Farro is the grain I reach for when I want a salad that makes a meal, whether for lunch or dinner. I cook it until just tender — I love it with a little chew — and dress it while it’s warm so the vinaigrette soaks in. From there it’s a matter of layering in a variety of vegetables: Finely chopped bell peppers, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and red onion, handfuls of parsley and fresh herbs, and enough crumbled feta to salt every bite. The whole thing comes together in one bowl and can sit at room temperature.

A bowl of farro salad with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, yellow bell peppers, fresh parsley, and crumbled cheese, served with a gold spoon on a white surface next to a green and white checkered napkin.

Why this farro salad is so good

Getting a farro salad right is mostly about timing and proportion — here’s what makes this one worth making:

  • Add dressing while the farro is still warm. Hot and freshly cooked, farro absorbs dressing more readily than cold farro. By the time the vegetables are mixed in, every grain is already seasoned through, not just coated on the outside.
  • Small, uniform dice on the vegetables. This isn’t just aesthetic — when everything is cut to roughly the same size, you get a bit of each component in every forkful instead of biting into a rogue chunk of pepper.
  • Block feta, not pre-crumbled. It holds its shape when tossed and breaks apart just the way you like it, leaving irregular pieces rather than a uniform crumb coating across the whole salad.

Three ingredients I count on

A bowl of cherry tomatoes is surrounded by a halved red onion, leafy greens, parsley, zucchinis, colorful bell peppers, and a bowl of uncooked grains, ingredients for a vibrant farro salad on a white surface.
  • Farro: Pearled or semi-pearled farro cooks in about 20 minutes and is what you’ll find at most grocery stores (whole farro takes twice as long, and benefits from an overnight soak). I cook mine in well-salted water. The grains should be tender with some chew, not soft all the way through.
  • Vegetables: Sweet bell peppers, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and red onion are the raw, crisp backbone of this salad — the same vegetables you’d find on a Greek or Turkish mezze table. Everything stays uncooked, which means the colors stay vivid and the textures stay sharp against the chewy farro. I slice them into small, uniform pieces to make a cohesive bowl with the cooked grains.
  • The vinaigrette: A combination of red wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice gives the dressing an edge that cuts through the feta and holds up to the grain. Olive oil and lemon juice alone isn’t as snappy — the double acid is what keeps the whole salad tasting sharp and lively.

If you want to take this further, toss in a handful of roasted Mediterranean vegetables — eggplant, zucchini, roasted peppers — for a heartier bowl, or swap the vinaigrette for a drizzle of tahini dressing when you want something with more body.

How to cook farro for salad

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil — salt it like pasta water. Add the farro and cook at a steady simmer until the grains are tender but still have a little resistance when you bite one, about 15-20 minutes for pearled farro. Drain thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer and transfer immediately to your salad bowl. Don’t rinse it — you want the surface starch intact so the dressing has something to meld with.

Chop, shake and toss the farro salad

  • A tray with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, yellow and red bell peppers, and red onions sits below a cutting board with parsley and a knife—perfect fresh ingredients for assembling a vibrant farro salad on a white surface.
    Cut everything to roughly the same size — about ½-inch dice. Uniform pieces mean the farro, vegetables, and feta distribute evenly so you’re not fishing for cucumber in a bowl of grain.
  • Balsamic salad dressing on spoon set on top of a small bowl.
    2. Shake the vinaigrette for a full 30 seconds. Without an emulsifier like Dijon mustard, the oil and vinegar will separate — you want to unite them long enough to coat the salad evenly.
  • A hand pours dressing from a jar onto a vibrant farro salad filled with grains, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, herbs, and parsley. Wooden utensils rest in the bowl, with feta cheese and parsley nearby on the table.
    3. Pour the dressing over the farro while it’s still warm and toss immediately with the chopped vegetables. This is the step most people skip, but hot grains absorb the vinaigrette much better than cooled.
  • Add the herbs and feta, tossing just enough to distribute them evenly.
A bowl of farro salad with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, yellow bell peppers, fresh parsley, and crumbled cheese, served with a gold spoon on a white surface next to a green and white checkered napkin.
5 from 30 ratings

Mediterranean Farro Salad with Feta

Karen Tedesco
Nutty farro, a colorful mix of crisp chopped Mediterranean vegetables, and crumbled feta in a zippy lemon-wine vinegar dressing. Serve warm or at room temperature — the flavors get even better as it sits.
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Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
 

Vinaigrette

  • ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons (20 ml) wine vinegar (red or white)
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
  • 1 grated or finely chopped whole garlic clove
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano or Italian herbs

Farro Salad

  • 1 ½ cups (255 g) pearled farro
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 ½ cups quartered cherry tomatoes
  • 1 cup chopped red, yellow or orange bell pepper (or a mix of colors), in ½-inch cubes
  • 1 zucchini or 2 Persian cucumbers chopped into ½-inch cubes
  • ½ red onion chopped into ½-inch cubes
  • ½ cup chopped parsley
  • 4 ounces (115 g) crumbled feta cheese (¾ cup)
  • A few handfuls of arugula or salad greens, optional

Instructions
 

Make the vinaigrette

  1. Add ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons wine vinegar (red or white), 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 grated or finely chopped whole garlic clove, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon crushed red chili pepper, and ½ teaspoon dried oregano or Italian herbs to a Mason jar, screw on the top and shake to mix. You can also just whisk the dressing in a small bowl. The vinaigrette dressing will keep 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

Make the salad

  1. Bring a medium pot (3-4 quarts) of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add 1 ½ cups pearled farro. Cook 15-20 minutes, until the grains are swelled and tender, with an "al dente" bite in the center. Drain the farro. Transfer to a large serving bowl and let the farro cool about 10 minutes.
  2. Add 1 ½ cups quartered cherry tomatoes, 1 cup chopped red, yellow or orange bell pepper (or a mix of colors), 1 zucchini or 2 Persian cucumbers chopped into ½-inch cubes, ½ red onion chopped into ½-inch cubes and ½ cup chopped parsley to the farro and stir together. Pour the dressing over and gently toss to coat in the dressing.
  3. Taste and season with more salt, vinegar or lemon juice if needed. Sprinkle 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese (¾ cup) over the farro salad and serve with your choice of salad greens.

Notes

  • Farro salad tastes best slightly warm or at room temperature. 
  • The dressed salad keeps 1-2 days in the refrigerator.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 502kcal Carbohydrates: 68g Protein: 14g Fat: 21g Sodium: 630mg Fiber: 14g Sugar: 5g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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