Farro and Green Bean Salad With Walnuts and Dill

By Colu Henry

Farro and Green Bean Salad With Walnuts and Dill
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
5(1,221)
Comments
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Farro is a perfect vehicle to showcase summer produce. With its nutty flavor and toothsome texture, the whole grain is a great counterbalance to snappy, sweet green beans. The farro cooks while you prepare the rest of the salad, allowing for an easy-to-assemble meal. Dill and walnuts, a nod to Middle Eastern flavors, are used in the gremolata, but pistachios and mint or hazelnuts and parsley would also work. Feta cheese or ricotta salata tossed in at the end would also be a nice addition. This hearty salad works well on its own, but would also be a fine companion to grilled fish or any other protein. Add the acid just before serving; it makes every ingredient sing.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

    For the Farro

    • 1cup farro
    • Kosher salt

    For the Gremolata

    • ½cup finely chopped walnuts
    • 1cup roughly chopped fresh dill
    • 2tablespoons lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
    • 2tablespoons finely chopped shallot (from about 1 shallot)

    For the Green Beans

    • 2tablespoons olive oil
    • 1pound green beans, trimmed
    • Black pepper
    • Lemon juice or white wine vinegar
    • Flaky sea salt, for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

232 calories; 12 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 294 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Add farro, 3 cups water and a pinch of kosher salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the farro is tender and toothsome, about 30 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    While the farro cooks, make the gremolata: Toast the walnuts in a large (preferably 12-inch) skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to ensure that they don’t burn, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer toasted walnuts to a medium bowl. Add the dill, lemon zest and shallots and toss to coat. Season with salt and set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Wipe out the skillet and heat the oil over medium. Add the green beans and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are crisp tender and start to brown in spots, 6 to 8 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water to help them along, if needed. Turn off the heat.

  4. Step 4

    If there is any residual cooking liquid from the farro, drain it and add the farro directly to the skillet. Toss with the beans until well combined and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large serving bowl or platter and top with the gremolata. Drizzle with lemon juice or white wine vinegar to finish. Season with flaky salt, if desired.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,221 user ratings
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Comments

Suzanne

Healthy and delicious. Used beans and cherry tomatoes from my garden. Followed the directions for emmer (a type of farro wheat) which used less water. Check the water ratio for the wheat berry you use. Threw the cherry tomatoes in the oven at 350 for about 10-15 minutes until they were about to burst. Plated it on some lettuce with tomatoes grouped around the edge and crumbled feta cheese on top. We both agreed it made a fabulous dinner. We used the full recipe for the two of us.

Penni Gladstone

Ho yea this one is great. Listened to others and added cherry tomatoes, feta, and olives nicoise. I don't like green bean used French beans instead and large shallot. Guests loved it

Nancy

I make this EXACTLY as written every Sunday, and enjoy it all week until it runs out. I've tried messing with it, and come back to the original every time. One of my favorite recipes ever.

Rachel

Fantastic as a flavorful vegetarian main — followed other’s advice and added tomatoes and feta, substituted pecans for walnuts and added basil and mint to dill. In the middle eastern vein, seasoned with sumac, Aleppo pepper, and a little smoked paprika.

AB

I made this exactly as written, and it was delicious! Well--I did make one change. I sauteed the shallot in the oil (instead of putting it in the gremolata), and then added the green beans to the pan, because I don't like the aftertaste of raw shallot. I think next time I might try it with a different vegetable--maybe cauliflower florets--because I found the farro fell away from the green beans too easily, and it was hard to get a bite of both at the same time.

D. Ward

@AB Try soaking the the shallots in lukewarm water for 5 minutes, then draining. Raw alliums don't agree with me and this makes any type totally digestible. Mellow onion flavor without the problems. I always rinse or soak raw onions.

Kristen Eberlein

This is outstanding. I’ve made it three times now, and it is good both warm and cold. I haven’t made substitutions yet, but can imagine it with various herbs and nuts. Be sure and salt and pepper vigorously!

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