New Podcast is ready for your ears! The Grass is Always Greener. Dudes… it’s a good one!
I meant to make cake. I meant to make whipped cream. I meant to buy fresh raspberries. I mean to smash the three things together into a large bowl and eat it all… and then I made salad.
Don’t yell. We can not survive on doughnuts alone.
Let me tell you a little something about me… I do this weird thing wherein I eat one thing, all day. That’s not to say that I eat one carrot all day. No. I eat carrots, and only carrots all day. I don’t know why I do this. Welcome to crazybrain.
So! A few days ago when I made doughnuts…. I ate doughnuts all day. Doughnuts and lime popsicles… because I was thirsty. Clearly something is wrong with me.
I tell you all of this because it’s important you understand that salad is a good thing around these parts. A salad recipe means that I’m eating salad all day. My thighs like those days.
Know what makes salad tolerable? Doughnuts.
No… stop that. Caramelized onions.
I’m pretty sure that caramelizing onions with a touch of balsamic vinegar is just like turning onions into candy.
Do you know what farro is? It’s one of my favorites. Farro is a type of wheat. It’s boiled in salted water like pasta, then drained. When cooked it’s puffed and tender, with a hint of al dente crunch. I love this grain. Hearty, wholesome and delicious.
I found farro is the bulk section at Whole Foods, but you can also order it online here.
It’s one of my favorite grains. It’s popular in Italy. Let’s make it popular here.
Oh! If you’re not into farro, why not try Israeli Couscous?
Secret: roasting cherry tomatoes on the vine makes them instantly more fancy and cool.
It is our mission in life to be fancy and cool. Duh.
Yummy candy onions, fancy roasted tomatoes, hearty farro and fresh parsley.
Yes, I put parsley in every savory dish I make. It’s my thing. It makes me feel chef-y. It’s like Rachel Ray calling extra virgin olive oil EVOO. Just give me this parsley thing and we’ll call it even.
Oh. Ps. Put fresh grated Parmesan Cheese on this salad. It is a wonderful suggestion from me to you.
Roasted Tomato and Caramalized Onion Farro Salad
serves 4
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 (or a few good pinches) salt
1/2 teaspoon (or a good pinch) crushed red chili flakes
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup farro
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place cherry tomatoes on a sheet tray. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and red chili flakes. Bake for 15 minutes, or until some tomatoes have burst and are golden brown and sizzling. Remove from the onion and set aside to cool slightly.
Place olive oil and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add sliced onions and toss to coat in fat. Allow onions to cook down for 5 minutes without stirring. Toss after 5 minutes, then allow to cook without being disturbed for another 5 minutes. Add salt and toss. Onions will begin to brown and break down. Remove from the heat momentarily, keep your nose back, and add balsamic vinegar. Toss to coat all of the onions. Return to heat and allow to cook down to a melty onion consistency. Onions will be browned, broken down and delicious.
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. When water boils, add a pinch of salt. Add farro and stir. Cook farro until it is softened through and has a light al dente bite to it, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain farro in a strainer, return to pot, and toss with olive oil. Add roasted tomatoes, caramalized onions, and chopped parsley. Toss and serve warm.
Farro salad will last up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
94 Responses
Today is the first time I have visited your site, there is a lot that looks very interesting.
I am concerned though the “roasted tomato and caramelized onion farro salad” is listed on the gluten free page. That could be quite disastrous for someone trying to cook for a friend that doesn’t fully understand ingredients that need to be avoided. Just thought I would share the observation in case you were unaware that it appears on the gluten free list.
Just made this last night and it was AMAZING! I added roasted butternut squash too. I can’t wait to try more recipes with farro – they remind me of honey smacks…the look, not taste…
I made this for my work lunches this week- so simple and delicious! It also helped balance out all the cookie dough balls I consumed Sunday and Monday…whoops.
Yummy! Just made this yesterday with spelt berries instead of farro, and also added feta instead of parmesan. Even better today.
This idea begot something fantastic today. I decided to substitute brown rice for the farro, spinach for the parsley, and I marinated the tomatoes instead of roasting them. It was the happiest lunch I’d had in a while. Thanks for the inspiration!
