This bright crunchy salad uses pickles and pickle juice to amp up the flavor and texture. Tangy, salty pickles, chewy farro, green broccoli, and crunchy cucumbers get tossed in pickle juice, lemon, and olive oil and topped with crunchy almonds for a super satisfying, speedy meal or side. Make it a meal topped with a fried egg or enjoy it as a side with this week’s frittata or a grilled sausage.
Ingredient Highlight
Broccoli! This mighty cruciferous veggie is packed full of nutrients like vitamin K, vitamin C, folate, fiber, iron and calcium. It’s also loaded with antioxidant compounds like sulforaphane, kaempferol, and quercetin. Plus, it’s large tree-like flowery heads absorb sauces extremely well, making it one of my favorite veggies for things like stir-fry’s and anything with a sauce or dressing!
Servings 6 People
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 25 minutes Ingredients
- 1 cup farro
- 5 cups chopped broccoli
- 2 cups fresh herbs, chopped cilantro, parsley, and/or basil, etc
- 2 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, chopped about 2 cups
- 1 cup chopped dill pickles about 2 pickles
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp dill pickle juice
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup toasted almonds, chopped
- 4 eggs, fried optional
- Use any grain here! Farro is my favorite, but you could also try it with short grain brown rice, Israeli/pearl couscous, or any short pasta shape.
Instructions
- In a large pot, add the farro, enough water to cover by 2-inches, and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium to maintain a rapid simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the farro is cooked through.
- Add the broccoli to the pot, cover, and simmer for another 2-3 minutes or until broccoli is tender but not mushy. Drain and transfer to a large bowl, spread it around the bowl to cool for at least 15 minutes.
- To the large bowl, add the herbs, cucumbers, pickles, parmesan, olive oil, pickle juice, lemon juice, and salt and toss to combine. Taste and add more salt or acid (pickle or lemon) if it tastes like it needs something.
- Serve topped with black pepper, almonds, and more parmesan cheese if you have some. Option to top with a fried egg!
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cook 1 cup farro
- Toast ½ cup almonds
- Chop 5 cups broccoli
- Peel, halve, de-seed, and chop 2 cucumbers (2 cups)
- Chop 1 cup dill pickle (about 1 pickle)
- Grate ½ cup parmesan cheese
Substitutions:
- To make vegan, skip the parmesan and add a bit more salt, to taste.
- To make gluten-free, use any gluten-free grain or pasta.
- Apple cider vinegar can be used in place of lemon juice.
- If you’re not a dill pickle fan, substitute it with more cucumber and use apple cider vinegar in place of the pickle juice. Be sure to taste and add more salt since both of those things are salty.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Enjoy right out of the fridge. Top leftovers with a sprinkle of salt, plenty of toasted nuts, and herbs if you have some.
- Put a fried egg on top!
- This pairs really well with a grilled sausage + mustard.
