Cherry Arugula Farro Salad - Two Peas & Their Pod

Cherry season is a GOOD season, nothing beats fresh, juicy summer cherries. I love snacking on them and I also love using them to make this Cherry Arugula Farro Salad. The flavors are FANTASTIC!

I love this salad because it is packed with goodies. The peppery arugula gets tossed with nutty farro, sweet cherries, crunchy pecans, creamy goat cheese, fresh mint or basil, a little red onion, and a robust balsamic vinaigrette. All of the flavors and textures come together to create an amazing summer salad!

The salad can be served as a side dish or even main dish. If you want to bulk it up even more, feel free to add grilled chicken or steak.

It is a beautiful salad to serve and a delicious salad to eat!

Ingredients

• Farro– farro is a hearty grain and really bulks up this salad. If you don’t want to use farro, quinoa, orzo, or couscous are good options.
• Arugula– or use your favorite salad greens.
• Cherries– to make your life easier, use a cherry pitter. If you can’t find fresh cherries, you can substitute dried cherries or another fresh fruit like strawberries, peaches, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, or a mix of fruit!
• Goat cheese– if you don’t like goat cheese, you can use feta cheese.
• Red onion– thinly sliced.
• Pecans– you can use regular pecans or candied pecans. Walnuts, almonds, or pistachios would also be good.
• Herbs– freshly chopped mint or basil.
• Balsamic Vinaigrette– I like to use my homemade balsamic vinaigrette, it’s the best, but store bought dressing is fine too.

How to Cook Farro

Farro is an ancient whole grain and is easy to make. It’s prepared a lot like pasta, by cooking it in hot water until it softens, but it’s smaller in size than traditional pastas.

I like to use pearled farro because it only takes 20 minutes to cook! You can make the farro in advance and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

To cook farro:

• Rinse and drain the farro.
• In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of pearled farro with 2 cups of water. You can also use vegetable broth to give the farro more flavor.
• Bring to a boil.
• Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low and simmer.
• Cook for 20 minutes or until the farro is tender.
• Drain the water or broth from the farro and return the farro to the pan, it’s that easy!

How to Make Cherry Arugula Farro Salad

• In a large bowl, combine the farro, arugula, cherries, goat cheese, red onion, pecans, and herbs.
• Drizzle with desired amount of balsamic vinaigrette.
• Toss well and serve.

How to Store

After you toss the salad with dressing I recommend serving it the same day. This is a great meal prep salad though because you can make the farro and balsamic vinaigrette in advance.

Store the farro in a container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can keep the dressing in a jar or container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Whisk before drizzling over the salad.

Serving Suggetions

If you are serving the salad as a side dish, here are some main dish recipes that pair nicely with the salad.

More Salad Recipes

Find more Salad Recipes HERE!