Summer Farro Salad with Garden Veggies! This summer farro salad is not only satisfying and nutritious but also incredibly versatile, making it an ideal choice for picnics, outdoor gatherings, or weeknight dinners.
Summer Farro Salad with Garden Veggies is the ultimate seasonal dish that combines heartiness with fresh, vibrant flavors. Imagine tender, warm garden vegetables like zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and bell peppers mingling with nutty, chewy farro and protein-packed chickpeas — all coated in a wholesome, tangy dressing that perfectly balances richness and freshness. Whether you’re looking for a healthy lunch or a side dish for your summer barbecue, this salad delivers on both taste and nutrition.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients.
Hi there, Ameera here!
This veggie salad is a must-try for your summer menu! Perfect for both lunches and dinners, it’s a fresh, vibrant dish that’s easy to prepare and packed with wholesome ingredients. We absolutely loved how the warm garden veggies blend seamlessly with the hearty farro and creamy chickpeas, all brought together with that irresistible, wholesome dressing.
It’s one of those recipes that quickly becomes a staple in your summer rotation — light, satisfying, and bursting with flavor. Trust me, you gotta give this one a shot!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This Summer Farro Salad with Garden Veggies is both hearty and delicious. Warm garden veggies, chickpeas, and hearty farro are drizzled with a delicious, wholesome dressing that is sure to please.
- Dressing: The dressing will appear somewhat runny. Make the dressing and refrigerate, the dressing will thicken up while refrigerated.
- Amount of Farro: You can use as little or as much farro as you wish. 1 cup of dried farro equates to approximately 2 to 3 cups of cooked farro, largely dependent upon the age, type, and brand of farro you cook. We used 2 cups of cooked farro for this dish.
- Pierced Tomatoes: Piece each grape (or cherry) tomato with the tip of a sharp knife. This allows the tomatoes to slowly release their juices into the other veggies while cooking. It is not necessary to piece them, you can allow them to naturally burst while sautéing them in the skillet.
- Pure Maple Syrup: The sweetness of the dressing is totally within your control. Start on the low-end and increase as you feel necessary.
- Vinegars: We used both red wine vinegar and rice vinegar as each brings a different depth of flavor to the dressing.
- Fresh Basil: If you prefer, you can use chopped fresh basil when serving for extra fresh flavor.
- Medium Zucchini: We used a 7 oz. zucchini. Feel free to use between a 6 oz. to 10 oz. zucchini.
- Farro Substitutions: You can easily substitute the 2 cups of cooked farro with steamed rice or quinoa.
- Gluten Free: If you prefer a gluten free dish, substitute the cooked farro for cooked quinoa or steamed rice.
- Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator, undressed. Store in a covered air-tight container.
This dish can be frozen. However, the dressing can get watery if frozen. The veggies lose some of their integrity after freezing and thawing. This dish is best when served immediately after making.
Pantry Products:
- Farro: We used Bob’s Red Mill Organic Farro. Feel free to use your favorite farro.
- Dijon Mustard: We used Koops Dijon Mustard. Feel free to use your favorite Dijon mustard.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Kitchen Equipment:
- Large skillet
If you try this flavorful salad, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
Print
Summer Farro Salad with Garden Veggies
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 45 Minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Salad, Lunch
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Summer Farro Salad with Garden Veggies is the ultimate seasonal dish that combines heartiness with fresh, vibrant flavors.
Ingredients
Farro Ingredients:
- 4 to 8 cups water
- ½ to 1 cup farro, rinsed *
- ½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
Veggie Ingredients:
- 2 medium red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 medium zucchini, unpeeled, quartered lengthwise and sliced ½-inch thick *
- 8 to 10 oz. cherry/grape tomatoes, pierced (1 pint) *
- 1 medium red onion, quartered, sliced into ½ inch pieces
Veggie Herb/Spice Ingredients:
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- Pinch to ½ teaspoon sea salt *
Dressing Ingredients:
- 2 Tablespoons tahini
- 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar *
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar *
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure maple syrup (+/-) *
- ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard *
- 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Pinch to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
Other Ingredients:
- 1 – [ 15.5 oz. can ] chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Place the farro in a fine mesh strainer, rinse well, set aside.
- Bring a large pot filled with 8 cups of water (see notes) to a rolling boil, add 1 teaspoon sea salt and the rinsed farro. Reduce the heat to medium, then cook the farro at a low boil for 30 minutes, uncovered. Drain into a fine mesh strainer and rinse the cooked farro with cold water until warm. Drain to remove any excess water. Set aside.
- In the meantime, place all the Dressing Ingredients into a small bowl, whisk until smooth and emulsified, refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Place all the Veggie Herb/Spice Ingredients into a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
- Place all the prepared Veggie Ingredients into a large skillet, sauté over medium-high heat for 7 to 12 minutes, largely dependent on how tender you enjoy your veggies.
- Add the Veggie Herb/Spice Mix and chickpeas to the skillet about halfway through the sauté. Stir well to combine.
- Once the veggies reach the desired tenderness, then place into a large bowl, add the cooked farro and mix well.
- Serve drizzle with a generous amount of Dressing. Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Servings: 4
This post contains affiliate links, and we may receive a very small commission if you purchase through those links at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures! For more information, see our disclosures here.