Roasted Vegetable Farro Salad
This salad is hearty and delicious. It utilizes pantry items and vegetables that are good for storage. It is the perfect autumn or winter side dish but is also a main event given that it contains tons or protein in the chickpeas and farro and plenty of filling fiber and carbs. The optional extras of parsley or feta cheese are just that- optional. I prefer to roast off more vegetables than needed and you could also double the farro to use in dishes throughout the week. This can be served warm or cold. I would be perfect to bring to a family get together or a potluck. Substitute the farro for bulgar wheat, brown rice or any other grain you have on hand. Squash would be a great sub for the carrot and the preparation stays the same. This recipe is more of a guideline and can be modified based on what you have on hand.
Ingredients:
Carrot- 1 large or 2 medium, chopped into cubes
Potato- 1 russet also chopped into cubes
Onion- (red or sweet white) 1 large or 2 medium, sliced thinly
Farro- 1/2 cup dried or 1 cup cooked
Cabbage- (green or red) sliced thinly, half a small cabbage or 1/4 of a large
1 15 oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed
Dressing:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 heaped tablespoon honey mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Recipe:
After chopping the root vegetables into cubes and thin slices, coat with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 F for 20 minutes until the onions are crispy but not burned and the vegetables are starting to brown. Taste the potato to make sure it is cooked through and has a crispy edge. I would recommend turning them at least once.
Make the farro. 1/2 cup dry farro, 1 cup water with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cover for 5-7 minutes until the farro is chewy. Try not to overcook the farro since we will be putting a dressing over it later and we want it to absorb the other flavors in the salad. If there is some water left in the pan but the farro is cooked, just drain off before adding to the salad.
Combine the dressing ingredients. I like to prepare mine in a jar and set aside.
Chop the cabbage, drain the chickpeas
Combine all ingredients into a large bowl and toss with half of the dressing. I recommend tasting the salad first so see if you want to use all the dressing. You can also pour half over and reserve the other half to add when you serve, to refresh the salad the next day of you are meal prepping or just use it for a different salad.
Add some chopped fresh parsley and/or crumbled feta cheese. The salad is great without these but if you want a bit more color or salty bite, you can add these.
Enjoy!
