Leftover (Thanksgiving) turkey, roasted veggies, or herbs? Make it a grain salad! This salad is more of a formula than a strict recipe and you can use any protein and veggies you want or have on hand. The dressing quick pickles red onion in lemon juice and then simply whisks in some olive oil and soy sauce. If you made the Slow Roasted Turkey, use that leftover infused oil for the dressing – it’s next level! Don’t skimp on the toasted nuts and cheese on top – it brings the whole salad together!
Ingredient highlight
Farro! This ancient whole grain has a chewy texture and nutty flavor, making it my favorite grain for grain salads. Since it’s a whole grain, it’s packed with fiber, B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, calcium, and protein.
NOTE: Farro cooking times will vary depending on the variety. Bob’s Red Mill farro is the best – “Our farro is very lightly scratched, as is traditional, to allow for a faster cooking time and to encourage the release of its starches during cooking, but it maintains its wholesome nutrients”.
Servings 4 – 6
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 20 minutes Ingredients
- 1 cup farro (2 ½ cups cooked)*
- 3-4 cups finely chopped cabbage**
- 2-3 cups cooked protein (shredded or chopped chicken/turkey, cooked ground meat, canned beans, chopped boiled eggs, etc…)
- 1 apple or pear, thinly sliced
- 2 cups fresh herbs, chopped or left whole (cilantro, parsley, dill, etc…)
- Chopped toasted nuts or seeds, for topping
- Chopped, crumbled, or shredded cheese (cheddar, feta, manchego, etc…), for topping***
- Dried cranberries or a dollop of leftover cranberry sauce, for topping (optional)
For the dressing:
- ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ⅓ cup olive oil****
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- *You can sub some or all of the farro with any starchy roasted veggie like potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, etc…or even leftover stuffing! Use 3-4 cups worth of roasted veggies in place of farro or do 1 cup farro, 1 cup stuffing, and 1 cup roasted veg, etc…you get the idea.
- **Use the blender to chop it up! You can sub some or all of this with any chopped raw crunchy veggie (like fennel or carrot) or sub with finely chopped (blender) kale.
- ***I like this best with chopped up cubes of cheddar!
- ****Use your leftover oil from your Slow Cooked Turkey – just microwave it to liquify.
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add the farro and enough water to cover by at least 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then simmer rapidly for about 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside to cool off.
- To make the dressing, in a large bowl, add the red onion, lemon juice, and salt and stir to combine. Let that sit for at least 10 minutes to soften and take that sharp bite out of the onion. Then whisk in the oil and soy sauce.
- To the bowl, add the farro, cabbage, protein, apple, and herbs. Toss to coat well.
- Serve topped with plenty of nuts, cheese, and cranberries (if using). The toppings really tie the whole salad together, so don’t skip or skimp on them!
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cook 1 cup farro
- Cook 2-3 cups protein (if you don’t have leftovers…)
- Thinly slice ¼ red onion and soak in the lemon and salt
- Finely chop 3-4 cups cabbage (use the blender!)
- Thinly slice 1 apple or pear
- Chop 2 cups fresh herbs
- Toast nuts, for topping
- Make the salad
Substitutions:
- To make gluten-free, use 2-2 ½ cups cooked rice or quinoa.
- To make vegetarian, sub a can of beans or any other vegetarian protein for the chicken.
- To make vegan, see above and use a vegan cheese or skip the cheese and add extra nuts and some chopped avocado.
- You can skip the red onion if you don’t love raw onion. If so, I’d recommend using a bunch of scallions for the fresh herbs or topping with scallions or pickled red onion.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.:
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- I like to warm up leftover cold grain salads in the microwave to take the chill off (about 30-60 seconds depending on how much).
- Squeeze some extra lemon and sprinkle extra salt on top and be sure to top with plenty of nuts and cheese (and anything else you want).
- Put a couple of fried or boiled eggs on it.
- Throw leftovers into a hot skillet to warm and crisp it up, kind of like fried rice. Top with fried eggs.
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