Farro Salad with Fennel (Printable)

Nutty farro meets fresh fennel, oranges, and toasted almonds in a vibrant, zesty salad bowl.

# Ingredient List:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup farro
02 - 3 cups water
03 - ½ teaspoon salt

→ Vegetables & Fruit

04 - 1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced with fronds reserved for garnish
05 - 2 large oranges, peeled and segmented
06 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
07 - 2 cups mixed salad greens

→ Nuts & Seeds

08 - ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

→ Vinaigrette

09 - 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 - 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
11 - 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
12 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
13 - ½ teaspoon honey
14 - Salt and black pepper to taste

# How to Make:

01 - Rinse farro under cold water. Combine farro, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes until tender but chewy. Drain and cool slightly.
02 - While farro cooks, toast almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a plate to cool.
03 - In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, orange juice, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
04 - In a large salad bowl, combine cooled farro, fennel, orange segments, red onion, and salad greens. Drizzle vinaigrette over the mixture and toss gently.
05 - Sprinkle toasted almonds and reserved fennel fronds on top. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It actually tastes better the next day, so meal prep becomes less of a chore and more of a gift to future you.
  • The combination of textures—chewy farro, crisp fennel, juicy oranges—keeps your fork moving without you realizing how much you've eaten.
  • You can build it in under an hour, which means you can have something elegant on the table for guests without the stress.
02 -
  • Don't skip draining the farro well, or you'll end up with a wet, mushy salad instead of something with actual texture and life.
  • If you make this ahead, hold off on adding the greens and dressing until just before you serve it, or everything gets soggy and sad.
03 -
  • If you want to add protein without changing the character of the dish, toss in some white beans or chickpeas instead of always defaulting to chicken—the earthy legumes fit right in.
  • Blood oranges or cara cara oranges will make this look like a restaurant dish without any extra effort, and the deeper color makes everything photograph better.
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