Description
A quick, healthy, and versatile weeknight salad featuring chewy farro, crisp cucumbers, tangy feta, and a bright lemon-oregano dressing. It comes together in about 15-30 minutes and tastes even better the next day.
Ingredients
- 2 cups pearled farro (400g)
- 4 cups water or low-sodium vegetable broth (960ml)
- 1 teaspoon salt (for cooking water)
- 1 large English cucumber (300g), diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes (200g), halved or quartered
- 1 small red onion (50g), thinly sliced
- ½ cup Kalamata olives (75g), pitted and chopped
- 1 cup feta cheese (150g), crumbled
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (60ml)
- 3–4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (45-60ml)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
Instructions
- Rinse the farro under cold water. In a medium saucepan, combine farro, water or broth, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 20-25 minutes until tender with a slight chew. Drain any excess water.
- Spread the cooked farro on a baking sheet or large plate to cool completely. For faster cooling, refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- While farro cools, prepare the vegetables: dice the cucumber, halve the tomatoes, slice the red onion, chop the olives, mince the garlic, and chop the parsley.
- In a small jar or bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey, minced garlic, dried oregano, and black pepper until emulsified.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled farro, prepared vegetables, olives, and crumbled feta.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently but thoroughly to coat all ingredients.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper if needed.
- Let the salad rest in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld (optional but recommended).
Notes
For best results, use pearled farro as it cooks faster than whole grain farro. Cool the farro completely before adding feta to prevent melting. The salad improves overnight as the farro absorbs the dressing. If using pre-cooked farro, total time reduces to 15 minutes. For a gluten-free version, substitute farro with quinoa or buckwheat. For dairy-free/vegan, omit feta and use maple syrup instead of honey.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 320
- Fat: 12
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Carbohydrates: 35
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 8
Keywords: farro salad, mediterranean recipe, healthy weeknight dinner, vegetarian main course, meal prep, gluten-free option, high fiber salad, cucumber feta salad