Italian Farro Arugula Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette

Name: Italian Farro Arugula Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 cup dry farro (or 3 cups cooked); 2 cups diced cucumber; 2 cups packed arugula; ¼ cup sundried tomatoes (thinly sliced); ¼ cup diced red onion; ¼ cup vegan parmesan (make your own or try Violife brand); ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil; ¼ cup red wine vinegar; 1 clove garlic (micro grated or crushed); ¼ teaspoon dried oregano; ¾ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon sugar; Fresh cracked pepper

By Desiree Nielsen RD

5 from 4 ratings

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This Italian farro salad with arugula is chewy, tangy and packed with umami. With an easy red wine vinaigrette, it makes a light yet satisfying plant-based meal on its own or a wonderful side dish salad at home or on a picnic.

italian farro salad with arugula in white bowl with glass of water

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I hate to be a dietitian cliche, but I really do love a good salad. I’d happily crush one every single day. But/and/also…I do have opinions about what makes it really, um, good. Like, my favourite type of salads are ones that eat like a MEAL. There’s a few different textures, layers of flavour, and a bit of heft that really feels satisfying.

And the easiest way to add that heft? Whole grains like farro, which are a nice change from the usual rice-quinoa-noodles routine and will make any salad more filling and satisfying. Plus, farro adds much needed fiber and a little boost of plant-based protein to this little Mediterranean holiday of a side salad. So if you’re looking for new farro salad idea, this is the one.

This Italian farro salad is tossed with arugula, a cruciferous vegetable that doesn’t get nearly as much press as its cousins broccoli or cauliflower. It’s got waaaaay more personality than baby spinach or baby kale. The vegan parm adds umami and, well, the red wine vinaigrette is just so juicy you’re gonna want to keep it in the fridge at all time. I love eating this salad with my tofu skewers (minus the peanut sauce!) for a light but still filling meal.

Want more salads you’ll crave? Grab a copy of my cookbook, Plant Magic!

The one trick you need to make this Italian farro salad super flavourful

Before we go any farther, if you’ve ever cooked farro and it was a disaster – too dry, too mushy, way too much water – I’m gonna fix that so it will never happen again. Start cooking your farro pasta-style, in a big pot of salted boiling water and not only will it be seasoned from the inside out, but it will be the perfect done-ness EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

italian farro salad ingredients in glass bowls — You can totally buy your parmesan….but I gotta say, my homemade almond parmesan is ridiculously good.

If you’re like, I’m not cooking farro on a Tuesday, I get it. Whole grains take some time to cook. Don’t have time to cook grains like farro, wheat berries or brown rice on a weekday? Repeat after me: batch cook + freeze!

I actually batch cook most of my long-cook grains like farro and wheat berries because I do NOT have time to cook them from scratch during the week. Instead, I make way more than I need for a single meal. Maybe 2-4 cups of dry grain. I cook them pasta style in a large pot. Then, after draining, I spread them out on a large parchment lined rimmed baking sheet to come to room temperature before popping the tray into the freezer!

Once frozen, I break up the grains and transfer to a freezer bag for quick meal starters that I don’t have to worry about forgetting in the back of the fridge. If you’ve got frozen farro, just rinse 3 cups of cooked farro under some hot water and this entire salad will come together in like 10 minutes.

italian farro and arugula salad in glass bowl with wooden spoon

Looking for more healthy farro recipes? Try this!