Looking for a new take on summer salads? Try our recipe for warm grilled vegetables served over farro with a lemon cilantro dressing.
The colorful vegetarian dish is perfect for a Memorial Day get together or any backyard barbecue. It is also a great accompaniment to yesterday’s Grilled Chicken with DIY Barbecue Sauce.
Grilled Vegetable Farro Salad
Ingredients
Salad
2 cups uncooked farro
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium yellow onion, cut into 8 wedges
3 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow), cut into large chunks
1/2 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
1 package (8 ounces) baby Portobello mushrooms
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Dressing and Topping
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
Directions
Rinse farro with cold water; drain. In 3-quart saucepan, mix 4 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add farro; heat to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until tender. Drain, if necessary, and set aside.
Heat coals or gas grill. Brush onion, peppers, asparagus, mushrooms and tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place onion, peppers and asparagus directly on grill rack. Cover grill; cook over medium heat 9 to 12 minutes, turning occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add mushrooms during last 6 minutes and tomatoes during last 4 minutes of grilling.
Cut grilled veggies into bite-size pieces.
Next, make the dressing. In small bowl, mix remaining 5 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, salt and the pepper. Stir in cilantro.
To serve, toss farro with 3 tablespoons of the dressing.
Spoon farro onto serving platter; top with grilled vegetables. Drizzle remaining dressing over salad. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese.
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