This spring farro bowl is filled with fresh peas, asparagus coins, creamy avocado and a punchy lemon dijon vinaigrette. Top it off with a handful of pea tendrils if you can find them!
Farro bowls are my new love. They’re the most fun and low maintenance way to clear out the fridge, and everyone loves assembling their own custom bowl. I prefer to use a variety of vegetables for texture and color, and then I pull it all together with a great cheese, herbs and a flavorful dressing.
Most of my farro grain bowls are completely random-- a handful of roasted veggies, shredded chicken that needs a home, herbs that are starting to wilt. Basically, a hodgepodge of whatever is lingering in the fridge. But every so often, I plan out exactly what I want my farro bowl to be.
This one is about fresh spring peas, tiny crunchy coins of asparagus, salty cheese and a punchy dijon vinaigrette. I love the combination of both mint and basil for freshness, and I like to go heavy on the toppings. So it’s more of a vegetable salad with farro than a farro bowl with vegetables.
how to make this farro bowl:
- Blanch and shock the peas.
- Use the hot water to cook the farro.
- While the farro cooks, saute the asparagus.
- Make the lemon dijon vinaigrette.
- Toss farro with the peas, asparagus, herbs, and some of the dressing.
- Divide into four bowls, top with avocado, ricotta salata, and pea tendrils.
- Drizzle with more dressing and serve.
the best way to cook farro:
The most fool-proof way to cook farro is the “pasta method”. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add farro and reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the farro is tender but still chewy. The cook time will vary depending on your type of farro, so check the package instructions. Drain the farro and use as desired!
make this farro bowl your own:
- grain: quinoa, rice, barley, bulgar, wheat berries, freekah, couscous
- cheese: feta, aged goat cheese, coarsely grated pecorino
- greens: watercress, microgreens, arugula, baby spinach
- add more protein: poached egg, roast chicken, grilled shrimp or steak, seared tofu
- add more crunch: pine nuts, chopped pecans, slivered almonds, toasted panko
- try it with a homemade green goddess dressing instead!
more farro recipes to try!
farro risotto (farrotto) with wild mushrooms
cabbage soup with farro and onion
swiss chard soup with farro and potatoes
farro salad with zucchini, olives and roasted tomatoes
butternut squash salad with roasted grapes and farro
Printfarro bowl with spring peas and asparagus
This spring farro bowl is filled with fresh peas, asparagus coins, creamy avocado and a punchy lemon dijon vinaigrette. Top it off with a handful of pea tendrils if you can find them!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Salad
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
lemon dijon vinaigrette
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
farro bowl
- 2 cups shelled fresh peas
- kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups farro
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh basil, torn
- ¼ cup fresh mint, torn
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 cup crumbled ricotta salata
- 1 cup fresh pea tendrils or watercress
Instructions
lemon dijon vinaigrette
- Combine lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, honey, ½ tsp kosher salt and black pepper in a glass jar. Use an immersion blender to combine until emulsified. Alternatively, whisk by hand. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed.
farro bowl
- Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt, add peas and cook for about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer peas to ice water to shock. Drain and set aside.
- Return water to a boil, add farro and cook until tender but still chewy (cook time varies according to type of farro). Drain and return to pot to cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, prep the asparagus. Snap off tough asparagus bottoms and discard. Cut off the tips, then chop the spears into ¼-inch thick coins. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add asparagus tips and cook for about a minute. Stir in coins, season with salt and pepper, and cook another few minutes until asparagus is bright green and cooked through, but still crunchy.
- Toss farro with peas, asparagus, basil, mint and a third of the dressing. Divide among four bowls and top each with sliced avocado, ricotta salata and pea tendrils. Drizzle with more vinaigrette and serve.
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ recipe plus 2 tbsp dressing
- Calories: 695
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 568mg
- Fat: 47g
- Saturated Fat: 9.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 34g
- Trans Fat: 0.3g
- Carbohydrates: 56g
- Fiber: 18g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 21mg
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