Mediterranean Farro Bowl (Printable)

Hearty farro bowl with fresh vegetables, chickpeas, and tangy tahini dressing.

# What You'll Need:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup farro, rinsed
02 - 2½ cups vegetable broth

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
05 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
06 - ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
07 - ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
08 - 2 cups baby spinach

→ Protein

09 - 1 cup cooked chickpeas

→ Tahini Dressing

10 - 3 tablespoons tahini
11 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
12 - 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
13 - 1 tablespoon water
14 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
15 - ½ teaspoon ground cumin
16 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Garnishes

17 - ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
18 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# How-To Steps:

01 - In a medium saucepan, combine rinsed farro and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until farro achieves tender consistency. Drain any excess liquid and allow to cool slightly.
02 - While farro simmers, wash and prepare all vegetables according to ingredient specifications. Halve cherry tomatoes, dice cucumber and bell pepper, slice olives and red onion, and measure baby spinach. Ensure chickpeas are cooked and drained.
03 - In a small mixing bowl, whisk together tahini, fresh lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, water, minced garlic, and ground cumin until smooth and homogeneous. Season with salt and black pepper to preference. Add additional water if consistency is too thick.
04 - In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled farro, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, Kalamata olives, red onion, baby spinach, and chickpeas. Drizzle tahini dressing over mixture and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
05 - Divide farro mixture among four serving bowls. Top each portion with crumbled feta cheese and fresh chopped parsley. Serve immediately or refrigerate in airtight container for up to 2 days.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes like a Mediterranean vacation in a bowl, but comes together faster than takeout.
  • Everything can be prepped ahead, which means you're never scrambling on a busy weeknight.
  • The tahini dressing is so good that you'll find yourself drizzling it on basically everything afterward.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the farro—I learned this the hard way when a gluey, unpleasant bowl taught me why this step matters.
  • Whisk that tahini dressing slowly and patiently; rushing it means you'll end up with a broken, grainy mess instead of something silky and smooth.
  • The farro needs to cool slightly before meeting the spinach, or you'll end up with a wilted, sad-looking salad instead of the vibrant thing you intended.
03 -
  • If your tahini dressing breaks or looks grainy, start fresh with one tablespoon of tahini in a clean bowl and slowly whisk in your other ingredients—sometimes you just need to reset.
  • Warm farro tossed with cold vegetables creates this perfect temperature balance; don't refrigerate the farro before combining everything or you'll lose that textural contrast.
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