Salads aren’t just for sides, this hearty dinner salad is packed with protein, fiber, veggies, and healthy fats. Crunchy, slightly bitter radicchio topped with chewy farro and lentils, spiced warm roasted carrots all tossed in a tangy, sweet, creamy citrus dressing and topped with crunchy toasted nuts, fresh green herbs, and salty nutty parmesan. Salad heaven!
The best part? Everything can be prepped ahead. With the farro and lentils cooked + carrots roasted + dressing made, all that’s left to do is throw it together. We toss each component of the salad with some dressing and season it with some salt to make sure each layer gets some love. It also creates a beautiful presentation if that matters! You can also just toss it all together in one bowl, just don’t skip those toppings!
Ingredient highlight
Radicchio! This beautiful chicory hails from Italy and has a distinct bitterness that is a great addition to salads and is also delicious roasted/grilled. Radicchio is rich in vitamin K, which is important for bone health and helps you absorb calcium better. It’s also a great source of both lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants important for eye health. One more thing! Bitter greens like arugula and radicchio help to stimulate digestion, making it a great way to start a meal.
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 5 minutes 
Cook Time 30 minutes 
Total Time 35 minutes Ingredients
- 1 bunch carrots tops removed, peeled, cut into ½” pieces (about 4 carrots, 2 cups)
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup cooked French green lentils (about ¼ cup dry)(or sub ½ cup more cooked farro)
- 1/2 cup cooked farro (about 1/4 cup dry)
- 1 small head radicchio torn into pieces
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley or thinly sliced scallions (green tops only)
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds
- 1/2 cup shaved or coarsely grated parmesan
Citrus Tahini Dressing:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about navel 2 oranges)
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- If your farro and lentils are not cooked, go ahead and cook and cool them (check PDF or Meal Prep Guide for instructions). Or skip them all together for a lighter side salad.
- Preheat the oven to 450F or 425F convection. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add carrots, olive oil and salt and toss to coat. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until bottoms are caramelized and slightly charred in spots (do not stir). Remove from the oven and let cool while you make the dressing and assemble the salad.
- In a jar with a lid, add all of the dressing ingredients. Shake vigorously to combine.
- In a large bowl, add the radicchio and toss with about ¼ cup of the dressing to coat. Transfer to your serving platter and sprinkle with salt. Add the lentils and farro to the bowl and toss with a bit more dressing (about 2 tablespoons). Scatter over top the radicchio and sprinkle with salt.
- Add the warm carrots to the bowl and toss with a bit more dressing (about 1 tablespoon). Scatter over the lentils and farro and sprinkle with salt. Drizzle the salad with more dressing (you will have about ½ cup dressing leftover to save for future salads).
- Finally, top with fresh parsley or scallions, toasted almonds, shaved parmesan, and one final sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cook ¼ cup farro
- Cook ¼ cup lentils
- Prep and roast 2 cups carrots
- Make Citrus Tahini Dressing
- Toast almonds
Substitutions:
- To make this a lighter side, skip the farro and lentils.
- You can skip the lentils and serve with some meat or seafood instead
- To make gluten-free: skip the farro and add extra roasted carrots
- To make vegan: skip the parmesan cheese and substitute chopped green olives
- Substitute any roasted root veggie for the carrots – squash or sweet potato would work great.
- Substitute kale for the radicchio, just make sure to massage the dressing into it so that it softens up a bit.
- Add grilled or shredded chicken or serve with baked fish to amp up the protein
Storage:
- Store leftover salad in the fridge for up to 4 days. I prefer to store everything separately and dress and mix everything before eating.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Be sure to gently warm up the carrots before adding to the salad. It’s also nice to have the lentils and farro warm or room temperature.
Servings 4 People Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Total Time 35 minutes Ingredients
- 1 bunch carrots tops removed, peeled, cut into ½” pieces (about 4 carrots, 2 cups)
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup cooked French green lentils (about ¼ cup dry)(or sub ½ cup more cooked farro)
- 1/2 cup cooked farro (about 1/4 cup dry)
- 1 small head radicchio torn into pieces
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley or thinly sliced scallions (green tops only)
- 1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds
- 1/2 cup shaved or coarsely grated parmesan
Citrus Tahini Dressing:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about navel 2 oranges)
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- If your farro and lentils are not cooked, go ahead and cook and cool them (check PDF or Meal Prep Guide for instructions). Or skip them all together for a lighter side salad.
- Preheat the oven to 450F or 425F convection. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add carrots, olive oil and salt and toss to coat. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until bottoms are caramelized and slightly charred in spots (do not stir). Remove from the oven and let cool while you make the dressing and assemble the salad.
- In a jar with a lid, add all of the dressing ingredients. Shake vigorously to combine.
- In a large bowl, add the radicchio and toss with about ¼ cup of the dressing to coat. Transfer to your serving platter and sprinkle with salt. Add the lentils and farro to the bowl and toss with a bit more dressing (about 2 tablespoons). Scatter over top the radicchio and sprinkle with salt.
- Add the warm carrots to the bowl and toss with a bit more dressing (about 1 tablespoon). Scatter over the lentils and farro and sprinkle with salt. Drizzle the salad with more dressing (you will have about ½ cup dressing leftover to save for future salads).
- Finally, top with fresh parsley or scallions, toasted almonds, shaved parmesan, and one final sprinkle of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cook ¼ cup farro
- Cook ¼ cup lentils
- Prep and roast 2 cups carrots
- Make Citrus Tahini Dressing
- Toast almonds
Substitutions:
- To make this a lighter side, skip the farro and lentils.
- You can skip the lentils and serve with some meat or seafood instead
- To make gluten-free: skip the farro and add extra roasted carrots
- To make vegan: skip the parmesan cheese and substitute chopped green olives
- Substitute any roasted root veggie for the carrots - squash or sweet potato would work great.
- Substitute kale for the radicchio, just make sure to massage the dressing into it so that it softens up a bit.
- Add grilled or shredded chicken or serve with baked fish to amp up the protein
Storage:
- Store leftover salad in the fridge for up to 4 days. I prefer to store everything separately and dress and mix everything before eating.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Be sure to gently warm up the carrots before adding to the salad. It’s also nice to have the lentils and farro warm or room temperature.
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