This farro lentil salad is probably one of the best grain salads I’ve ever made. Cooking the farro with some apple cider makes it taste incredible on its own. Combine that with firm black lentils, a tangy-sweet mustardy lemon dressing, salty vegan feta, fresh herbs galore, slightly sharp red onion, and tender roasted carrots, you’re in business! This recipe functions well as a meal prep salad or as a side to a more dense main like my marinated and grilled tempeh.
The tip to cook farro in a mix of apple cider and water with a good pinch of salt came to me by way of Ina Garten and also the New York Times–both inspired by a salad from Charlie Bird in NYC. Like it’s shocking how good that component alone tastes!
As the base of a salad with satisfying lentils and also carrots roasted in za’atar, it all just makes sense. I use ground black lime on the carrots also, which I source from Burlap and Barrel. It’s not an essential ingredient, but it is extra nice on root vegetables in general. Just a gorgeous fragrant lime flavor that perks everything up.
I tried a version of this salad with the lentils also cooked in a mix of apple cider and water, and was just lukewarm on it. Didn’t make much of a difference there!
The dressing is one of my signature jumbles of tangy things, sweet things, sharp things, and umami things. Dressings for grain salads especially should taste almost a little too intense on their own. This one definitely does. You’ll pucker up a bit with a solo spoonful, but across the entire salad it’s balanced.
I’ve been plunging sliced red onions into ice water before adding them to salads. The resulting flavor is still sharp, but not as pungent if that makes sense. Sometimes salads with onion tend to taste purely of onion once they’ve been packed up and refrigerated. Not this one!
Tangy Farro Lentil Salad with Roasted Carrots & Apple Cider
Ingredients
Farro & Lentils
- 1 cup farro
- 1 cup apple cider
- 2 cups water
- salt, to taste
- ½ cup black beluga lentils
- 1 ½ cups water
Roasted Carrots
- 4-5 medium carrots (about 1 lb/454 grams) peeled and chopped into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons za’atar
- ¼ teaspoon ground black lime (see note)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ cup olive oil
Salad Assembly
- ½ small red onion
- ⅓ cup fresh dill leaves
- ⅓ cup parsley leaves
- ½ cup crumbled vegan feta
Notes
- Cooking the farro in apple cider is a direct lift from Charlie Bird’s farro salad, which is featured in The New York Times.
- I’m using whole farro here, which takes about 35 minutes to cook. If you’re using pearled farro or a quicker cooking version of farro, follow the package directions and substitute a third of the water with apple cider.
- Unclarified apple juice (like the Simply brand) works well in place of apple cider.
- You could use sumac in place of black lime for a similarly tangy flavor. Or just leave it out!
- Once you start the farro, this recipe just rolls on with pretty great timing for all components! Just keep it rolling and it’ll all get done in about 45 minutes.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
Start the farro and lentils
- In a medium saucepan, combine the farro, apple cider, 2 cups water, and salt. Set it over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until farro is tender, stirring here and there, about 35 minutes. If the liquid has evaporated and the farro isn’t quite cooked, just add a bit more water and keep going.
- In a small saucepan, combine the lentils, 1 ½ cups water, and salt. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Pop a lid on top and cook until lentils are tender but still firm, about 20-25 minutes. Like the farro, if the liquid is evaporating too quickly and the lentils are still crunchy, just add more water as you need.
- If there’s any excess liquid at the end from either the farro or lentils, drain it. Then, let the farro and black lentils cool.
While farro and lentils are cooking, roast the carrots
- Line a baking sheet with parchment. Transfer the carrots to the baking sheet and toss with olive oil, za’atar, black lime, salt, and pepper. Spread the carrots out and slide into the oven. Roast until tender and slightly caramelized, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Make the dressing
- In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the lemon juice, champagne vinegar, apple cider, maple syrup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Close the lid on top and give it a good shake. Set aside.
Prep remaining ingredients
- Slice the onion as thin as you can and place it in a bowl with some cold water and ice. Let it sit like this for at least 10 minutes. Then, drain as thoroughly as you can.
- Chop the dill and parsley, and crumble the vegan feta.
Assemble the salad
- In a large bowl, combine the farro, lentils, roasted carrots, red onion, dill, parsley, vegan feta, salt, pepper, and all of the dressing. Toss to combine. Garnish with a few extra herbs if you like and serve!
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