This Easy Pickled Beets Salad with Farro is delicious, but the real star of the show is the 6-Ingredient Honey Shallot Dressing. Featuring robust greens, hearty farro, pickled beets, toasted walnuts and feta crumbles, this beet salad recipe makes a satisfying and delicious dinner or a hearty side. And it’s so easy to prepare, you’ll want to work it into your meal-prep rotation.
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The Health Benefits of Farro
A type of wheat, Farro is often referred to as an “ancient grain”. If you’re not yet a fan of Farro, you need to give it a try. It delivers more protein and fiber per serving than rice (approximately 3.5 grams of each). It also contains a number of essential vitamins and minerals – including calcium and magnesium. Now, I have absolutely nothing against rice, but if you’re trying to make small steps toward better eating, then Farro is one of those changes that tastes less like a sacrifice and more like elevated dining.
I use farro that’s been cooked in chicken or vegetable stock in this recipe. The stock adds another layer of flavor to this hearty grain. In this beet salad recipe, the farro can stand alone as a protein source in my book, but it shares the stage nicely with a portion of grilled chicken or fish if you are serving this to the carnivore in your family.
If you like this recipe, you may also enjoy my Healthy Mediterranean Farro Salad recipe. It features sun dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives and a creamy goat cheese. Although very different, both are absolutely delicious!
Fall in Love with Salad Again with this 6-Ingredient Honey Shallot Dressing
If you experience salad fatigue from time to time like I do, there’s nothing like a good dressing to help bring back that “Salad Days” spark to your plate. This 6-Ingredient honey shallot dressing is bright, flavorful and boasts six easy-to-find ingredients; lemon juice, grape seed oil, minced shallots, Dijon mustard, honey and salt and pepper to taste. OK, I’m taking some liberties by counting salt and pepper as one ingredient, but they go together so well. Mix all the ingredients together and the next thing you know, you have a perfect, homemade dressing and you’re digging into a very tasty salad!
I love how well-balanced this dressing is. It’s neither too sharp, nor is it too sweet. This is one of those easy dressing recipes you can whip up in less than 5 minutes and enjoy immediately, but like many other things, it’s best when given a few minutes to sit and mellow. I like to keep a small batch in the refrigerator to drizzle over salads, grilled fish and chicken over the course of the week. Just take it out and give it a few minutes to come to room temperature so the oil returns to its natural liquid state.
Simple Ingredients Make this Easy Pickled Beets Salad so Tasty
If you have your Great Aunt’s recipe for pickled beets and you want to whip up a jar or two before making this salad, by all means, please do. Nothing beats homemade. However, there are a lot of great ready-made pickled beets out there, so do yourself a favor. Find your favorite and use that. Don’t put obstacles to eating better in your path. If you’re goal is to have more quick, hearty and healthy meal options, there’s no shame in using prepared pickled beets.
As an alternative to pickled beets, I’ll sometimes substitute roasted beets in the fall or winter. The warmth of the roasted beets add a nice element to this salad and you’ll still get the brightness from the lemon juice in the honey shallot dressing.
As for greens, in this recipe, I call for Arugula because I love the robust, peppery taste of this green. However, if Arugula alone is too bold a flavor for you, try a blend of Arugula and baby mixed greens.
In this recipe, I call for toasted walnuts. They have a strong, earthy flavor that I think pair well with the Arugula and beets; however, I’ve made this salad with toasted pecans as well and it’s just as delicious. Finally, choose a dry, crumbly feta to top this salad. It brings a boost of salty flavor to every bite.
I hope you give this recipe a try, and please let me know how you enjoyed it in the comments below.
Easy Pickled Beets Salad with 6-Ingredient Honey Shallot Dressing
Course: MainCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes30
minutesFeaturing robust greens, hearty farro, pickled beets, toasted walnuts and feta crumbles, this beet salad recipe makes a satisfying and delicious dinner or a hearty side.
Ingredients
- For the salad
1 cup farro, cooked
2 cups unsalted chicken or vegetable stock
4 cups Arugula or mixed baby greens
1 cup pickled beets
2/3 cup toasted walnuts or pecans
1/3 cups feta crumbles
- For the honey shallot dressing
2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 Tbsp. Grape Seed oil
2 tsp. minced shallots
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste, plus extra salt for seasoning the farro
Directions
- Make the farro
- Place the farro in a strainer and rinse under cold water until it runs clear.
- Bring 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock to the boil. Add the farro, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain off any excess liquid and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Make the honey shallot dressing
- In a small cup, combine the lemon juice, grape seed oil, minced shallots, honey and Dijon mustard. Whisk until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
- Assemble the salad
- Arrange the greens on a serving platter or bowl.
- Mix 1/2 of the dressing into the cooled farro and toss.
- Add the dressed farro to the greens, followed by the beets, nuts and feta cheese.
- Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad. Serve and enjoy.