Mouthwatering!!
I was catching up on your podcasts while driving to middle-of-nowheresville last week and the last one I finished was the one where you guys were giving tips on what to take to a barbecue. It made me want farro salad, so it looks like I’ll be making this soon!
I made this last night and it earns the AFA (Absolutely F’ing Awesome) Seal of Approval! Great combo of tart, sweet, savory and chewy. And roasting the tomatoes cures their cold summer meally-ness. Delicious!
Made three versions of this already: the original recipe above, subbed in rice for farro the second time, and for tonight’s dinner, I subbed in roasted broccoli rabe and roasted garlic for the carmelized onions. Good stuff. And now I’m a fan of farro. Thanks for the inspiration!
I just made this for dinner (and it was the first thing I’ve made w/ my new cast-iron skillet, thankyouverymuch) and it was uh-mazing, so thank you for the great recipe! I really just want to eat the whole darn thing…
So Joy, I made this for supper tonight. (No farro at local grocery so I subbed short-grain brown rice.) It was TO DIE for. Huge hit. Um.. I love you! Hi to Tracy for me! :)
– A young reader/listener/aspiring to be you somedayer
Made this with the couscous. It was so good, I ate the entire thing in one sitting!
this recipe sounds so good and I’d love to try it with quinoa. I saw it listed under “Gluten Free” on your recipe index, but farro actually isn’t a gluten-free grain. hope this doesn’t sound rude, just wanted to let you know! :)
Looks great! Must. Try.
JOY i made this last night for dinner and it is so good. keep it up!
Roasting the tomatoes on the vine? Super cute! Genius.
I’m personally happy you don’t post doughnut recipes everyday! My thighs thank you, too. I love that all your healthy food makes my mouth water just as much as the down and dirty ones do. Keep it coming!
I didn know how to make roasted tomatoes now i do !
That sounds gorg!
Gorgeous colors! I love roasted tomatoes!
:)
this just made my day better. thank you.
This sounds delicious. I love salads like this. There’s no way I could eat the same food all day but it is a nice thought as I wouldn’t have to think about what I wanted to eat
Man that looks amazing!
Wow this looks amazing! Love the flavors of the roasted tomatoes and the caramelized onions. YUM!
oh my. i want to eat it all. *happy vegetarian dance*
My grandmother cooks some very good farro, and also with the caramelized onions so I know that the combination is amazing, and roasted tomatoes, I can have them on everything, so juicy, so flavorful! the pictures are beautiful, I am so hyngry now!! :(
Roasted Tomato Doughnuts? Doughnut coutons in a faro salad??- mucho yum too
Oh and I have to say, the header is amazing- reminds me of apple pie, swoon.
Hands down, fab salad. My thighs thank you. *sighs, as nibbles on popcorn and pickles- my dinner, amen.
this looks helplessly delish. i just wanna grab a spoon and plunk right in. bet your cat is, right now while you’re reading this ;)
i love eating the same thing all day! i do it a lot less now that i blog everything i eat, though.
loving the roasted tomatoes in the first picture!
Joy!
Hello! This rocks. I have all of these things at home, and I cannot wait to make this for dinner tonight. It’s like you read my pantry or something.
I would just like to say:
1. I love this
2. You wrote “take them out of the onion” when referring to taking the tomatoes out of the oven… lol… and I giggled because you clearly love those caramelized onions. I don’t blame you… I don’t. I could eat them with anything.
heart.
I love this salad, especially those beautiful tomatoes!
Slow roasted tomatoes and farro have been a big part of this summer for me. Our roma vines have produced extravagantly, and it only seems right to cook tomatoes as the Italians would. It’s been a delicious summer.
Tomatoes left on the vine is brilliant.
I wish I thought of that myself! Dima is going to love this dish and Im gonna make it tonight and then we are gonna make babies. And then they will be born tomato children and fly away on a broomstick.
I am sleep deprived, Im sorry.
