings are best with grain-based salads. So this is perfect. Love that actually roasted the beets as well… many people “roast” beets in foil with their peels on.
Girl Heart Food
Thanks a bunch, Mimi 🙂 So happy you like this one! Have a wonderful week!
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
I adore this salad Dawn! I’m like you and love a good salad year round! While summer berry salads are awesome, I love a hearty fall salad. That’s probably because local produce in Newfoundland is best in the fall. So loading up salads with local kale, beets and apples is a must! I’m pinning this to try real soon! Hope you’re having a fabulous weekend!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks a million, Leanne!! Hope you love it…and have a wonderful week too 🙂
Marissa
So many flavors and textures I love dancing together in one beautiful bowl! This is the ultimate fall salad, Dawn. Just PERFECT!
Girl Heart Food
Thanks so much, Marissa! Love your description 🙂 Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend, Marissa.
sheenam | thetwincookingproject.net
Love a good salad with beets! This looks so good!!
Girl Heart Food
Me too! Thanks so much 🙂
Kevin
If Fall were a salad it would be this! Love everything in this!
Girl Heart Food
Haha – love it! Thanks Kevin 🙂
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
Sometimes salads aren’t hearty enough for my crew, but this one looks like it would fill them right up! I love all the healthy ingredients and all the crunch! The apples make it a perfect fall salad.
Girl Heart Food
I think it would because this one is pretty hearty 😉 Thank Kathy! Hope you guys love it!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
I am such a fan of farro! It’s one of the truly healthy things that is actually really delicious 🙂 Such a great way to use it in the great Fall salad!
Girl Heart Food
So yummy, right?! Thanks so much, Jennifer 🙂
Sarah
How have I never cooked farro??! This looks so good- I need to get with it and go buy some! I need!!!
Girl Heart Food
Haha – I think you do 😉 Hope you love it, Sarah!
Elaine Benoit
This farro salad looks excellent, Dawn! It’s beautiful, hearty and delicious! And truthfully, I don’t mind when the beets bleed into the other ingredients! It makes it more festive and fun to eat!
Eden | Sweet Tea and Thyme
Oooh, that salad looks beautiful! Pinning!
Milena
This is a gorgeous salad! I don’t look forward to fall to much, but with a colorful bowl of goodness like this it will sure be easier to let go of summer. And farro just has the best flavor, love have you built an entire dish around it. And whenever feta is involved, I come running. And red beats. And apples…Pinned!
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness
Farro is such a great grain! So hearty & yummy. Making a fall farro salad sounds great, and I’m always looking for new salad combos to keep things interesting!
Sarah Newman
These colors are GORGEOUS and so festive! Love the contrast of colors and textures going on here.
Stephanie
This sounds like the perfect Fall dinner idea Dawn! Love the addition of feta cheese. Can’t wait to try this one soon!
Julia
Such a great salad! I love buying pre-cooked beets as I don’t have to peel them myself which saves me time and I don’t end up having purple hands afterwards 🙂 Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
You make a lot of epic salads but this one is my fave for sure. Beets, farro, apples, feta. . .it’s an explosion of my favorite flavors! I’ll have to make this one very soon. Have a great weekend!
David @ Spiced
This looks like an awesome side dish, Dawn…you know, for that whole balance thing. Haha! Seriously, though, this salad is packed with all sorts of Autumn deliciousness. And that photo of you raiding your parents’ garden? Excellent! I must admit that I haven’t played around with kale much. I’ve had it once or twice, and I was never very impressed…but I need to give it a fair shake. And I’m thinking that means this salad. 🙂 Hope you have a great weekend ahead, my friend!
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Anything mixed with delicious farro gets my vote! I love this autumn-inspired dish! So much flavor and texture! Pinned! Have a great day, my friend! XOXO