This hearty salad is just right for fall and winter! Harvest Farro & Apple Salad with Maple Vinaigrette has the best seasonal veggies plus filling farro for a perfectly well-rounded dish.
We are in FULL holiday comfort season. Casseroles, soups, and of course ALL the sweet treats are on the menu. You know I’m here for that, but every once in a while I want something GREEN! Give me hearty, nourishing, filling, and fresh and it feels like I get a little reset amid the holiday snacking. For me, that means this Fall Farro & Apple Salad with Maple Vinaigrette. It’s simple to pull together, colorful and beautiful, and filled with the best combo of textures and flavors. Make it as an easy lunch, a simple dinner, or a dynamite side dish. You might remember me making this live on IG with Lindsay from Weeknight Bite and it was so much fun!
What is Farro?
Farro is a whole grain that’s as easy to cook as pasta. Just boil it, drain, and you’re ready to use it in this salad! It has a chewy texture that I LOVE using in salads (or in my Healing Turmeric Lentil & Farro Soup!). I love the heartiness and warmth that it adds here. Trader Joe’s sells a quick cook 10-minute farro that is SO easy. If you don’t have farro you could swap for quinoa or even lentils!
Ingredients in a Perfect Harvest Salad
If you’ve made any of my salads before you KNOW that I believe I have perfected the art of it. You need that just-right balance of crunch and chewy, sweet and savory. Here’s the perfected blend for this Harvest Salad…
- Spring mix lettuce (or your favorite greens! Spinach would also be good)
- Carrot
- Apple
- Fennel
- Marcona almonds (or any nut)
- Cooked farro
Homemade Maple Vinaigrette
Another secret to the perfect salad? Make your dressing at home! I know this sounds extra, but I promise it’s as easy as dumping ingredients into a bowl and giving it a good whisk. You could even skip the whisk and shake them up in a Mason jar! This dressing is made by mixing:
- Olive oil – get the highest quality you can. It makes a difference!
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Maple syrup
- Salt
- Lemon juice
More Incredible Salads
- Grilled Chicken, Date, & Almond Salad
- Tomato, Fresh Corn, & Burrata Salad
- The Best Caesar Salad with Homemade Dressing
- BBQ Chicken & Kale Salad
- Roasted Broccoli Quinoa Salad
Food photography by Tanya Pilgrim
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Harvest Farro & Apple Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 4 big handfuls of spring mix (or your favorite greens)
- 1 large carrot, peeled into ribbons
- 1 apple, thinly sliced or cut into sticks
- ½ fennel bulb, shaved with a mandoline or thinly sliced
- ¼ cup marcona almonds (pistachios, hazelnuts or any nut you like)
- ¼ cup cooked farro
For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Juice from half a lemon
Instructions
- Add the greens to a large shallow bowl along with the carrot, apple, fennel, nuts and farro.
- Whisk all the ingredients together and drizzle over the salad.
Comments
Liz
Wow this made me FALL in love with salads again!!! I added small chunks of maple acorn squash and came out great.
★★★★★
Laney Schwartz
That’s the best news I’ve heard all day!