Cold Farro Side Salad with Mandarin Oranges
A cold farro salad chock full of zesty oranges, crunchy celery and almonds brightened with a sweet tangy dressing. So easy to make ahead for a party or as a salad for a holiday buffet. The whole salad including cooking the farro can be made in under 15 minutes!
Servings 6
Ingredients
For the farro:
For the dressing:
- 1 cup olive oil
- 4 T white vinegar
- 2 tsp sriracha
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 4 T mandarin orange juice drained from the can
For the salad
- 2 cans mandarin oranges 11 oz each, keep the liquid from one can
- ¾ cup diced celery 3 stalks washed and trimmed
- ½ cup chopped green onions approx 7 green onions, washed and trimmed
- 1 cup fresh parsley minced
- ½ cup sliced almonds toasted, if available
Instructions
- Bring broth and water to boil in a medium saucepan. Season with salt. Add the farro and stir. Cook farro according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool completely.2 cups farro, 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, 2 cups water, 1 1/2 tsp salt
- In a glass measuring cup or mason jar, combine dressing ingredients and shake to blend completely.1 cup olive oil, 4 T white vinegar, 2 tsp sriracha, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 4 T mandarin orange juice
- In a wide serving dish, add cooled farro and top with the remaining ingredients except reserve some of the oranges, almonds and parsley to use as a garnish on top.2 cans mandarin oranges, 3/4 cup diced celery, 1/2 cup chopped green onions, 1 cup fresh parsley, 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- Toss with dressing. Garnish with additional toppings.
Notes
- For a party, many times I leave the nuts out and serve them on the side for guests to choose to add them if desired.
- Trader Joe's has unsalted, toasted sliced almonds that work beautifully in this recipe.
- Salad can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead option:
- Can be made up to 2 days ahead without the celery and almonds. Add those the day you plan to serve to keep them crisp.
- Toss everything together ahead of time, reserving 1/4-1/2 cup of dressing to toss the salad with before serving.
