Farro Salad With Roasted Beets

4 servings
1 hr 10 min

Farro Salad with Roasted Beets is earthy, tangy, and packed with nutrients. It’s a hearty salad that is filling and satisfying.

I love the chewy texture of farro for this salad paired with the beets, cambozola cheese, and spinach. The farro is dressed in a tangy and lightly sweetened balsamic vinaigrette with a little reserved for drizzling the greens.

Not only is Farro Salad with beets over spinach absolutely delicious, it’s also incredibly healthy for you. Farro contains more fiber than most whole grains and is also a good source of plant-based protein. Beets are little power houses of vitamins and minerals for your body. Did you know that a lot of us don't get nearly the recommended amount of daily fiber in our diet? Dark, leafy greens, although a good source, are not the only source of fiber. The farro, beets, and spinach in this salad are all excellent sources of fiber.

This is one of my favorite salads to make ahead and take to work. It’s high plant-based protein content makes it satisfying without the need for adding any additional protein. Plus it’s easy to customize with ingredients that you have on hand. Use whatever cheese you like, and switch out the spinach for arugula or kale. You can also add other elements like citrus segments, toasted nuts, or pickled onions.

This Roasted Beet and Farro Salad is adapted from Thug Kitchen's Roasted Beet and Quinoa Salad. If you have never checked out Thug Kitchen's recipes, do yourself a favor--just do it. They are healthy, plant-based recipes that are as fun to read as they are to prepare. Just a heads up though, the authors generously sprinkle their recipes with gratuitous profanity. Personally, I find them both entertaining and informative.

FAQS:

What does cambozola cheese taste like?Cambozola is a soft cheese that is similar in texture to Camembert or Brie with with a mild blue cheese flavor.

What is farro?Farro is a nutrient dense ancient grain that has a chewy texture and slightly nutty flavor. It’s high in both protein and fiber along with antioxidants. See Healthline’s 5 Benefits of Farro for even more nutritional information.


Farro Salad with Roasted Beets:

VINAIGRETTE INGREDIENTS
FARRO SALAD INGREDIENTS
  • Beets: Beets are packed with vitamins and minerals and have a sweet, earthy flavor when roasted. I like to use both red and gold beets for a pretty presentation.
  • Farro: Farro has a chewy texture, is a good source of plant based protein, and contains high levels of fiber.
  • Spinach: Besides tasting great, spinach contains loads of vitamins and minerals.
  • Cambozola cheese: It’s a little earthy with notes of blue cheese flavor that pairs well with the roasted beets.
  • Homemade balsamic vinaigrette: Combines olive oil with balsamic vinegar, garlic, onion, dijon mustard, and honey.


How to Prepare Farro Salad with Roasted Beets:

Preparation for Roasted Beet and Farro salad takes a little time to prepare, but it’s simple.


  • Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Begin by peeling the beets, then chopping them into small chunks. Place the beets in a large bowl, and add the avocado oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine well. Place the prepared beets on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, stirring half way through.
  • While the beets are cooking, cook the farro. Simply prepare as your package recommends.
  • To make the dressing, add all the ingredients to the bowl of a mini food processor, and process until smooth.
  • Prepping the spinach is easy. If you're like me, you'll just want to remove the stems, then tear any large leaves into bite sized pieces. If you don't mind the stems, then there's no prep for you in this step. Just place the spinach leaves an a large serving platter.
  • When the beets and farro are finished cooking, allow to cool slightly. Mix about ⅔ of the dressing into the warm farro so that it absorbs the flavor. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the bed of spinach.
  • Spread the cooked farro over the spinach, then top with the beats and cheese. Personally, I prefer this salad room temperature or cold.
Cook the beets and farro.
Add all the dressing ingredients to food processor.
Pulse until smooth and creamy.
Add dressing to cooked farro.

Do ahead:

Cook the beets and farro, and prepare the dressing up to 2 days in advance. Stir the dressing into the farro as directed above, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Store the roasted beets in their own container, and refrigerate the remaining vinaigrette for dressing the spinach just before serving.


Meal prep:

Divide the cooked and dressed farro between 4 containers, and top with equal portions beets and cheese, then top with 1 cup of fresh spinach. When ready to eat, mix all the ingredients together with a bit of the reserved dressing.


Serving Suggestions:

  • I love that this salad is just as great served warm, room temperature, or cold.
  • A Roasted Beet Salad is a beautiful addition to a brunch table.
  • It’s also perfect for meal prepped lunches. Simply store the greens and farro separate in the fridge.
  • For a festive looking holiday salad, try adding in pomegranate arils, citrus segments, apples, cranberries, or candied walnuts.
  • If desired, garnish with fresh chopped herbs such as: chives, basil, dill, or mint.


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Ingredient Substitutions and Dietary Needs:

  • Cambozola cheese: Try blue cheese, gorgonzola, goat cheese, or feta.
  • Roasted beets: You can often find prepared cooked beets in produce case at the market. Prepared pickled beets can also be used if you like the flavor.
  • Spinach: Use any greens you like as the base for this salad.
  • Farro: Sorghum, quinoa, barley, buckwheat, or bulgar would all work well in place of the farro.
  • Homemade vinaigrette: Although I prefer to make my own salad dressings, you could also use a store-bought balsamic vinaigrette.
  • Make it vegan: Omit the honey, and substitute date nectar or agave nectar. Use a vegan cheese, or ditch the cheese altogether.
  • Make it gluten-free: Use sorghum or quinoa in place of the farro.


Recipe Notes:

  • This recipe was originally published on January 16, 2018 but has been updated with new photos and recipe tips to improve the reader experience.
  • ¾ cup dry farro yields approximately 2 cups cooked.
  • I love my Magic Bullet for small blending jobs.
  • While I usually buy farro at Trader Joe’s, if you can’t find it at your local market, check Amazon.


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Farro Salad With Roasted Beets
Recipe details
  • 4  servings
  • Prep time: 30 Minutes Cook time: 40 Minutes Total time: 1 hr 10 min
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Ingredients
For the Dressing:
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 clove garlic, rough chopped
  • ½ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Salad:
  • 4 large beets
  • 3 teaspoons avocado oil
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ¾ cup farro
  • 4 cups fresh spinach
  • 2 ½ ounces cambozola cheese
Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Begin by peeling the beets, then chopping them into small chunks. Place the beets in a large bowl, and add the avocado oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine well. Place the prepared beets on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, stirring half way through.
While the beets are cooking, cook the farro. Simply prepare as your package recommends.
To make the dressing, add all the ingredients to the bowl of a mini food processor, and process until smooth.
Prepping the spinach is easy. If you're like me, you'll just want to remove the stems, then tear any large leaves into bite sized pieces. If you don't mind the stems, then there's no prep for you in this step. Just place the spinach leaves an a large serving platter.
When the beets and farro are finished cooking, allow to cool slightly. Mix about ⅔ of the dressing into the warm farro so that it absorbs the flavor. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the bed of spinach.
Spread the cooked farro over the spinach, then top with the beats and cheese. Personally, I prefer this salad room temperature or cold.
Tips
  • Do ahead:
  • Cook the beets and farro, and prepare the dressing up to 2 days in advance. Stir the dressing into the farro as directed above, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Store the roasted beets in their own container, and refrigerate the remaining vinaigrette for dressing the spinach just before serving.
  • Meal prep:
  • Divide the cooked and dressed farro between 4 containers, and top with equal portions beets and cheese, then top with 1 cup of fresh spinach. When ready to eat, mix all the ingredients together with a bit of the reserved dressing.
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