
The best farro salad
This Italian vegetable & farro salad has it all. It is loaded with flavorful veggies like roasted peppers, cauliflower, artichoke hearts and olives. Plus it has a super tangy roasted pepper blender dressing that is laced with oregano. I call this an Italian salad because it contains many things you would find in a vegetable antipasto. All the delicious roasted and marinated vegetables combines with farro will transport you to the Mediterranean. This summery vegan salad is the best filling yet light meal for a hot evening. The hardy nature of lacinato kale makes it perfect for the base of this salad. It holds up to the dressing which makes this recipe great for meal prep or making the salad ahead of time to bring to the beach or on a picnic.
What is farro?
Farro is a staple whole grain from Italy. This grain is versatile and mild in flavor. It can be used in soups, salads, and even in risotto. I love it best in recipes like this Italian vegetable & farro salad. It really is a great vehicle for dressings and sauces and it doesn't swell up like pasta can. Farro has a chewy texture with more integrity than rice or quinoa. It is higher in fiber, protein and iron than many grains which makes it an ideal addition to a vegan or omnivorous diet. When adding farro to salad like this one, it can transform it into a meal! It is hearty and filling without feeling heavy.

Ingredients for Italian Farro & Vegetable Salad
Although I call this a summer salad, all of the ingredients are available year round. Of course, the salad will be fresher and more flavorful if you use garden fresh produce like cherry tomatoes, kale and cucumbers. But it will still be delicious and give you some of the sunshine you are craving if you make it any other season! I like to use baby bell peppers because I think they are the sweetest and tastiest. you can substitute regular bell peppers if you like. I would count 1 large red bell pepper the same as 4-5 baby bell peppers. So for this recipe you could use 3 large and colorful bells instead. If lacinato/dinosaur kale is not available you can substitute regular kale.
- farro
- cauliflower
- baby bell peppers
- olive oil
- garlic powder
- salt
- fresh black pepper
- red wine vinegar
- maple syrup
- oregano
- dinosaur kale
- cherry tomatoes
- English cucumber
- pitted calamata and green olives
- artichoke hearts
How to make Italian Vegetable Farro Salad
This recipe is really easy to make. The trickiest part would be cooking the farro but as long as you follow the directions is should be simple and foolproof. Use one sheet pan to roast the veggies and while those are cooking, chop the other ingredients.
- Cook Farro according to directions then let cool
- Preheat oven to 400
- On a sheet pan spread cauliflower florets, halved baby bell peppers and whole baby bell peppers. Spray with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, garlic powder and pepper. Mix until well coated and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool.
- Make the dressing in a blender with the roasted whole baby peppers (remove stems) red wine vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, salt and oregano. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- In a large bowl, add kale, cooled farro, roasted baby bells (cut small) roasted cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers, artichoke hearts and olives. Pour dressing over the salad and mix well.
Tips for making the best salad
Since salad is my forte, I have so many tips! I am sharing some of my favorite cooking tools below this section. Many of them are affiliate links, I will make commission if you use them to purchase. Thank you for supporting my work.
- First, always select the freshest and most colorful produce for salads. Save the wilted and sad produce for soups!
- Always use a sharp knife! Cutting with a sharp knife is actually safer, more efficient and more fun than using a dull knife. Plus a sharp knife makes it easy to cut interesting shapes and variety for both the texture and esthetic of your dish.
- Make sure that you drain your produce well. Sometimes it is even necessary to pat them down before adding to a salad. This is because water is the enemy of flavor and will dilute the dressing over time as the salad sits.
More delicious Mediterranean vegan salads

Italian Vegetable Farro Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz dried farro
- ½ head cauliflower cut in florets
- 10 baby bell peppers halved
- 5 baby bell peppers whole
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- fresh black pepper Few grinds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp oregano
- For Salad
- ½ head dinosaur kale shredded
- 20 cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ English cucumber cut in rounds
- ½ cup calamata and green olives pitted and sliced
- ½ cup artichoke hearts cut small
Instructions
- Cook Farro according to directions then let cool
- Preheat oven to 400
- On a sheet pan spread cauliflower florets, halved baby bell peppers and whole baby bell peppers. Spray with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, garlic powder and pepper. Mix until well coated and bake for 20 minutes. Let cool.
- Make the dressing in a blender with the roasted whole baby peppers (remove stems) red wine vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, salt and oregano. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- In a large bowl, add kale, cooled farro, roasted baby bells (cut small) roasted cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers, artichoke hearts and olives. Pour dressing over the salad and mix well.
Amy
I found you through Instagram. I struggle with eating veggies and need tasty recipes. This was my first BFG recipe that I tried. It was delicious!! My husband enjoyed it too. I’m looking forward to trying another recipe. Thank you!!
Sara Tercero
Thanks for the feedback! I am so happy you liked it!
Sheela
Why do you halve some of the baby bell peppers and some whole for roasting?
Sara Tercero
Good question! The ones that get blended I leave whole. It's just a small time hack. Not necessary tho!
Cathy
Just made this and am devouring it as I type - absolutely delicious! I can't wait to try more of your recipes.
Sara Tercero
Thanks for the feedback Cathy! I love this one too. I really appreciate the 5 star review!
Dani
I love all your recipes and have made several now! This might be a silly question but for this one it said 8oz of farro. Is that cooked or measuring before cooked? THANK YOU!
Sara Tercero
Hi Dani it is 8 oz of uncooked farro. Not a silly question at all. Hope you like it!
Dani
Thank you so much for your reply. As soon as I hit send I realized that you had my question answered in your original recipe! I wanted to come back to comment on how amazingly delicious this recipe was. Since I’m a single person it made a ton so I shared with non plant based peeps at my office. They asked for seconds! I will be making this over and over again. In fact I used the dressing recipe for something else today! Thank you for always sharing your bomb recipes with the world ❤️❤️❤️
Sara Tercero
What a beautiful message! So very happy you loved it and I love that your non-plant-based friends liked it too! Thank you for making my job so wonderfully fulfilling.
Laura Rosa
Hi,
I LOVE YOUR RECIPES!!!!!! I AM INSPIRED. Your cookbook is on my holiday gift wish list.
My question is about gluten free and GMO products. My "gut" no pun intended, tells me to steer clear of these. How do you handle these two issues with your cooking? I live on Long Island so I feel like I would be able to readily find many GMO and gluten free option, but going organic can be very expensive. I'd love to know your thoughts Better Food Guru!!
Sara Tercero
Hi Laura! I generally steer clear of GMO things but as I have no issues with gluten, I often include gluten in my diet. If you want to do gluten free, I do like many of the gluten free pastas out there. Banza, Trader Joes and even Barilla have some great substitutes. Gluten free breads are a bit more difficult. Anytime in my life that I have cut out gluten (for weight loss purposes temporarily) I find I prefer to just not eat the bread sadly. There has to be some good ones out there but since it has not been a priority for me since I have no issues, I have not found them.