This grain salad is hearty and versatile! Make it with any whole grain, colorful veggies, and a flavorful dressing.
Looking for a versatile recipe that would make a great side dish, lunch or food presentation? Welcome to our favourite Cereal salad anytime! This basic idea works with any whole grain and at any time of the year. Mix up the veggies based on what you have on hand and you can make many variations. The best part? It’s so hearty and hearty, great as a side to a vegetarian meal or perfect for lunch. Here’s how to use this pattern for a great grain salad!
What’s in a grain salad?
A grain salad is a salad made from whole grains, vegetables, and a dressing. Any type of whole grain or seed can be used, such as quinoa, farro, bulgur, millet, rice, wild rice, freekah, or barley.
Toss whole grains with any veggie mix and a simple salad dressing and you have a grain salad! Adding protein rounds out the salad and helps fill it up. Use as a side dish, lunch, potluck, picnic and more.
elements in this cereal salad
This grain salad uses farro, an ancient whole grain with a chewy texture and nutty flavor. But you can use any grain you like! He combines a colorful mixture of vegetables, herbs and a Mediterranean dressing. Here’s what you need, then read on for some pointers on swapping ingredients and flavors to suit your tastes:
- Faro or cooked grains such as quinoa, rice, wild rice, millet, bulgur, or barley
- shallot
- Garlic
- cherry tomatoes
- Cremini mushrooms
- carrot
- fresh herbs
- rocket
- Cheese (such as manchego, smoked gouda, aged cheddar, crumbled feta, or grated parmesan)
- For the vinaigrette: lemon juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil and dried oregano
Opportunities for personalization!
You can replace this granola salad with different veggies of your choice! Swap the ingredients and it works for different seasons. Here are a few ideas:
- Use apples instead of cherry tomatoes and omit the garlic for a fall or winter salad
- Use peppers instead of tomatoes
- Add the zucchini or summer squash in the cummer
- Add the crunchy cucumber
- Add roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash for a winter trip
- Leave out the mushrooms if desired
- Add nuts like toasted slivers of almonds or pine nuts
What other ideas do you have for personalizing this salad? Let us know in the comments below!
More variants
Here are a few more grain salad variations that we love:
- Quinoa salad: Try our Go-To Quinoa Salad! This muesli salad is summery and even more Mediterranean inspired. It includes crunchy veggies like cucumbers, peppers, and cherry tomatoes, along with Tuscan cabbage and feta crumbles.
- barley salad: This barley salad with lemon is also Mediterranean-inspired: easy and quick to make and irresistibly good.
Any other ideas for flavor combinations? Try our Greek Orzo Salad or our Couscous Salad. They’re not made from whole grains, but the concept is similar.
More salad recipes
We love salads! Here are some other salad recipes we know you’ll love:
This grain salad recipe is…
Vegetarian. For vegans, plant-based and dairy-free, omit the cheese.
The description
This grain salad is hearty and versatile! Make it with any whole grain, colorful veggies, and a flavorful dressing.
- 1 cup dry farro (pearl or half-pearl, or 2 1/2 cups cooked grains such as quinoa, rice, wild rice, millet, bulgur, or barley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, shared
- 1 chopped shallots
- 1 small clove of garlic, chopped
- 1 cup Cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 4 oz Mushrooms or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 Carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs (e.g. fresh chives, mint or basil)
- 2 cups Baby arugula (or other baby salad)
- ½ cup Cheese, cut into chunks (e.g. manchego, smoked gouda, aged cheddar, crumbled feta, or shavings of parmesan*)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Cook farro: Rinse the farro in a fine mesh strainer under cold water. In a large saucepan, combine the farro, 3 cups water, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until grains are tender, about 15-20 minutes for pearl farro and 25-30 minutes for semi-pearl farro. Taste a grain to see if it’s tender (if the hull isn’t marked, just cook until tender). Drain excess water. Stir in the additional ¼ teaspoon of salt. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 3 minutes until room temperature is reached. (This step can be done up to 2 days in advance; refrigerate the farro until you make the salad.)
- Prepare the vegetables: Meanwhile, chop the shallot, garlic, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, carrot and fresh herbs as directed in the ingredients list above. Place the vegetables in a large bowl, then add the baby arugula, cheese, and spelled.
- Prepare dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice, Dijon mustard, oregano, and ¼ tsp kosher salt. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, until creamy.
- Surcharge: Add the farro and vegetable dressing to the bowl and toss. Taste and add a pinch or two of salt to taste. (Keeps refrigerated for up to 4 days; you may need to add a pinch or two of salt after chilling as this may dull the flavor.)
Remarks
* Omit for vegan or substitute vegan cheese.
- Category: salad
- Method: salad
- Kitchen: Vegetables
- Diet: vegetarian
