What's For Dinner Wednesday: Farro Salad with Tomatoes & Roasted Red Peppers

If you've learned anything about me after following this blog for some time, you'll know that I love my dog, making over my family recipes, and eating/cooking anything with tomatoes and mozzarella. So it should be no surprise that those two ingredients are stars in this recipe.

I love making a huge batch of pasta or grain salad to have on hand for lunches or for quick dinners-- especially if I'm dining without Alex or if I'm on the go. And this seems to be the case more often than not lately. We have both been traveling a lot for work over the past few weeks without much sign of it slowing down until November. I'm exhausted just thinking about it, so dinners like this farro recipe make those days and weeks just a little bit easier to digest.

This farro salad is so easy to make. There's basically no cooking required except for boiling the farro and roasting the peppers (unless you buy the jarred kind) and all you have to do here is chop, mix, and enjoy.

This salad includes my favorite traditional caprese ingredients like mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil along with some extra vegetables to turn this into a hearty meatless dish. Chopped spinach adds tons of healthy bulk to this salad and chopping it finely is the key to making this salad last for several days. Larger pieces of spinach will feel mushy after being stored in a salad that's pre-dressed for several days. And roasted red peppers add some sweet flavor to this savory salad.

I can't say enough good things about this salad: It is so simple, full of flavor, healthy, meatless, and perfect for lunch or dinner on a busy day... or for several days.


Ingredients:

• 5 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups cooked farro  
• 1 cup roasted red pepper, chopped *Use the jarred kind or make your own with this recipe
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced 
• 8 oz. mozzarella ciliegine, halved

 In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add farro, red peppers, spinach, and tomatoes to the dressing. Stir well to incorporate dressing into all ingredients.

Fold in the basil and mozzarella. Serve chilled or at room temperature.