This Apple Farro and Bacon Salad hits all the right notes in flavor and texture. It's perfect for lunch or dinner. This is a great fall salad!
Cool weather still calls for salad. This Apple Farro and Bacon Salad is so delicious and hearty. It's packed with yummy ingredients like bacon and tart apple slices. There is crunch and flavor in every bite!
Farro is a great staple ingredient for any time of the year. What goes well with farro? Well, just about anything can be paired with farro. It makes a healthy, nutrient packed rice substitute with a protein. As with the case of this farro recipe, it's a great grain for salads. It has a nutty taste and holds it shape.
What's in this Apple Farro and Bacon Salad?
- Cooked Farro: Farro is relatively easy to prepare. My favorite farro, however, is Trader Joe's 10 Minute Farro. Why? Because it comes together in 10 minutes: instant farro.
- Apple: Farro and apple work so well together. This recipe calls for tart, green apple slices. You can certainly use any apple you like, however, the tartness of the green apples is fantastic in this salad.
- Celery: Chopped celery adds crunch and texture to this dish.
- Red Onion: The slices of red onion add a nice bite to the flavor profile. Red onion in particular works fantastically well with the apple and bacon.
- Bacon: While you can certainly purchase already made bacon bits, I find just made bacon to be so much better. The larger, home cooked pieces are also more ideal. You can use regular apple wood smoked bacon, or a turkey bacon (which is what I used.)
- Arugula: Arugula is the green of choice in this recipe. It is peppery and slightly bitter, which works so well with the other ingredients.
- Goat Cheese: Creamy, tangy goat cheese is the finishing touch to this salad. It is crumbled over the top at the end of the preparation. See below for substitutions.
- Homemade Dressing: The homemade salad dressing is made from olive oil (I used Cuac Extra Virgin Olive Oil), apple cider vinegar, and dijon mustard. You can use the seeded or unseeded dijon.
Where to find farro and the best farro brands:
My all time favorite farro is Trader Joe's 10 Minute Farro. It is incredibly easy and quick to cook, which makes it ideal. However, Bob's Red Mill Farro is a great one as well. These days you should be able to find farro at most grocery stores, as well as Amazon and other websites. You will find farro in the grain isle alongside quinoa and rice.
How to cook farro: The process is similar to cooking pasta. Bring a pot half full of water to a boil. Add the farro and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the farro is tender, but still has a bite.
Apple Farro and Bacon: Why it works
While you may not think to put apple slices and bacon together, the flavors play nicely. It's a sweet and salty thing. But the tartness of the apple adds just another flavor element. The farro is nutty and wholesome which brings the viably opposite ingredients together in harmony.
Ingredient Substitutions
If there is something in this recipe that you do not like or don't have on hand, here are some other ingredients that could work.
- A good farro substitute is pearl barley. You could also use quinoa or pearl couscous. They have relatively similar cooking techniques and textures that work well in salads.
- If you do not or cannot eat apples, a nice stone fruit would be nice here. Nectarines work well with bacon and farro, just like apples.
- As I stated above, turkey bacon can be used instead of regular bacon.
- If you do not like goat cheese, some nice substitutes include crumbled feta or blue cheese.
- Dried cranberries or cherries would make a nice addition to the flavor profile of this farro salad as well!
- The baby arugula can certainly be substituted with baby kale.
You may also like:
- Farro Salad with Fruit and Honey Mustard Dressing
- Arugula Farro Salad with Strawberries
- Simple Autumn Salad
- Avocado Arugula Salad with Lime Dressing
This Apple Farro and Bacon Salad is great any time of the day. It is hearty and packed with good for you ingredients, especially if you use turkey bacon like I did. This farro apple salad is a great lunch option, but would also make a great side to a grilled chicken or pork.
Apple Farro and Bacon Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 cups farro cooked to package instructions
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 4 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- 1 large green apple sliced (peeled or unpeeled)
- ¼ red onion sliced
- 4 oz goat cheese crumbled
- 1 bunch baby arugula rinced and cleaned
Dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and mustard until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a large bowl, toss together the arugula and farro. Add the prepared dressing and toss until everything is coated.
- Add the celery, bacon, green apple, and red onion to the farro mixture. Gently toss to combine. Place salad into desired serving dish and dot with the goat cheese. Serve immediately.
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