Roasted Cauliflower Farro with Pomegranate and Pistachios.
A cauliflower farro salad is a feel-good way to start the week.
It looks like nothing special, because some of the drab colors of the season are filling up this bowl and the vibrant tomatoes and greens of summer have said see ya.
But what it lacks in vibrancy, it makes up for in major flavor. Like, major.
This has clearly been the year of farro for me. This slow roasted tomato farro salad is what my dreams are made of. It’s so good – fantastic as a side dish or a main dish. Super flavorful!
And while I used to be a bit wishy-washy on farro, because let’s be honest, sometimes it can taste like cold, chewy oatmeal… when it’s cooked properly and tossed with a ton of other delicious ingredients, I’m sold. I love it.
Like this salad. I am alllll over this.
Give me all the farro. Starting with this bowl.
Roasted cauliflower is just the best. THE BEST. Tell me you don’t love it!?
I’ve said a million times about how it was one of the first roasted veggies I ever really got into (because it sort of tastes like popcorn, right?!) and it remains a fave. It’s works with almost everything!
So there’s that.
Then we have crunchy, salty pistachios. I love how rich the flavor of pistachios can be when paired with roasted vegetables. Really, they add that extra oomph.
A big sprinkle of pomegranate arils comes next, and those add a sweet pop along with some tartness. And pretty color, of course. They are adorable autumn jewels and I’ll just never get over it.
The pleasant surprise is the dill vinaigrette. It makes the whole thing tastes incredible. Even my mom, who stopped over the first day we were testing this, was super interested in the bowl. She sees it, her face lights up. This is NOT her cup of tea – she would never make or order something like this. And as soon as I mentioned dill vinaigrette she’s all “UM NO WAY NO THANKS.”
But curiosity got the best of her and she tasted it and LOVED it.
I think she was more shocked than I was.
I’m telling you right now that this can be theeee go-to holiday side dish. It will work on Thanksgiving or Christmas. But at the same time it can also be your Monday night dinner, you know? It’s super satisfying and filling and full of texture and taste. It’s like a non-deconstructed (constructed?!) grain bowl salad. One that you can keep in the fridge and eat the next day for lunch.
Yes! Newsflash: it’s just as good cold as it is warm. You might fight over leftovers.
Roasted Cauliflower Farro Salad
Farro Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 cups cooked farro
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- ⅓ cup chopped pistachios
- 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped chives
dill vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced or pressed
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, tossing once, until golden.
- Cook the farro while the cauliflower is roasting.
- In a large bowl, combine the farro and cauliflower. Drizzle with some of the vinaigrette and toss. Sprinkle in the pistachios and pomegranate. Toss well, adding a bit more dressing. Taste the salad and if desired, add more dressing!
- This salad is awesome served warm or cold, and leftovers are great too!
dill vinaigrette
- Whisk together the dill, vinegar, lemon, honey, salt, pepper and garlic until combined. Continue to whisk while streaming in the olive oil until the dressing emulsifies.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Promise this will be the last farro salad I share this year! I think.
15 Comments on “Roasted Cauliflower Farro with Pomegranate and Pistachios.”
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Yup, this is happening ASAP in my house!
And it’s VEGAN!! Will be making this for my vegan Friendsgiving party!!
If I don’t prefer dill, what would you use for the dressing…
The Gulf Coast beaches are the BEST. Our family recently vacationed (for the umpteenth time) in that same area of Rosemary Beach. It’s amazing. Did you go to any restaurants?
I made this yesterday! Holy smokes lots of dishes! :-) but there’s also a lot and it was delicious?? I didn’t have shelled pistachios so I chopped some hazelnuts instead. I imagine other nuts would do well too, like blanched almonds or pine nuts.
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The Gulf Coast beaches are the BEST. Our family recently vacationed (for the umpteenth time) in that same area of Rosemary Beach. It’s amazing. Did you go to any restaurants?
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I made this for Christmas week as an alternative to the heavy cheese-based dips and snacks. It is such a nice alternative but I also adore nearly all recipes with roasted cauliflower. Loved the pop of flavor with the pomegranate arils. I found that I needed to add more salt and wanted to finish it off with extra lemon juice. Farro texture adds a wonderful dimension. Plus it keeps really well so perfect to make ahead.
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Made this last night to have for lunch today. Absolutely delicious! Didn’t change anything.
Umph. That dressing! How do you always pack so much flavour in?! The farro gives it a perfect heavy bite that makes me feel like I’m eating a solid meal as well. I chucked a shredded chicken breast through it to boost the protein and reduced the olive oil in the dressing and it still tasted amazing! Thank you for making this week’s lunches sing ☺️