Farro salad with spring vegetables is the meal-prep champion of April and May. Nutty chewy farro, bright green asparagus and peas, crisp radishes, a lemony vinaigrette — it''s the bowl that tastes like a restaurant made it but takes 45 minutes of mostly hands-off work. Make a big batch on Sunday; eat it for lunch all week. Add a soft-boiled egg or some grilled chicken on top and you have dinner.
Salad
Easy
Italian-American
Farro salad with spring vegetables
A chewy, nutty farro salad with blanched asparagus, sweet peas, radishes, herbs, and a lemon-Dijon vinaigrette — the hearty grain bowl that celebrates peak spring.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 6
Farro salad with spring vegetables
Serves
6
Scaled 1×. Ingredients adjusted — but cook time, pan size, and oven temperature don't scale linearly. A bigger batch usually needs a bigger pan and a few extra minutes; a smaller batch often finishes sooner. Trust your eyes, not the timer.
Ingredients (17)
Lemon-Dijon vinaigrette
You'll need
- Medium saucepan
- Large mixing bowl
- Sharp knife
- Microplane (for zest and garlic)
- Small jar or bowl (for dressing)
Instructions
0 of 11
Nutrition
Estimated per serving · 1 serving (about 1 1/2 cups)
360
Calories
11 g
Protein
42 g
Carbs
18 g
Fat
8 g
Fiber
6 g
Sugar
390 mg
Sodium
What to look for when you shop
Best varieties
- Asparagus: thick green spears hold up to dressing
- Peas: fresh English peas or frozen petite peas (both excellent)
- Radishes: Cherry Belle, French Breakfast, or Easter Egg mix
- Scallions or spring onions
- Feta from a Greek or local dairy
- Farro: semi-pearled is most common in US stores (Bob's Red Mill, Rustichella, Giusto's)
Ripeness
Asparagus tips tight; peas plump; radishes firm with fresh green tops; fresh herbs aromatic and bright green. Peak-spring ingredients make this salad shine.
Imperfections are fine
Mixed asparagus thickness is fine — group by size when blanching. Slightly bendy radishes can be revived in ice water for 10 minutes. Odd-colored radishes work beautifully.
Good substitutions
- Swap farro for quinoa, bulgur, barley, brown rice, or freekeh
- Swap asparagus for blanched green beans or broccolini
- Swap feta for goat cheese, fresh mozzarella, or ricotta salata
- Swap peas for edamame or lima beans
- Add 1 can chickpeas for protein
- Add 1 cup grilled chicken for a complete meal
In season
Peak spring (April – June) for asparagus, peas, and radishes. Summer version: swap for cherry tomatoes, zucchini, corn. Fall version: roasted squash, kale. Winter version: roasted roots and dried cranberries.
How much to buy
1 1/2 cups dry farro + spring vegetables (about 2 lb mixed).
From a grower near you
Find your spring vegetable growers on CollectiveCrop
This salad is built from peak-spring produce — asparagus in April, peas and radishes soon after, herbs through summer. Each one tastes dramatically better when it's fresh, and each one loses ground fast in a shipping truck. CollectiveCrop is how you find the growers selling all three at once in your region. A grain salad made from that haul eats like a meal you planned; one made from supermarket equivalents eats like a salad you settled for.
- In season April – June
- For this recipe 1 1/2 cups farro + spring vegetables
- Freshness Picked within 3 days
- Imperfects welcome Second-grade produce works great here
- Diet-friendly vegetarian
- While you're there Spring asparagus · Fresh peas (or quality frozen) · Spring radishes · Fresh herbs (parsley, mint, dill) · Feta or goat cheese from a local dairy · Local honey
At the market
1 1/2 cups dry farro + spring vegetables (about 2 lb mixed).
Best varieties
- Asparagus: thick green spears hold up to dressing
- Peas: fresh English peas or frozen petite peas (both excellent)
- Radishes: Cherry Belle, French Breakfast, or Easter Egg mix
Good to know
Tips
- Cook farro in plenty of water, then drain — pasta style. This gives better texture than absorbing water as it cooks.
- Toast the nuts. Dramatic flavor upgrade for 3 minutes of work.
