Farro Pomegranate Kale Salad

Kale pomegranate salad with apples and pecans in a wooden serving bowl.

Looking for fall salad ideas? This Farro Pomegranate Kale Salad is an easy vegan kale salad with bits of apple and a lemony vinaigrette. Fall side dishes don’t have to involve squash — switch it up with this farro salad recipe.

farro, pomegranate and apple for farro salad recipe.

Too often, fall side dishes tend to be on the heavy side laden with creamy sauces or buttery crusts. Not that there’s anything wrong with that — but occasionally we need to mix in a salad. To me, fall salad ideas should straddle the line between main course and side dish and this Farro Pomegranate Kale Salad does just that.

Seeding a pomegranate for vegan kale salad.

The inspiration came from some beautiful pomegranates I found at our farmer’s market this weekend. Pomegranates are a favorite of mine for several reasons — the first is that breaking into a pomegranate is like playing with your food — with the tasty kernels barely being held together by a thin white, papery membrane.  Those seeds, which resemble tiny jewels, are sweet tangy and tart and bursting with juice. They really bring this farro salad recipe up a notch.

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mixing dressing for pomegranate kale salad.

So let’s get to the salad.  While the farro is cooking, prep the kale, pomegranate, apples and green onions. One of the changes I made to this salad was the kale — originally I used lacinato kale, but for this one, I used regular, curly kale.  Either will work — or you could use baby kale — just keep in mind that if you use baby kale, the salad won’t hold up past the first day.  With regular kale, this salad will last two or three days in the fridge. The lemony dressing, with garlic, dijon and a bit of maple syrup is tangy and zesty.

tossing the pomegranate kale salad

Add the farro to the rest of the mix and toss with about half of the dressing.  If the salad seems dry, add more dressing one tablespoon at a time.  You don’t want it to be wet or gloopy — and any leftover dressing can go on another salad or on steamed asparagus (yum). As far as fall salad ideas go, this one is a winner. with lots of texture, colors and flavors — and don’t forget the crunch factor… That’s the other change I made… Toasted pecans sprinkled on top just before serving the pomegranate kale salad bring another dimension to this mix.

vegan kale salad in a bowl.

I’ve had this vegan kale salad for lunch and it’s kept me full all afternoon, so if you’re looking to lighten up, try packing this for a few days of lunches to fuel you up without filling you out. My husband loves pomegranate kale salad as a side dish to a rotisserie chicken for a healthy dinner option.

Want great fall side dishes? This farro salad recipe is it.

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Farro Pomegranate Kale Salad
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4.80 from 5 votes

Farro with Pomegranate and Apple

This hearty is healthy and loaded with flavor. Containing apples, juicy pomegranate seeds and pecans. It’s great for fall as a brown bag lunch or side dish with rotisserie chicken.
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword farro, kale, pomegranate
Dietary Restrictions Egg Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6

INGREDIENTS:

  • ½ cup pecans
  • 1 cup farro
  • 1 pomegranate peeled and seeded
  • 1 large granny smith apple
  • 3 cups kale
  • 2 scallions thinly sliced

For dressing

  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 lemon
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

FOR THE SALAD:

  • Preheat oven to 375°. Place pecans on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant and browned, about 8-12 minutes.
  • Cook farro according to package directions. Let the farro cool, uncovered to room temperature.
  • In a large bowl combine the pomegranate seeds, apple, kale, scallions and farro. Toss to combine. Add 3 tablespoons of the dressing to the salad and toss. If the salad still seems a little dry, add an additional tablespoon of dressing at a time — tossing and tasting along the way. I always end up with extra dressing, which I stick in the refrigerator and use for another salad or even over some steamed green beans or asparagus (Yum!)

MAKE THE DRESSING:

  •  Zest the lemon with a microplane grater and transfer it to a small bowl. Add  the garlic, mustard, the juice from the lemon, olive  oil, maple syrup salt and pepper. Whisk to emulsify and set aside.
  • Remove the seeds from the pomegranate, discarding the pith and skin.  Transfer the seeds to a large bowl.
  • Peel, seed and chop the apple into 1/2″ dice. Add it to the pomegranate bowl.
  • Remove the tough stems from the kale leaves and discard.  Massage the kale  with your clean hands on a cutting board for 2-3 minutes until the kale smells grassy and fragrant and the leaves are a bright green.  Take a handful of kale and bunch it up very tightly in one hand.  Slice the tight ball of kale into thin ribbons.  Continue with the remainder of the kale and transfer to a the pomegranate mixture .
  • Add the cooled farro to the salad and toss to combine. Add about half of the dressing, tossing well to coat.  If the salad seems dry, add a bit more dressing a tablespoon at a time. (Note: any leftover dressing can be refrigerated for another salad).
  • Just before serving, add the toasted pecans.

RECIPE VIDEO:

YouTube video

NOTES:

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 367mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3405IU | Vitamin C: 52.4mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1.8mg

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Fall side dishes don't have to be heavy. Farro pomegranate kale salad is an easy farro salad recipe. With lemon dressing, it's a yummy vegan kale salad. #vegan #vegetarian #kale #pomegranate #farro #apple #pecans #lemondressing #kalefarrosalad #farrorecipesvegan #farrosaladrecipe #vegankalesalad #pomegranatekalesalad #applepomegranatesalad #fallsaladideas #fallsaladrecipes #fallsidedishes #farrorecipes #kalerecipes #pomegranaterecipes

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8 Comments

  1. Can I use arugula instead of kale

    1. Yes, you can use arugula — you wouldn’t need to massage it or chop it finely as arugula is tender enough on its own.

  2. Can you use walnuts instead of pecans?

  3. Really enjoyed this. I left out the scallions and added goat cheese crumbles. Yum!

    1. Thanks for sharing, Alicia! The goat cheese crumbles sound like a great addition!

  4. Charles Curran says:

    What is the ratio of water to faro?

  5. 5 stars
    This salad looks so colorful and refreshing!