Farro, Yellow Squash and Pomegranate Salad
This farro salad makes for a great fall side dish or even a main course. The farro is cooked in apple cider vinegar, giving it depth of flavor. Roasted squash, pomegranates, golden raisins, pistachios and feta cheese create balanced sweet-savory goodness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 - 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
Scale
For the farro:
- Splash olive oil
- 1/2 minced shallot
- 1.5 cups pearled farro, rinsed
- 1 quart apple cider NOT apple juice
For the squash:
- 4 yellow squash, sliced into 1/4″ disks
- Olive oil for brushing
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
For the dressing:
- 2 lemons, zest of one lemon and juice of two lemons
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Pinch dried red red pepper flakes
For the salad:
- 1 medium pomegranate, seeded
- 5 green onions, sliced
- 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 3/4 cup pistachios
- 3/4 cup yellow raisins
- 5 ounces baby spinach
Instructions
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
For the farro:
- Put a splash of olive oil in the bottom of a saucepan and heat. Add minced shallots and saute until soft and they begin to color. Add the farro and continue cooking for a couple minutes to toast. Add the apple cider and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook until al dente, or according to package directions, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
For the squash:
- While the farro cooks, roast the squash slices. Spread the slices over a sheet pan, brush with olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper. Flip slices over and brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes and check. Turn when the undersides of the squash are beginning to brown. Continue roasting for another 10 – 15 minutes, or until both sides are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
For the dressing:
- Whisk lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil together in a bowl large enough to toss the salad. Season with kosher salt, pepper and dried red pepper flakes.
For the salad:
- Add drained farro, roasted squash, pomegranate, green onions, feta cheese, pistachios and yellow raisins to the dressing bowl. Toss thoroughly.
- If you anticipate eating the entire salad at one sitting, add the spinach and lightly toss. If you expect leftovers, separate the amount of leftovers you anticipate and store in a container in the fridge. Add one generous handful of spinach per anticipated serving and lightly toss.
Notes
Note: I recommend only adding spinach to the portion you plan to eat. Why? The spinach wilts and does not hold up well after the salad is dressed. The farro salad, minus the spinach, holds up well for several days.
Find it online: https://pattern-architecture.live/recipe/farro-yellow-squash-and-pomegranate-salad/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E