Try our Farro Kale Salad! Nutty farro, tender kale, sweet-tart cherries, and creamy butter beans, all tossed in a tangy pomegranate dressing. A fresh, flavourful delight!

Why You’ll Love Farro Kale Salad

Who doesn’t love a good farro salad? Add some kale, onions and butter beans and dressed with a sweet and tangy pomegranate molasses dressing makes for an excellent recipe high in fibre, protein, vitamins, and antioxidants.

We love a good kale farro recipe for its texture and flavour. Chewy, tender, and creamy all at the same time while the additional sweetness and tartness for the dressing and sour cherries provide for a well-balanced farro salad recipe.

The salad’s versatility and broad appeal make it a favourite for many. It is vegan and vegetarian-friendly, catering to those following plant-based diets and offering a satisfying and nutrient-dense meal. 

Its suitability for meal prep allows it to be made ahead of time and stored, making it convenient for busy lifestyles. 

The ingredients are available year-round, ensuring that this salad can be enjoyed in any season. It is a crowd-pleaser, suitable for various occasions, from casual lunches to dinner parties, making a simple go-to favourite. 

What Is Farro?

Farro is an ancient grain that has been cultivated and consumed for thousands of years. It is a type of hulled wheat, and the term “farro” is usually used to refer to one of the types of wheat known as emmer.

Farro is a popular grain as many believe it to be highly nutritious and a great plant-based protein.

Farro is available in three forms: whole farro, semi-pearled farro, and pearled farro. Whole farro retains its outer bran layer and requires longer cooking times, usually up to 40 minutes. 

Semi-pearled farro has part of the bran removed and cooks in about 20 to 30 minutes. Pearled farro has most of the bran removed and cooks the fastest, typically in 10 to 20 minutes.

For our farro lovers, you’ll also love our warm farro salad.

What Is Farro Good With?

Farro is an incredibly versatile grain that pairs well with a variety of ingredients and dishes. Apart from salads and sides, here are some popular ways to use farro:

Hearty soups: Add farro to vegetable, bean, or chicken soups to make them more filling. Its chewy texture holds up well in broths and absorbs all the savoury flavours.

Stews: Incorporate farro into beef or vegetable stews for added bulk and nutrition.

Pilafs: Use farro instead of rice to make a hearty pilaf. Combine it with sautéed onions, garlic, and mixed vegetables.

Risottos: Substitute farro for arborio rice to create a healthier, nutty-flavoured risotto.

Grain bowls: Farro is an excellent base for grain bowls. Top it with roasted vegetables, grilled chicken, avocado, and a tasty dressing.

Stuffed vegetables: Use farro as a stuffing for bell peppers, tomatoes, or squash mixed with herbs, cheese, and other vegetables.

Breakfast bowls: Cook farro with milk or plant-based milk, and add fruits, nuts, and a drizzle of honey for a nutritious breakfast.

Porridge: Farro can be cooked into a warm porridge-like oatmeal with sweet or savoury toppings.

Stir-fries: Add cooked farro to stir-fried beef, chicken, pork, vegetables, and/or tofu for a complete meal.

Bread: Farro flour can be used in bread baking, providing a nutty flavour and a dense texture.

Ingredients

These are the ingredients you need for farro kale salad:

• Farro: For this farro salad with kale, we used pearled farro. Just a faster cook to reduce the time spent on the cooktop.

• Broth: Using vegetable broth to keep this recipe vegan. We used pre-packaged broth but homemade broth would be amazing. 

• Brown onion: These add a caramelised sweetness and depth of flavour.

• Green kale: Preferred green to purple kale purely for presentation reasons. Ensure properly massaged to yield a palatable finish.

• Flat leaf parsley: Adds some lovely herbaceous notes.

• Butter beans: We used canned butter beans to boost the heartiness of the salad. Loving the creamy textures too. 

• Dried sour cherries: Many farro salads call for pomegranate seeds but replace them with dried sour cherries instead. Love the pops of chewy sweetness and tartness.

• Red wine vinegar and olive oil: Use good quality ingredients for the salad dressing.

• Pomegranate molasses: One of the greatest salad dressing ingredients. The thick consistency and massive flavour lend itself to many different dressing recipe concoctions.

• Garlic clove: Just a boost of allium in the dressing.

• Allspice: Adding a touch of warmth and nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon finishes.

Variations and Substitutions

Add protein: Marinated and baked tofu can make it vegan-friendly while adding protein.

For our non-vegan followers, add grilled or shredded chicken or flaked, grilled salmon.

Different greens: You can use baby spinach leaves instead of kale for a milder flavour. Try arugula for a peppery kick or just a mix of different leafy greens.

Additional grains: Love your grains and want to add more? You can add quinoa, barley for more chewy and nutty flavours or brown rice for a different texture.

Vegetables: Try adding roasted sweet potatoes, beets, or bell peppers to add a rich, caramelised flavour. If you prefer raw vegetables, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, or shredded carrots add freshness and crunch.

Add nuts and seeds: Chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans add crunch and richness. Pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds provide extra texture and nutrition.

Butter bean alternatives: Use chickpeas, cannellini beans, black beans, or edamame beans.

Dried sour cherries substitutes: Dried cranberries, raisins, chopped dried apricots, or figs.

Pomegranate molasses replacement: Use balsamic glaze, honey, or maple syrup for a different sweet-tangy element.

Instructions

Step by step instructions for how to make farro kale salad:

Rinse the farro thoroughly.

Place in a saucepan and add water and broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer. For pearled farro, boil for 10 to 20 minutes; for semi-pearled farro, 20 to 30 minutes; and for whole farro, up to 40 minutes. If there is excess liquid after farro is cooked to al dente, discard.

Sauté sliced onions with olive oil until cooked through.

Remove kale leaves from the rib. Add olive oil and massage the leaves for 5 minutes until soft. Tear or chop into smaller pieces. 

How to Make Pomegranate Molasses Dressing

In a small mixing bowl, add red wine vinegar and pomegranate molasses.

Drip in the olive oil and whisk as you go until it emulsifies.

Add garlic and allspice and mix until well combined.

How to Assemble the Salad

In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients together.

Pour salad dressing on top.

Mix until well combined. Serve

Great Mains for This Salad

What to serve with farro kale salad? Try these delicious main dish recipes:

A hearty salad is usually the best side to have in the cooler months. Equally hearty, you can try to pair it with grilled beef tenderloin roast recipe with a fresh herb crust or for something simple, you can give this meatloaf recipe a go.

For a vegan recipe, this gorgeous vegan mushroom & walnut wellington is something you need to try!

Frequently Asked Questions