Sweet Potato Farro Salad with Kale
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A simple, flavorful dinner salad recipe for any day of the week — a hearty kale and sweet potato farro salad loaded with 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!
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! You can also serve it as a side paired with a cooked protein or vegetables.
Here’s what one reader said:
“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!
Farro for the win
I adore farro, the nutty whole grain that looks like chubby version of brown rice. If you’re looking to add more really tasty whole grains into your meals, farro salads with vegetables are my top recommendations!
Farro belongs on your list of pantry staples — it’s an essential grain to keep on hand for those days when quick, satisfying meals are in order.
If you’re just discovering farro, here’s a few things to know:
- Farro is a type of ancient grain with a soft chewy texture.
- Pearled or semi-pearled farro (which is typically the kind you’ll find in your market) cooks in about 20 minutes in boiling water.
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.
Farro is a perfect grain to use in a cold farro salad recipe. This one stands alone as a substantial salad, and it’s generously distributed with chunky sweet potatoes and leafy greens.
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!
Ingredients for farro salad:
- Farro: pearled or semi-pearled
- Sweet potatoes: Roast them just before assembling the salad, or use leftover roasted sweet potatoes.
- Kale: Either curly or lacinato (Tuscan kale) will work
- Red onion or shallot
- Garlic
- Spices: Dried oregano, smoked paprika and crushed red chili
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Feta cheese or other soft tangy cheese
Recipe steps:
3. Top with crisp-roasted kale leaves. 2. Combine sweet potatoes with cooked farro.
Sweet Potato Farro Salad with Kale
Equipment
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
Instructions
Make the dressing:
- Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Farro Salad
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- 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
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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This was SO good. We were enjoying it when I realized I’d forgotten the vinaigrette in the fridge. Add it, tossed, even better!
So glad you loved it! And yes, adding that vinaigrette to the farro and veggies is the magic touch 😄
My daughter loves this recipe, but prefers it dressing free. We add nuts and craisins and season the veggies with cinnamon and a wee bit of maple syrup.
Your additions sound delicious — thanks for sharing!
My new favorite! Even my kids live it! I use white sweet potatoes as I prefer their flavor (milder/less sweet). Before this recipe I had never tried farro, now I am a fan! 🙂
This is my new favorite salad! So much flavor, very filling and satisfying, and easy to prepare. I’ll be adding this to my lunch rotation.
Delicious, my husband and I loved this wonderful salad. I recently bought farro and needed to use up and found your recipe and so happy that I did, thank you! Followed the recipe exactly except the cayenne.
My family loved this salad so much! I did leave out the chili flakes and cayenne, though. Too spicy for us!
The tahini sauce was an exceptional addition l I didn’t bother to post a picture because it looked identical to yours.
Loved it!
This was so delicious. Loved the layers of flavor and the tahini is a must. Thank you for sharing!
Agree – I love that tahini sauce. Happy you enjoyed it!
Made this salad and loved it! I added chicken to it but would have it as a side to roast chicken next time as the flavors overpowered the diced chicken.
This salad has great texture and layers of wonderful flavor. Don’t skip the tahini dressing. That is the “icing on the cake”.
I mostly made this recipe to use up some farro and sweet potatoes I had laying around, but it’s a keeper! Way exceeded my expectations. I didn’t have any feta, so subbed goat cheese and I thought it needed a little crunch, so added some toasted pepitas. Delish!
Delicious and easy! I added cooked lentils and roasted brussel sprouts. Since I did not have kale, just used chopped parsley. The Tahini dressing made the dish. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Delicious! I added the tahini dressing which I adored!
I made all the components over a few days; used regular (locally grown) farro in chicken bone broth; added some fresh nettles too.
A special salad 💜
Love this recipe so much! Simple, delicious, and nutritious, it’s becoming a go-to dish for me. Especially convenient for meal prep. I love that I can make it a little more complex by adding the tahini dressing.
Thanks Leah – I’m happy you’re enjoying it! xo
Delicious!! Big hit for the whole family. A bit heavy on the salt though.
Karen, what a simple, delicious, flavorful farro salad. Made it ahead to be enjoyed for lunch during the week, but snuck in a quick bowl while it was fresh and — wow!
So delicious!!
Oh wow! This looks so tasty!