Farro Salad with Green Beans, Corn, and Tomatoes Recipe (2024)

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Farro Salad with corn, green beans, and tomatoes! Great side dish or light weekday lunch. Top with chicken or poached egg for a full meal.

By

Sheryl Julian

Farro Salad with Green Beans, Corn, and Tomatoes Recipe (1)

Sheryl Julian

Sheryl Julian was the Food Editor, reporter, stylist, and recipe developer for The Boston Globe for 30 years. She teaches food journalism at Boston University in the Masters in Gastronomy program.

Learn about Simply Recipes'Editorial Process

Updated June 24, 2022

Farro Salad with Green Beans, Corn, and Tomatoes Recipe (2)

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Farro Salad with Green Beans, Corn, and Tomatoes Recipe (3)

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Have you ever cooked with farro before? This wheat grain is chewy, nutty, and filling. It's also not much harder to prepare than brown rice.

Mix cooked farro with some vegetables, as we've done here, and you have an easy side dish for dinner or even a light lunch for the week! Just add some chicken or a poached egg for a complete meal.

This wheat grain has been a staple since Roman times, and it’s just fun to take something ancient and prepare it for the modern table.

When you're shopping for farro, look for “pearled” or “semi-pearled” on the label, which means the hull has been removed. Without the hull, the grain cooks quickly and doesn't require overnight soaking, like some other ancient grains.

Also, don't get farro confused with spelt or think that one can be substituted for the other. The names are sometimes used interchangeably, which doesn't help with the confusion, but they are actually two different grains.

Spelt can take a long time to cook, but farro will cook quickly in boiling water. If your "farro" seems to be taking forever to cook, you probably got spelt by mistake!

Farro Salad with Green Beans, Corn, and Tomatoes Recipe (4)

The best way to cook farro is with the "pasta method" – cook the grain in plenty of boiling, salted water for about 10 minutes, until tender, then drain off the extra water.

After simmering the farro in plenty of water, drain it, and use the technique that Persian cooks do for their rice dishes: Tip the farro into a strainer and return the strainer to the cooking pot. Cover the strainer with a clean towel and the pot lid and let the farro steam in the heat for 10 minutes. This helps prevent gummy, mushy grains.

Season the farro with olive oil, then add fresh corn cut off the cob and blanched, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, crisp blanched green beans, scallions, shallot, and fresh herbs.

With this colorful salad, ancient grains look right at home in the modern world!

Farro Salad with Green Beans, Corn, and Cherry Tomatoes

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time45 mins

Servings6to 8 servings

If you need to save sometime, cook the farro in a separate pot while you are blanching the green beans and corn kernels.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths

  • 2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen

  • 1/2 cuppearled or semi-pearled farro

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, or more to taste

  • 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped

  • 1 shallot, very thinly sliced

  • 1/2 pint mixed yellow or red cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered if large

  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, marjoram, or parsley

Method

  1. Blanch the green beans:

    Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add a tablespoon of salt and the green beans.

    Cook the green beans for 3 minutes or until they are bright green and barely tender. Scoop the beans out with a slotted spoon and transfer to a strainer.

    Rinse the beans under cold water until they are cool. Pat dry with paper towels and set aside.

    Do not drain the water; let it come back to a boil over high heat.

  2. Prepare:

    the corn: If using fresh corn kernels, let the pot of water used for the green beans come back to a boil, then blanch the kernels for 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool.

    If using frozen corn, there's no need to blanch; transfer the frozen kernels to a strainer and run under water until the corn is thawed. Spread on a plate, pat dry with paper towels, and set aside.

    Do not drain the water; let it come back to a boil over high heat.

  3. Toast the farro:

    Toast the farro in a dry cast iron or other heavy skillet, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until it smells nutty and toasted.

    Farro Salad with Green Beans, Corn, and Tomatoes Recipe (5)

  4. Cook the farro:

    Tip the farro into the boiling water – the grains should sizzle when they hit the water. Let the water return to a boil.

    Cook the farro, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes, or until it is tender but still has some bite.

  5. Drain the farro:

    Drain the farro into a medium strainer and set the strainer back inside the saucepan. Cover the farro with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and set the lid on top. (If you don't have a strainer that fits in your pan, follow these instructions.)

    Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the grain to steam.

    Farro Salad with Green Beans, Corn, and Tomatoes Recipe (6)

  6. Season the farro:

    Transfer the grains to a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if you like, and pepper.

    Cool briefly until no longer piping hot.

  7. Mix the salad:

    Add the green beans, corn, scallions, shallot, cherry tomatoes, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, and fresh herbs to the farro. Toss gently.

    Taste for seasoning and add more salt, olive oil, vinegar, or herbs, if you like. This salad is best the day it's made, but leftovers make a great light lunch.

