This delicious Grain Salad is packed with lots of fresh vegetables, cooked farro, feta cheese, and the most amazing homemade basil vinaigrette dressing! Perfect for enjoying late into the summer during zucchini and tomato season!
The Best Summer Grain Salad
Ever summer we plant a garden in the backyard. Some years we are ambitious and it is a little bigger and some years it is smaller, but we always have at least one zucchini plant and one tomato plant. Because hearty grain salads are just too good! It is the best grain salad recipe that our whole family loves. The perfect light lunch or side dish to anything you want to toss on the grill for a main course. Packed with so much flavor from the vinaigrette dressing and lots of summer veggies!
Looking for More Salads with Grains?
If you love them as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Fall Farro Salad or Crispy Rice Salad!
What You Will Need
- basil vinaigrette – this only takes about 5 minutes to whip up this easy dressing and it will bring lots of great flavor!
- water – enough to fully cook the farro.
- farro – if you haven’t tried this simple grain option before, we highly recommend you try it!
- fresh arugula – we love to grow some in the garden but you can also find it at your local grocery stores.
- cherry tomatoes – a late summer food that has bright flavor and is always a hit!
- zucchini & corn on the cob – just toss these on the hot grill for an easy way to cook them and to get a nice charred flavor.
- olive oil – add just a little bit when tossing all the pieces of the salad together.
- kosher salt & ground black pepper – simple seasonings that are always a must!
- feta cheese – to keep it easy you can just toss in some crumbled feta, but if you want to level up this farro salad recipe we recommend serving with our easy whipped feta instead.
How To Make A Summer Grain Salad
The first step to making this great salad is to blend up the basil vinaigrette dressing in a small food processor or blender.
Once the salad dressing is made, you can cover it, and place it in the fridge. Now it’s time to cook the farro. Give it a quick rinse under cold water, bring a pot of water to a boil on medium heat, add the rinsed farro to the pot, and let it simmer for 25-30 minutes of cooking time. Drain any excess water and let it cool to room temperature.
While the farro is cooking, the rest of the grain salad ingredients can be prepared. Clean the husks and silks off of the corn and cut the zucchini into long spears. Rub both with olive oil and place on a preheated grill. Cook the zucchini for 3-5 minutes and the corn for 8-12 minutes.
Now carefully cut the corn kernels off the cobs and quarter the zucchini spears. Then toss the veggies, feta, and cooled farro in a large bowl together.
Finally, pour the vinaigrette dressing on top and give the big bowl a toss to fully combine everything.
Best Way To Serve A Summer Grain Salad
Honestly, we could enjoy this healthy grain salad all by itself! Or serve this easy meal over some whipped feta for even more deliciousness. If you are looking to add a little more protein to your meal you could serve it alongside some perfectly grilled steaks or grilled chicken thighs!
Recipe Variations
- Whole Grains – we love using farro in grain salad recipes, but you can use any of your favorite grain options. Like, quinoa, brown rice, bulgur wheat, wild rice, millet, or other ancient grains.
- Vegetables – feel free to switch up any of the vegetables in this simple salad recipe. Bell peppers, yellow summer squash, red onion, cucumbers, fresh spinach, butternut squash, or some roasted sweet potato might be good too!
- Nuts or Seeds – option to add some slivered almonds, pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, or sesame seeds for a little added crunch.
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Other Salad Recipes You Might Like
Grain Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top + Grill
- Cuisine: American
Description
A delicious Summer Grain Salad recipe with grilled zucchini, corn, feta cheese, tomatoes and basil vinaigrette!
Ingredients
Basil Vinaigrette:
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon shallot, minced
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
Farro Bowl:
- 4 cups water
- approx. 1/2 cup uncooked farro
- 1 cup fresh arugula (more if desired)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 medium zucchini, cut into spears
- 2 cobs of sweet corn, shucked
- 1–2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, more if desired (or make whipped feta)*
Instructions
- Cook Farro: Add water and salt to a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Rinse farro. Add farro to water. Return to boil then reduce to a simmer for 25-30 minutes. Drain off excess water.
- Make Basil Vinaigrette: Add ingredients to a small blender or food processor. Blend until consistency is smooth. Taste and add additional salt as needed for flavor or add additional olive oil to thin.
- Grill Veggies: Drizzle zucchini and corn with olive oil and rub all over to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Ensure grill grates are clean and set grill to medium-high heat. Grill corn and zucchini over direct heat until charred a bit. Zucchini: 3-5 minutes, flipping halfway. Corn: 8-12 minutes, rotating occasionally. Transfer to cutting board. Dice zucchini into bite-sized pieces. Cut kernels away from the cob.
- Make Salad: In a large bowl add cooked and drained farro, arugula, tomatoes, zucchini, corn and feta cheese. Add in basil viniagrette and toss to combine. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Additional Serving Option: feel free to make a batch of our whipped feta and put some down in a shallow bowl. Serve the grain salad on top for a delicious variation!
- *Feta: feel free to use a dairy-free feta cheese or regular.
- Double the Dressing: option to double the basil vinaigrette if you want it extra saucy!
- Storage: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Make Ahead: if you are going to meal prep this salad, wait and add the vinaigrette before serving to keep the farro from get soggy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 133
- Sugar: 2.5 g
- Sodium: 222.5 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.7 g
- Protein: 3.4 g
- Cholesterol: 6.7 mg
Bridget says
Just made the first batch for the season and there will be many more! Delicious!!
Meagan says
I’ve made this twice in the past week for lunches and it’s so good! The dressing really makes this salad.
Erin says
That’s so awesome to hear, Meagan! I agree – that dressing is SO good!!