This Warm Southwest Farro Salad is a 30-minute meal that’s perfect for a healthy weeknight dinner. This healthy comfort food combines pantry basics with fresh produce for a satisfying cheap healthy meal.
A warm salad is the perfect healthy weeknight dinner!
Salads aren’t just for warm months, at least not in my humble opinion! For the last few months we’ve been all about making better-for-you eating choices like this vegetarian Southwest Farro Salad. I underwent a pretty big surgery recently, so for a few weeks prior to that I started eating more ancient grains, less meat, and a ton more vegetables. This really helped boost my gut health, which in turn made recovery much easier since certain medications can slow down your digestive tract!
Pantry Staples + Fresh Produce = Cheap Healthy Meal
It shouldn’t be such a surprise, but keeping up those healthy eating habits has really made a difference in my overall feeling of well being. Now instead of going meatless one day a week, we are bumping it up to 3+ days per week. Budget-friendly dishes like this warm, hearty Southwest Farro Salad make that simple and delicious. I love that it combines farro, a nutty ancient grain (which is unprocessed wheat, so it’s not GF!), with basic pantry staples like low-sodium black beans and fresh produce like kale!
The real stars in this cozy Southwest Farro Salad recipe are the green chiles and a healthy dose of your favorite salsa. Adding them to the farro as it cooks allows the grains to soak up all their flavor. The end result reminds me of a creamy risotto. You get a lot of delicious taste without a lot of effort, which is a real win!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup farro
- 1/4 cup canned or fresh green chiles
- 1/4 cup salsa
- 1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups Tuscan kale, roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 16-oz can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt to taste
- Chopped tomatoes for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Warm oil in a large covered skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Mix in farro, cook 1-2 minutes stirring frequently to toast grains.
- Stir in green chiles, salsa, and broth. Salt to taste. Bring to a low boil and cover.
- Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
- Stir in kale, beans, and corn.
- Squeeze lime over salad, toss to combine. Garnish with chopped tomatoes if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: Thaw frozen corn by adding it to your colander when rinsing the beans. Drain well before adding to salad.
We hope you enjoy this warm Southwest Farro Salad recipe from SoFabFood Home Chef, Loriann from Thyme for Cocktails. If you love this flavorful warm salad, be sure to visit our Salad Section for more like it. For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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