Fall Harvest Farro Salad! Looking for an easily vegan grain salad this fall? Enjoy savory farro tossed with mildly sweet apples, sweet potato, and pomegranate arils with this farro recipe.

Grains are staples in our pantry all year round, but they have a particularly comforting place on the plate in the cold months.

We love to rotate a number of grains, both for their health benefits as well as for the purpose of exposing our kids to new types of foods.

This includes both refined-grain and whole-grain pasta, as well as pasta made from legumes like red lentils, black beans, and green peas.

Some of our favorite types of whole grains include quinoa, brown rice, oats, amaranth, barley, millet, and farro.

Plus, whole grains are a great source of carbohydrates, fiber, a little protein, B vitamins, and minerals like zinc, iron, manganese, and magnesium. They also boast other beneficial plant compounds like antioxidants, polyphenols, stanols, and sterols that support overall health.

What is farro?

This recipe calls for farro, which may or may not be something many kids (or adults!) have tried before.

If you’re not familiar with farro, this is a type of hulled wheat similar to barley but with a slightly longer grain. Some people say cooked farro has a mild hint of cinnamon to its flavor, but we’ll leave that up to you to determine!

Note that because it is wheat-derived, farro is not gluten-free. However, it is high in protein, fiber, and B vitamins. It’s a great way to introduce your kids to a new type of grain if they’re used to eating mostly things like rice and oats.

Farro makes a hearty and delicious foundation in protein bowls and dishes like our Fall Harvest Farro Salad.

Here’s how to make it.

We used our nutribullet EveryGrain Cooker to cook the farro for this recipe. All you have to do is add the farro and water, and set the program to “grains.”

You guys, this is so simple with the autocook mode and makes perfectly cooked grains. Every. Time. We love when appliances take the guesswork out of cooking ingredients that often have instructions that vary, like grains.

Plus, the nutribullet EveryGrain Cooker cooks every kind of grain: rice, quinoa, farro, you name it!

To make this dish, first preheat your oven to 425 F and get your farro cooking.

Meanwhile, wash and peel your sweet potato before cutting it into bite-sized pieces. Toss them into a large mixing bowl with olive oil and gently coat.

Once your potato cubes are coated, spread them on a baking sheet and roast them for 25-30 minutes until they are golden brown. You can save this mixing bowl for later.

While they’re cooking, whisk together your dressing ingredients – olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey or maple syrup – in a small bowl.

When the potatoes are done cooking, allow them to cool. Then, add to all of the remaining ingredients to your mixing bowl, including your cooked farro, and toss everything together.

Add your whisked dressing and gently toss again.

Now, you can add other optional toppings for more flavor and texture, like crumbled feta, sliced almonds, or finely chopped kale.

This makes a great holiday side dish! It’s colorful, it includes ingredients kids enjoy (sweet potatoes, apples, and pomegranate arils), it tastes good, and it’s satisfying.

We hope you love it!

Find the full printable recipe below.