Farro Salad with Apples, Almonds and Mozzarella Recipe -- Little Chef Big Appetite

This Farro Salad with Apples, Almonds, and Mozzarella is packed with fresh fall flavors. It’s a delicious make-ahead salad that you can easily pack for lunch, a picnic, or potluck. Feel free to leave out the mozzarella for a vegan alternative.

I’m back! Sorry, I know it’s been awhile. Stuff got busy you see. A lot of things have happened since I’ve been gone. I got a full-time job (woo!), I graduated from college (MAJOR milestone there), packed up everything in my college apartment, moved back home to Boston, unpacked everything, and now I am starting to plan my cross-country move to Los Angeles. Big things!

Because of all of that, I haven’t been able to spend as much time in the kitchen as I would like, but as things are slowing down for the summer I finally have some free time to get back into it.

This Farro Salad with Apples, Almonds and Mozzarella is one of my favorite recent creations. Farro is a delicious whole grain that has a great chewy texture. It’s great in salads because it soaks up whatever dressing you’re using without getting soggy. It also cooks in half the time of brown rice!

This recipe contains simple ingredients, many of which are likely in your pantry, but each bite packs a BIG punch of flavor from the sweet apples and toasted almonds.

This Farro Salad with Apples and Almonds would be great to pack for lunch during the week or bring to a potluck or BBQ. Everyone will love it!

Farro Salad with Apples, Almonds and Mozzarella

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

1 cup farro
1 teaspoon salt
1 large apple (red or green), diced into ¼ inch cubes
Juice of 1 lemon
½ cup toasted almonds, chopped*
⅔ cup dried cranberries (or raisins if you prefer)
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
4 oz mozzarella, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Cook the farro according to package instructions. Drain the farro in a colander and let cool on a paper-towel lined plate.
Toss the apple pieces in a bowl with the lemon juice and enough water to cover the apples. This will prevent browning.
In a large bowl combine the cooked farro, almonds, dried cranberries, parsley, mozzarella and dill weed. Drain the apples and add them to the bowl. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic over the mixture. Toss well and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

* You can easily toast almonds by putting them in a medium skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, making sure to shake the skillet often. The almonds are done when they are slightly browned and smell toasted.

Recipe adapted from Serious Eats