Pesto Farro Salad

This is one of those salads you can make a meal, use as a tasty side dish, or bring to a brunch or BBQ and impress your friends! Farro is a delicious whole grain wheat that looks like barley and has a decent amount of protein and fiber so it’s a great new addition to anyone’s plate. If you are gluten free, simply switch to quinoa.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of dry farro (if you are gluten free, use quinoa instead)
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 2 T of prepared pesto
• Zest of a lemon
• 3 T of lemon juice
• ½ t salt
• ¼ t freshly ground pepper
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes (option to roast them below, highly recommend!)
• 1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped basil leaves
• 1 cup arugula (or more if you love arugula like me)

Method

1. Follow directions on package for cooking 1 cup of dry farro. It’s generally a 2:1 ratio of water to farro but cooking times vary. Don’t forget to salt your water!
2. In a large salad bowl whisk together olive oil, pesto, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add cooked and drained farro, cherry tomatoes (if you want to make them next level and roast them, toss them with olive oil and salt and roast on a baking tray at 400 for about 25-30 minutes), and pistachios. Mix altogether.
3. You can at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold. Right before serving, stir in fresh basil and arugula. Enjoy!