Lemony Farro Pasta Salad With Goat Cheese and Mint Recipe (2024)

Great salad! I used dried peaches since I had those on hand. It might be helpful to pay attention to the type of farro that you have (eg whole vs semi-pearled). I used Bob's Red Mill Organic Farro which takes longer to cook. Once my water came to a boil, I added the farro and waited until it reboiled. Then I started the simmer timer for 15 mins. My orzo took about 8 mins. I kept testing both to make sure they were done.

I mistakenly switched the quantities of orzo and farro, and it turned out great! The farro is better for me, so I’ll make it this way in the future.

The farro and the orzo work nicely together. Used snow peas instead of celery. Ate leftovers for lunch today with some arugula.

Feta for sure. Milder is ricotta salata. Check with the folks behind the cheese counter. I'm sure they'll have many unique ideas.

This recipe is delightful, but unless you're making it for a crowd of at least six people or you want loads of leftovers, I'd halve it! I'm still eating it on the third day -- which is fine, it's delicious -- but it makes A LOT. I also skipped the celery because I'm anti-celery.

Used whole wheat orzo. Added roasted cauliflower for a more filling main course. I also eyeballed and tasted the olive oil in the dressing and ended up using much less. Kept well over the course of a couple of days.

Made this two nights ago for me and my husband, we liked it but it's super filling and I should have halved, had a lot left over. So I brought the left overs in to work for an impromptu salad offering. Coworkers loved it. Changes I needed to make: didn't have dried apricots, used dried persimmon and dried cherries; didn't have fresh mint in the garden, used my garden's oregano and thyme to replace it. Not bad, would be better with mint. Used feta. Good that first night, better the second day.

The first time I substituted fennel for celery, dried cranberries for apricots, ricotta salata for goat cheese, arugula for spinach. As per comments used 2c of farro and 1/2 lb of orzo. Delicious! The second time used lime and white balsamic vinegar instead of lemon (all I had,) a little more red pepper, a little less oil, and no greens. Also delicious! Can't go wrong with this one.

This will be my go-to Summer 2020 pasta salad. So many different flavors that compliment each other. I added julienned radishes to pickle with the celery-onion.

very satisfying and tasty. During "these times" I had to switch a few things but think mine was pretty much about the same. Didn't have dried apricots so used golden raisins and dates. Didn't have spinach so used arugula. Didn't have goat cheese so used feta. Hey, it worked, okay?

I cut the recipe in half, using one cup of farro and one cup of orzo because I love the chewy texture of farro. Other than that though I followed the recipe other than reducing the olive oil in the dressing. I don't usually love celery but it added a nice crunch. Made enough for three adults plus plenty of leftovers for lunch all week. I served this with grilled salmon using my favorite marinade from Alison Roman. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018897-salmon-with-sesame-and-her

I used bulgar instead of farro because I had it on hand and omitted the dried fruit because I don’t like sweet entrees, still delicious! The mint takes it to another level and will definitely be added to potluck summer dishes!

Easy and delicious. It is a larger proportion of pasta/farrow than I expected. I would suggest either using less (maybe just 1/2 a pound of orzo?) or upping the amount of dressing/vegetables etc. to boost the flavours and textures (and nutrients!). Also, if you're not going to eat it all in one sitting, I would leave out the spinach and nuts and just add them to each individual serving so they don't wilt/get soft. It was great the second day for lunch with a can of salmon mixed in!

This is great to pack for a non-boring veggie-friendly lunch. Tomorrow I'm going to add more spinach to stretch out the remaining pasta for the rest of the week. We'll definitely make this again and maybe add some shredded zucchini!

Used feta, toasted walnuts and fresh figs. I happened to walk into Trader Joes just as the figs were being put out. I had made the salad previously but the figs added colors and took the salad to new level!

Tried the recipe the first time just as written. Excellent! Next time may substitute feta for goat cheese just because that’s what my daughter prefers.Pet peeve is so many who “cleverly” make multiple substantial revisions to the recipe without ever having tried it and then “review” it. Everyone likes to eventually put their own twist on things. But why attempt to review a recipe that one has never made or tasted?

Like many have pointed out, reduce the orzo. I used 1c each grain and added chickpeas for protein!! 10/10

I made this as a side for baked salmon and it was a huge hit. I served the goat cheese on the side because not everyone likes it. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly. Feta would work well I think.

I often use a mixture of green lentils and orzo (8-11 oz of each, dried) for the base of the salad rather than the orzo/farro mixture in the recipe. I also like to substitute craisins for the apricots and cabbage for the celery. I have also made the recipe as written (and with other tweaks). It's super adaptable and always makes great leftovers!

I substituted feta cheese because I was not happy with the lumpy sticky nature of goat cheese and I added chopped dates and figs together with the apricots.Love this recipe!

I think in the future I will rinse off the faro and orzo after cooking in cold water to remove some starch. Also needed closer to 3 or 4 lemons to hit desired taste notes. I personally will add more goat cheese next time as well since there was such a high density of pasta to all other ingredients.

Good hot weather dinner; worth making again. I omitted the dried apricots but will try adding next time. Used toasted pine nuts instead of sliced almonds, because that’s what I had on hand. Added some diced cooked chicken breast to satisfy the big eaters. Half recipe served 3 with a lot leftover. Served with fresh bread.

I’ve made it twice for hunt club picnics with good success Used stir fried small asparagus and pistachios I might use marinated artichokes hearts nextIt’s a flexible and forgiving recipe

Toast the Almonds. I heated the chile flake in a small amount of olive oil to disburse the flavor.

We really loved this, made as directed except we forgot to buy parsley, and I think we will forget to buy it next time as well. It was great with mint as the herbal star. Agree about the enormous amount made (for three of us). Will halve it next time. I will also double the spinach. And I might try pickling just the onions and not the celery in the lemon juice so the celery remains super crunchy. I will also make the farro/orzo ahead of time as suggested for a quicker weeknight meal! Yum!!!

Swap out shallot for red onion. Cut shallots back to 1/3 cup

Forget red onions, shallots all the way. This salad is great to make on Sunday and have for lunches during the week. Makes a ton!

Halved this recipe and it was still plenty of food for 4 people. Used 1 shallot instead of a red onion. Added seared chicken thighs for protein. This one will be on repeat!

This is delicious and more of an assembly job than something else. I skipped the orzo and used a really hot pepper and am enjoying the vibrant tanginess!

Love this salad!! I added roasted roasted chick peas in place of celery. Stuck with all farro. Sooo good!