Where are pictures of kittyyyyy
Julia & Julia part 3 coming soon
heavens this is so up my alley! Farro is my new favorite thing. And while you’re my favorite girl and recipe source – Heidi Swanson also has a gorgeous farro salad with roasted kale, unsweetened coconut and tamari, sesame etc. But my husband will love you forever, because we were ODing a little on that dish. So excited for supper now!
Looks delish!! I’m laughing because I can totally relate to the whole eating one thing all day. I do the same thing and ya it is a little weird. I get on little kicks where I making the same thing or a variation of it all week. Most recently it was beets but now I might be transitioning to farro. I happen to have everything to make this salad right now) My kids and husband unlike me dont like eating the same thing all day or all week. lol But they’re troopers :) I might replace the parsley for basil! Thanks for the recipe!!! Enjoy your kitty’s b-day.
This dish was MADE for me. BIRTHED for me. LABORED for me.
I’ll stop.
hahahahaa… awkward and awesome.
YUMMY, looks so delicious. I love using Farro in my recipes (Foodzie.com has a really good brand that I like).
I have been looking for farro here in central Oklahoma and haven’t been able to find it anywhere! I’m hoping I can hunt some down while I’m in Chicago later this month. This salad looks absolutely perfect with farro and for early fall, hope I can find some soon!
Hey Joy – a weird thing is happening with your new Facebook comments. Every time I print one of your recipes lately, all of the FB comments get printed too. Not the regular blog comments, just the FB ones. Any idea how to make it stop? Thanks
ooh! thanks for letting me know. let me get this fixed up julie! i’m sorry about that!
Oh thank you Joy – it’s no huge thing, except that I seem to print your recipes every single day!! After a while the Facebook comments that print add up to a lot of paper.
Off to make my farro salad!!
This looks like SUCH a yummy salad! I love the roasted tomatoes. I’ll definitely be giving this one a go!
girl, you are speaking to my heart. and my stomach. I LOVE FARRO. ever since I tried it at that Barbrix place where Whitney worked for a second, I was head over heels. it’s the best!! can’t wait to try this!
Love this salad! So pretty and the flavors are kind of nice for fall. I’m in the same sort of mood today, planning a combo of wheat berries, purple cauliflower, and kale.
I bought farro a few weeks ago and have been waiting for the right recipe to use it! Thanks Joy!
Those tomatoes on the vine look fancifully delicious! And you’re not the only one who eats multiple portions of the same thing all day long. I’m guilty of that myself! I suppose that’s how you know you’ve come up with a winner of a recipe.
Joy, this looks so delicious I want to nibble my screen. It basically puts a bunch of my favourite things in one recipe, except for parsley, which I can’t get on side with, and would probably sub with mint and/or basil. On the vine roasted cherry toms are my obsession of the moment. Thanks for another excuse to make them!
Those roasted tomatoes look perfect! I love this combination. I bet barley would be good too as a substitute for farro (that I can NEVER find around here :( )
I love roasted tomatoes! This looks perfect.
And a doughnut for dessert woudn’t hurt!
Oh yum! I love your posts! Keep it up :-)
I do the eat-one-thing-all-day thing too…all the time. Most especially when I’ve cooked up something delicious (and as always in a batch way too large for just one, even though I am only just one). And those are the best days I think.
I’ve had farro in restaurants but haven’t tried making it myself. Sort of like quinoa, it’s growing on me. But you’ve made it look delicious and with some of my favorite things…caramelized onions and roasted tomatoes. And parmesan. Yum.
I like the change of pace! I’m gonna have to try this. Looks delicious!
Man, girl… I usually only eat one thing a day too! I’m glad I’m not the only one. Because, well, quite frankly I’ll eat an entire bag of frozen grapes in the course of two days. Or a whole bag of carrots and hummus in the same amount of time. And then I kinda feel like a fatty patty, but suddenly remember how I ONLY ate grapes and carrots all day! So no, I’m not fat, thank you very much…
Unfortunately, I also rationalize that if I’m going to be eating oatmeal cookies or Reese’s Pieces that it’s best I stick to those and nothing else all day – more expendable calories or some nonsense, ya know? And then I’m out of control and it’s not cute anymore.
