A simple, flavorful dinner salad recipe for any day of the week — a hearty kale and sweet potato farro salad full of roasted sweet potatoes, crispy kale leaves and feta cheese. The grains and vegetables are tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette and a creamy lemon tahini sauce drizzle. Every bite is a tasty balance of smoky, tangy and sweet!

Photo of a serving platter of farro grains mixed with sweet potatoes and kale, with a wooden spoon on the side.

This delicious grain bowl salad with sweet potatoes is a big hit in my family — it’s a hearty fall grain bowl hearty enough to serve as a meatless main dish for lunch or dinner, and it’s perfect for meal prepping for the week. You can also serve it as a side paired with a cooked protein or vegetables.

Reader rave

“My new favorite! Even my kids love it! I use white sweet potatoes as I prefer their flavor (milder/less sweet). Before this recipe I had never tried farro, but now I am a fan!”

This salad has a nice balance of flavors and textures that’s hard not to love. Along with the nutty grains, you get spice-roasted sweet potatoes, kale leaves that get crispy in the oven, and tangy feta cheese crumbles — so good.

The dressing is a simple balsamic vinaigrette that pairs so beautifully with the natural sugars in the sweet potatoes — it’s a match your taste buds will love.

Key ingredients

  • Farro: This nutty whole grain that looks like chubby version of brown rice. For quicker cooking, I usually buy semi-pearled or pearled farro.
  • Sweet potatoes: Roast them just before assembling the salad, or use leftover roasted sweet potatoes or roasted butternut squash.

Recipe steps:

To cook farro, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil Add a large pinch of salt and the farro. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the grains are plump and tender, usually about 20 minutes.

  • Roasted sweet potato cubes with chopped herbs are spread on a white surface, a white spoon in the center, and a small white dish of fresh chopped herbs nearby.
    1. Roast sweet potatoes with olive oil and my spice blend.
  • A large white bowl filled with cooked farro and roasted diced sweet potatoes garnished with herbs. A wooden spoon rests on the bowl, with a textured gray cloth beside it on a light surface.
    2. Combine sweet potatoes with cooked farro.
  • A white plate filled with roasted sweet potatoes, sautéed kale, and brown rice, with a wooden spoon resting on the plate. A textured gray napkin is beside the plate on a white surface.
    3. Top with crisp-roasted kale leaves.
  • A white plate filled with sweet potato farro salad—roasted sweet potatoes, leafy greens, grains, and crumbled feta cheese—with two wooden serving utensils resting inside.
    4. Toss it all together with the vinaigrette and top with feta cheese.
5 from 38 ratings

Sweet Potato Farro Salad with Kale

Karen Tedesco
A flavorful and healthful farro recipe for any day of the week! This hearty warm salad is packed with roasted sweet potatoes, crispy kale leaves and feta cheese in a tangy-sweet balsamic vinaigrette and drizzled with a creamy lemon tahini sauce.
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Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
 

Balsamic dressing

  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, grated or pressed
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Farro Salad

  • 1 cup (200 g) pearled farro
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 ½ pounds (680 g) sweet potatoes (2-3), peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or sweet paprika
  • ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red chili pepper, to taste
  • ½ cup thinly sliced red onion or shallot
  • 1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped
  • ¼ cup (38 g) crumbled feta cheese
  • Tahini dressing, optional

Equipment

Instructions
 

Make the dressing:

  1. Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

Farro Salad

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Bring a 3-4 quarts water to a boil in a saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt and the farro. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving platter or bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil to keep the grains moist.
  3. While the farro cooks, put the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet large enough to hold them in one layer. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, oregano, paprika, chili and ½ teaspoon kosher salt and toss to coat evenly with the spices. Roast 15 minutes.
  4. Take the sheet pan out of the oven and add the sliced onion. Gently toss together with a spatula until the onions are evenly distributed. Put the pan back in the oven and continue roasting until the sweet potatoes are tender and golden, 5-10 more minutes. Transfer the sweet potatoes to the platter with the farro.
  5. Arrange the kale on the same baking sheet. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast the kale about 5 minutes, until the leaves are wilted and the edges are beginning to crisp.
  6. Add the kale to the sweet potatoes and farro. Pour the dressing over and toss well. Sprinkle the cheese on top with tahini dressing (if using) and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

  • The salad keeps up to 3 days refrigerated. Bring to room temperature or warm slightly in a microwave before serving.
  • Cook the farro up to 1-2 days ahead of making the salad.
  • Make the dressing 1-2 days and keep in the refrigerator.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 444kcal Carbohydrates: 80g Protein: 11g Fat: 10g Sodium: 511mg Fiber: 14g Sugar: 10g

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

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