Spring Asparagus Farro Salad with Creamy Goat Cheese
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This vibrant spring forward farro salad is loaded with seasonal produce, a simple vinaigrette and topped with creamy goat cheese. Farro remains one of my top favourite grains over the years and I’ve made countless versions of farro salads. There’s just something about the chewy, whole grain texture that I can’t get enough of. I really love this asparagus farro salad, not just because it’s my latest version, but it really is perfect for spring. Besides asparagus, this salad is loaded with fresh snap peas, radish, red onion and mint. Then we add in some chopped dates, a simple vinaigrette and creamy goat cheese. To make it a full meal, add in some jammy eggs if you’d like!
Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this spring asparagus farro salad.
- asparagus
- farro
- radish
- red onion
- fresh snap peas
- For the dressing: extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, honey, Aleppo pepper (optional)
- medjool dates
- goat cheese
- fresh mint leaves
- medium boiled jammy eggs (optional)
How to Make This Asparagus Farro Salad
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the asparagus and cook for one to 1 1/2 minutes, depending on thickness of the stalks. Fill a large bowl with ice and add cold water. Once the asparagus is bright green and fork tender, remove using a slotted spoon and place in the ice water. Set aside.
To the boiling water, add a good pinch of salt. Pour in the farro and cook, until tender, but not mushy, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and set aside.
While the farro is cooking, prep the veggies. Use a mandolin to thinly slice the radish and red onion. Alternatively, slice as thin as possible with a sharp chef’s knife. Wash the peas and pat dry. Slice the peas thinly on a bias. Set aside.
In a VERY large salad bowl (trust me, use your biggest bowl here!), whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey, Aleppo pepper and salt.
To the bowl with the dressing, add the radish, onion, farro, snap peas and asparagus. Toss very well to coat everything. Fold in the dates, goat cheese and mint and gently toss again. Taste and adjust, adding more salt, vinegar or oil if needed.
Portion onto plates and top with the jammy egg (if using). Season with flaky salt. Enjoy!
Tips
- Salt the water: when cooking farro, salt the water similar to how you would when making pasta.
- Flaky salt: I definitely have a salty tooth, so I don’t always recommend flaky salt for everything because I know not everyone’s tastebuds are like mine. But, for this recipe, it really tastes better with some flaky salt on top. If you have it, be sure to add some before serving. This is the brand I use.
- Wait to add the herbs: add them before serving, otherwise they will wilt and blacken and they just don’t look as pretty that way.
- Make ahead: this is one of those salads that gets better over time, so feel free to make it and let it sit for a few hours or a day in advance. Just don’t add the fresh herbs in until you’re ready to eat.
- Thinly slice the veggies: because all of the veggies are mostly raw here, it’s important to thinly slice the peas, radish and onion. Take your time and have fun while you work on your knife skills with those peas!
Leftovers & Storage
Store leftover farro salad in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days.
Avoid adding in all of the mint if you know you will have leftovers so it doesn’t wilt and turn dark.
Ingredients & Products I Recommend
Mandolin: I find using a mandolin the best and easiest way to efficiently slice things thin in the kitchen. This is the one I use and love because it’s extra wide.
Kosher salt: I exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt for all of my recipes. I prefer the texture, taste and consistency of this brand and highly recommend it for everyday cooking.
Aleppo pepper: I love using Aleppo pepper in recipes because the flavour isn’t too strong or spicy. It’s one of my most used spices and I highly recommend it.
I hope you love this spring forward asparagus farro salad. If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing from you! Enjoy 🙂
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Spring Asparagus Farro Salad with Creamy Goat Cheese
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Pescatarian
Description
A delicious and vibrant spring farro salad with asparagus, peas, radish and a simple vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb. asparagus, trimmed, sliced into 1-inch pieces (1 bunch)
- kosher salt
- 1 cup farro (dry, rinsed)
- 5 radish, small
- 1/2 red onion, small
- 7 oz./200g snap peas, ends trimmed
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper, optional
- 3/4 tsp kosher salt
- 5 large soft medjool dates, chopped
- 150g goat cheese, crumbled
- 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, torn and/or chiffonade
- 4 medium boiled eggs, optional (for extra protein)
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the asparagus and cook for one to 1 1/2 minutes, depending on thickness of the stalks.
- Fill a large bowl with ice and add cold water. Once the asparagus is bright green and fork tender, remove using a slotted spoon and place in the ice water. Once cooled completely, drain the asparagus and set aside.
- To the boiling water, add a good pinch of salt. Pour in the farro and cook, until tender, but not mushy, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- While the farro is cooking, prep the veggies. Use a mandolin to thinly slice the radish and red onion. Alternatively, slice as thin as possible with a sharp chef’s knife. Wash the peas and pat dry. Slice the peas thinly on a bias. Set aside.
- In a VERY large salad bowl (trust me, use your biggest bowl here!), whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey, Aleppo pepper and salt.
- To the bowl with the dressing, add the radish, onion, farro, snap peas and asparagus. Toss very well to coat everything. Fold in the dates, goat cheese and mint and gently toss again. Taste and adjust, adding more salt, vinegar or oil if needed.
- Portion onto plates and top with the jammy egg (if using). Season with flaky salt. Enjoy!
Equipment
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