Warm Farro Salad with Kale, Roasted Sweet Potato and Dates

Discover farro as a cornerstone ingredient in Italian cooking by preparing this warm farro salad tossed with roasted sweet potatoes, kale, sweet chopped dates and a tangy pancetta salad dressing. It's a hearty main course salad recipe that the whole family will love come fall.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings

Preheat oven to 400˚
Bring apple cider, water and bay leaves to a boil and add farro. Cook for 10 minutes (if using Trader Joe's quick cooking farro) until soft but chewy. Drain as needed and remove bay leaves and discard. If using a different farro, cook for 25 minutes.
1 cup farro, 1 cup apple cider, 1 cup water, 2 bay leaves
Peel and cube sweet potato.
1 sweet potato
Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel and cut into quarters.
8 oz baby bella mushrooms
Wash kale leaves and remove leaves from stem by tearing or with a knife. Place in a large bowl and massage with olive oil and a sprinkling of kosher salt for about 3 minutes or so.
5 large lacinato kale leaves
Place all vegetables on a baking tray(s) and toss the sweet potatoes and mushrooms with a little olive oil and sprinkling of salt. Roast until crispy and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Toss as needed for even caramelization. Check the mushrooms about 15 minutes in and remove sooner if needed.
To make warm dressing, cook pancetta in a skillet over medium heat until crispy, about 5-6 minutes. Turn off heat and deglaze pan with apple cider vinegar using a wooden spoon and add a little honey. Stir until incorporated.
4 oz. cubed pancetta, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 T honey
Add farro to a wide rimmed, large bowl and top with roasted vegetables and chopped dates. Drizzle dressing over.
chopped dried dates

For more information, the pancetta dressing recipe also in butternut squash and kale salad recipe