spring / vegetarian / salads

I’m continuing my kale pesto kick with this easy throw-together grain salad. This was based around ingredients I already had in my fridge and pantry… come to life with spoonfuls of the pesto I had made earlier in the week.

Feel free, with this one, to sub in ingredients that you have on hand. The farro could be wheatberries or quinoa, the arugula could be shreds of raw kale leaves, the radishes could be another crunchy veggie. Make a big batch and save some for lunch the next day.

Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side. Scale accordingly.

farro salad with kale pesto

  PrintAuthor: Jeanine DonofrioIngredients

• 1 cup farro, cooked (about ½ cup uncooked, plus 1 cup water)
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• a big handful of arugula
• 1-2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• a few good squeezes of lemon plus some lemon zest
• a few heaping spoonfuls of kale pesto
• a small handful of chopped walnuts
• 2 radishes, sliced
• generous grating of parmesan cheese (a crumbly goat or feta cheese would have also been nice here), or omit cheese
• pinches of red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Start by cooking the farro. Bring ½ cup farro and 1 cup (salted) water to a gentle boil. Reduce and simmer for about 25-35 minutes. (Check it at the 15-20 minute mark, give it a stir to make sure it’s not burning/sticking to the bottom of the pot. It’s done when it’s tender and chewy, not crunchy and not mushy).

Drain farro, shaking out excess water. Toss it with olive oil, salt, pepper and the arugula.

Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, lemon, lemon zest, some of the pesto, some of the grated cheese and toss again. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Finish the salad with radishes, a few more dollops of pesto, and another grating of cheese on top.

3.4.3177

Serve at room temp.

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