Mediterranean Farro Salad Recipe

I love a grain that’s outside the box, and farro fits the bill perfectly. It’s toothsome, it’s smooth but not overly chewy, and it absorbs flavors like lemon and champagne vinegar with aplomb. This salad is a festival of flavors, from the zap of the vinegar and sweetness of the honey to the unexpected crunch of the pistachios and saltiness of the feta. Each bite brings a delicious new surprise. Whoa, there’s an artichoke! An olive! The salad makes a pleasant lunch or a side at dinner.  —Al Roker

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Mediterranean Farro Salad

Serves 4

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2½ cups farro (about 1 pound)
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¼ cup champagne vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1 (14-ounce can) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 cucumber, finely diced
• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
• ½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
• ½ cup unsalted roasted shelled pistachios, chopped
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, stir in the farro, and cook according to the package directions until al dente, about 15 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water until cool.

Mix the lemon juice, vinegar, honey, oregano, and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly pour in the olive oil and whisk until the dressing comes together.

Transfer the cooked farro to a large bowl and add the artichoke hearts, bell pepper, cucumber, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, mint, pistachios, and feta. Pour in the salad dressing and toss to combine. Serve or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Excerpted from the book Al Roker’s Recipes to Live By: Easy, Memory-Making Family Dishes for Every Occasion by Al Roker and Courtney Roker Laga. Copyright © 2024 by Al Roker. Reprinted with permission of Legacy Lit, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved.

Al Roker's new cookbook is “Recipes to Live By: Easy, Memory-Making Family Dishes for Every Occasion.” He wrote it with his daughter Courtney, who is a chef.

Courtesy Grand Central Publishing

Cook with Al

Roker shared two more recipes from Recipes to Live By for AARP members to try:

Salmon Rice Bowls

Salmon is always a winner in my book, but this dish is truly a win-win because it encourages us to try out some new flavors.

Shakshuka

This showstopper of a brunch dish is equally delightful to eat.

Read about Al Roker’s cookbook, Recipes to Live By.