This herby springy salad combines chewy farro, crunchy cucumbers, and lots of fresh dill and greens. It all gets tossed in a lemony salty feta yogurt dressing for a light and bright make-ahead salad. Top it with some extra protein for a filling meal!
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 20 minutes 
Cook Time 25 minutes Ingredients
- 1 cup farro (about 2 ½-3 cups cooked)
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese, plus more for topping
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp pickle juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 large cucumber, chopped small (about 2 cups)*
- 2 cups finely chopped kale (optional)**
- 2 cups chopped dill (from 1 large bunch)***
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, plus more for topping
- ½ cup chopped dill pickle (about 1 pickle)
- Add protein! ~ I love this salad with a side of cooked sausage or topped with cooked sausage crumbles. You could top with chicken, fried eggs, or seasoned beans.
- *I like the big English cucumbers because the skin is thin (less bitter) and they have fewer seeds (less watery). You could also use a mix of cucumber, fennel, and/or radish.
- **Finely chop your de-stemmed kale in a high-speed blender using the tamper tool! I always do this when using raw kale in salads because I don’t like big chunks of fibrous kale.
- ***You can replace the fresh dill with 1 tablespoon of dried dill or “dillweed”. Or you can use another fresh herb, like parsley, scallions, or cilantro (or use a mix).
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add the farro and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium to maintain a rapid simmer for about 25 minutes or until the farro is cooked. Drain and set aside to cool off.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add the feta, oil, yogurt, lemon, pickle juice, mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk until combined.
- To the bowl, add the farro, cucumber, kale, dill, walnuts, and pickles. Toss to coat.
- Serve topped with more feta, nuts, black pepper, and a generous drizzle of good olive oil.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cook 1 cup farro
- Chop 1 large cucumber
- Finely chop 2 cups kale (use your blender)
- Chop ½ cup walnuts
- Chop 2 cups dill
- Chop 1 dill pickle (½ cup)
- Make the dressing
- Make the salad
Substitutions:
- To make gluten-free, use a gluten-free pasta in place of the farro. You could also substitute the farro with quinoa.
- To make vegan, replace the cheese with chopped olives.
- Use any crunchy spring veggies in place of cucumber or use a mix – snap peas, radishes, celery, etc…
- Easily skip the pickles + pickle juice. Just add a scant tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in place of the juice.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- This salad (and most grain salads) are best served at room temperature but are also fine to eat cold right out of the fridge. I like to pop leftovers in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to take the chill off.
- Brighten up leftovers with a squeeze of lemon and top with more nuts, feta, pepper, and oil.
- Top with your protein of choice!
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