Farro Salad with Green Beans, Corn, and Tomatoes Recipe (7)

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  • Vegan
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  • Green Beans
  • Tomato
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
124Calories
6g Fat
17g Carbs
3g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6to 8
Amount per serving
Calories124
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g8%
Saturated Fat 1g4%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 4mg0%
Total Carbohydrate 17g6%
Dietary Fiber 3g11%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 10mg48%
Calcium 25mg2%
Iron 1mg5%
Potassium 236mg5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Farro Salad with Green Beans, Corn, and Tomatoes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is farro salad good for you? ›

It Is Very Nutritious

Farro is an extremely nutritious grain. It's an excellent source of protein, fiber and nutrients like magnesium, zinc and some B vitamins. It's a much healthier alternative to white rice or other refined grains. One-fourth cup (47 grams) of organic, whole grain emmer farro contains (1, 2 ):

What is the best way to eat farro? ›

Farro is a hearty addition to salads and soups. It's especially wonderful with some garlic and olive oil stirred in while it's still warm. Farro is a nice alternative to wild rice, brown rice, quinoa and other whole grains. It's a healthy plant-based source of protein, iron and fiber.

What is Italian farro? ›

Farro is an ancient grain, a form of wheat that's about 20,000 years old. With roots in Mesopotamia, farro is a staple of Mediterranean diets, especially in Italy. Farro is sold in whole grain form, and might be one of three varietals of ancient wheat: einkorn, emmer or spelt.

What is the downside of farro? ›

Also, be advised that farro contains gluten. If you have celiac disease or are otherwise gluten intolerant, avoid the grain. As you may have guessed, you'll also want to sidestep farro if you have a wheat allergy.

Is farro an inflammatory food? ›

Luckily, incorporating anti-inflammatory foods like fruits, vegetables and whole grains into your diet can help tame chronic inflammation. Our top whole-grain pick for inflammation is farro, since it's packed with fiber and antioxidants while also being a versatile pantry staple.

Is farro a laxative? ›

Farro is an excellent source of fiber. Fiber, in turn, helps regulate the digestive system. So it's no surprise that farro has been shown to improve digestion in humans. If you have constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, or other digestive disorders, you may especially benefit from adding farro to your diet.

Why do you soak farro before cooking? ›

Bran is the tough coating of the grain, a good source of fiber, protein and fat. Bran-on types of farro take longer to cook unless you soften the brain by soaking it in water overnight in the fridge. Pearled farro has all the bran removed and doesn't need to be soaked.

Is farro healthier than rice? ›

All grains have a place in a healthy diet. Farro and barley, being whole grains, contain more fiber and health benefits than white pasta or white rice.

Is farro a carb or protein? ›

A 45-gram serving of pearled farro provides 150 calories, most of which are carbohydrates. You'll consume 29 grams of carbohydrate in a 1/3 cup serving, 3 grams of fiber, and 1 gram of sugar. The rest of the carbohydrate in farro is starch.

Which is healthier farro or quinoa? ›

A half cup of farro contains as much as 8 grams of fiber and protein; the same amount of quinoa results in only 2.5 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein. If you don't practice a gluten-free diet, start replacing white rice and pasta with farro.

Do you rinse farro before cooking? ›

Rinse your farro.

To remove it (and any other unwanted debris that might be present), always rinse your farro under cool, running water in a fine-mesh strainer before cooking it.

What is farro called in English? ›

Farro is an ethnobotanical term for three species of hulled wheat: spelt (Triticum spelta), emmer (Triticum dicoccum), and einkorn (Triticum monococcum). Hulled wheat is wheat that cannot be threshed.

What is farro called in Germany? ›

In the 20th century, the Germans, master grain growers and millers since antiquity, chose to call farro piccolo einkorn—a succinctly German downbeat of a name that refers to an individual awn's tendency to break into single spikes: ein korn or “one kernel.” More poetically, the French call farro piccolo le petit ...

Is farro the same as ORZO? ›

Farro is a nutty-tasting and chewy grain found near the rice in the store. Orzo looks like rice but it actually pasta and is found in the pasta section. 1 cup of the following chopped (These can be mixed and matched.

Is farro healthy for weight loss? ›

Studies show that increasing fiber intake can help prevent obesity. Meanwhile, protein is associated with creating a feeling of fullness, which can help prevent overeating. And studies show that eating three servings of whole grains like farro per day is associated with a lower BMI in humans.

Is farro a good or bad carb? ›

"Farro is a great source of fiber, iron, protein and magnesium. With all of those nutrients in this little grain, it can provide a lot of health benefits for your diabetes or for heart health or for brain health." Cook farro on the stovetop, in a slower cooker or in the oven. It doesn't expand as much as rice or pasta.

Which is healthier quinoa or farro? ›

Farro tends to have slightly higher fiber content compared to quinoa. Quinoa and farro both provide several vitamins and minerals. Quinoa is particularly rich in magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and folate. Farro is a good source of magnesium, niacin, and zinc.

References

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