- Blanch and shock vegetables. Brief cooking + ice bath keeps colors vibrant and locks in snap.
- Dress the salad warm-ish. Slightly warm farro absorbs dressing better than cold farro.
- Save some vinaigrette for serving. Grains absorb dressing overnight; a splash fresh wakes up leftovers.
- Pack into mason jars for lunch: dressing on bottom, farro and vegetables on top. Shake to combine.
- A poached or soft-boiled egg transforms this from side to main.
Storage
- Refrigerator: 4 days in an airtight container.
- Gets better after 24 hours as flavors meld.
- Freezer: not recommended for composed salad; freeze cooked farro alone up to 3 months.
Reheating
- Served cold or at room temperature.
- If chilled, let sit 15 minutes at room temp before serving for best flavor.
Make ahead
- Full salad: 4 days in the fridge.
- Cook farro up to 5 days ahead; refrigerate in a sealed container.
- Blanch asparagus and peas up to 2 days ahead; refrigerate.
- Whisk dressing up to 1 week ahead.
- Add fresh herbs and cheese at serving for best texture.
Variations
- Mediterranean farro: add 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup olives, swap feta; use oregano instead of mint.
- Summer version: swap asparagus/peas for cherry tomatoes, corn, and zucchini.
- Fall version: swap for roasted butternut squash, kale, dried cranberries, and pecans.
- Winter version: swap for roasted beets, carrots, and parsnips with walnuts.
- Lemon-preserved: add 2 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon peel for Middle Eastern lean.
- Grilled chicken farro: add 1 lb sliced grilled chicken breast.
- Pesto farro: swap lemon-Dijon for 1/3 cup basil pesto thinned with olive oil and lemon.
- Goat cheese + roasted beet: swap feta for goat cheese, add 1 cup roasted beets.
- Soft-boiled egg topper: top each serving with a halved 7-minute egg.
Swaps
- Gluten-free: swap farro for quinoa, brown rice, millet, or sorghum.
- Vegan: skip feta; add 1 can chickpeas for protein. Swap honey for maple syrup.
- Dairy-free: skip feta or use plant-based feta.
- Nut-free: skip nuts or use toasted pumpkin/sunflower seeds.
- Lower-sodium: reduce feta or use unsalted feta; cut salt in dressing by half.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is farro?
Farro is an ancient wheat grain (emmer, einkorn, or spelt, depending on variety) that's been a staple in Italy for thousands of years. Chewy, nutty, mildly sweet, and higher in protein and fiber than rice. Three types: whole farro (unrefined, longest to cook), semi-pearled (partially polished, most common in US), and pearled (fully polished, fastest to cook).
How long does farro take to cook?
Whole farro: 45 to 60 minutes. Semi-pearled: 25 to 30 minutes. Pearled: 15 to 20 minutes. Check package instructions — they vary by brand. Al dente farro (slightly chewy) is best for salads; fully soft farro is better for risotto-style dishes.
Do I need to soak farro?
Only whole (unrefined) farro benefits from an overnight soak, which cuts cooking time in half. Semi-pearled and pearled don't need soaking. This recipe uses semi-pearled for a 25-minute cook time.
Is farro gluten-free?
No — farro is a wheat variety and contains gluten. For gluten-free versions, swap for quinoa, brown rice, millet, sorghum, or gluten-free oats. The salad works with any chewy grain.
Can I use frozen peas?
Yes — frozen peas are excellent here and often fresher-tasting than "fresh" supermarket peas. Use directly from frozen; they thaw in seconds in the salad. Fresh local peas in season are wonderful but not required.
How long does farro salad keep?
4 days refrigerated. Actually improves after the first day as the grain absorbs dressing and flavors meld. Ideal meal prep.
What else can I add?
This salad is a template — swap vegetables with the seasons. Summer: cherry tomatoes, zucchini, corn, basil. Fall: roasted squash, kale, pecans. Winter: roasted root vegetables, dried cranberries, parsley. Keep the grain-to-vegetable ratio similar.
Can I add protein?
Yes — great option for a meal. Add: grilled chicken (sliced), salmon or shrimp, crumbled bacon, chickpeas, white beans, soft-boiled egg on top, or a generous amount of feta and nuts for vegetarian protein.
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