Anyway, I’m with you in this. And I’m planning for Saturday to be nothing but pumpkin spiced iced coffee, tortilla chips, and apple pie day… so yeah, that’s happening if you wanna mentally join. I’m sure I’ll chug a bottle of something with alcohol in it by the end of the night, too. Balance shmalance.
Mmmm, this sounds good. I have a hard time making both carmelized onions and roasted tomatoes to use in recipes. Because I just can’t help eating them just as they are. They are each just so good. A friend and I made plans yesterday to go pick tomatoes today, and all I’ve been thinking about since yesterday afternoon is roasting them; with some garlic cloves, salt, fresh thyme and olive oil. I can’t wait!
Are my favorite ingredients, and looks very easy, weekends at home, will try to do it.
ps? very much like the taste of farro.
I am a definite fan of savory, so I am OK with no donuts or cake! Love this salad – all things I crave.
Hi Joy! I’ve been reading your blog for super long time, since 2009! This is the first time I’m commenting here. I’ve listened to many episodes of your podcasts and look forward to your every post! You’re sooo funny and lovable!!! Thank you for adding joy into my life. (not written like that on purpose, I mean it in a literal way… but you get it :-))
I can only imagine how good this must taste!
Joy,
you are amazing, your emails brighten my morning!
I had to send it to a neighbor (the cinamon bread) and I wrote, I dare you to click on this link. It was funny.
Looks gorgeous and indeed, fancy.
Am gonna have to try me some of that farro.
And those roasted tomatoes on the vine, yes, very fancy and beautiful.
Oh my gosh. This looks amazeballs. Yum!
This looks phenomenal! I have spelt berries at home…totally using those instead of farro (even though I pretty much obsess over farro).
I love that you incorporate Baking AND Food Food- Way to go JOY- plus, I LOVE lovelove the stems on the tomatoes.
I like your recipe, but I *love* your fish plate.
I just made a very similar salad last night for dinner! Great minds think alike. I added chopped kalamata olives and feta and thyme with the tomatoes. A little lemon and olive oil – perfect! Farro is my new go-to grain – mmmmm.
i adore farro and finally found it stocked at my local whole foods! can’t wait to jump right in with this recipe.
Beautiful pics! You always take great ones! The vine roasted tomatoes look way fancy, I gotta try that!
Mmm those tomatoes look killer! Love this recipe Joy. I’ll make this, then eat doughnuts.
“roasting cherry tomatoes on the vine makes them instantly more fancy and cool.” <— YES it does! I was thinking before I even read that sentence, wow, those look so FANCY!
Yummy recipe, Joy!
And I really liked the vintage pic of you on IG!
I’ve never had that grain but you’ve sold me! Sounds great!!!! :)
Are you sure we can’t live off donuts alone?!?!
This is so simple and yummy looking. I’ve been given tomatoes by my parents on a weekly basis for the past 7 weeks. It’s been super fun for the first three weeks with regular pasta and pasta salad and risotto and gazpacho and panzanella, now I just make a regular mixed salad because I’m tired of all the lengthy preparations. This looks quick & simple.
Yummy!!!!!!!!!! I´ve been following your site for a while already, but never wrote any comment. You haver really good ideas, so original. Loved your salad. Besos ;)
Doughnuts and lime popsicles. You’re totally my best friend, Joy. Well, you don’t know it yet, but I’m going to ask you it right now: would you like to be my friend, Joy? (I’m following your advice, ask people to be friends, if you would like them to be your friends). You would be welcome here in Italy, where farro is popular and cherry tomatoes too ;-)
I like to roast my tomatoes on the vine because they look so pretty and I’m all about the pretty. I love this salad, what a perfect combination of flavours.
Hmm it’s breakfast time here but all I want is this salad. Well, this salad and the doughnuts from your previous recipe..
I love this salad!
I like your salads, I like your soups, I like even more your cakes. That means we are balanced people, doesn’t it?
That sounds so good! Any substitutions for farro though? Not much of that in this end of the world and I don’t trust myself with online shopping! haha :)
Much love from Fiji.
what a fantastic recipe. i gotta try that insanely cool on the vine roasting tip. that is hot! hot! hot! love these kinds of salads ~ inner thighs.