A grain-based salad with nutty farro, sweet corn, zucchini, salty Kalamata olives, fresh herbs, toasted pine nuts, and fried cheese, all tossed together with a simple lemon olive oil dressing.
This farro, corn, and zucchini salad with fried cheese would make a great side dish for lunch or even a snack. The ingredients are very hearty, so this dish will last in your refrigerator for up to a week. You can make a batch and eat it all week as a snack or part of a food-prep meal plan.
Whatever you choose, I promise it will not disappoint!
Read on for all the loving details, or skip on down to the recipe card!
Featured Ingredients
Read below about a few of the ingredients used in this dish.
Farro - Have you heard of ancient grains yet? Well, farro is one of them! They are called this because they have been grown the same way for 100's of years, unrefined, and without genetic modification. Farro is a wheat grain, and the texture lives somewhere between barley and brown rice. It is nutty and slightly sweet. Definitely one of my favorite grains due to the texture.
Fresh herbs - I gave a measurement range for these; use how much you like. I like mine really herby and green, but others prefer it as more of a light seasoning. Note that all the herbs are meant to be measured after mincing.
Olives - Kalamatas fit really well in this recipe, but you could also use green olives or Castelvatranos.
Cheese - This is my favorite part of this salad! Fried toasty cheese bites... um, enough said! I'm giving options here because we don't all have the same access to grocery products. You can use Mexican cheeses, Panela or Queso Fresco, or a Mediterranean cheese called Halloumi.
All these cheeses have a high melting point, so they will brown and only slightly melt.
Halloumi is the most firm, followed by Panela. Queso Fresco has more liquid; It'll fry up and caramelize, but it takes longer to brown because the extra liquid has to evaporate first.
I made this salad with Panela.
Tools for the job
- 3-quart pot
- medium nonstick skillet
- tongs, spatula
- strainer
- cutting board and sharp knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- large bowl
- small bowl
- mason jar or lidded shaker
How to make this dish – the details
- The first thing you'll want to do is cook the farro so it has time to cool before you toss it with the other ingredients. I like to do my farro in the "pasta method," which is boiling the grain in a lot of water, then draining the water through a mesh strainer. (The other method is the "rice method," which is cooking it as you would rice, with a lid on low until all the liquid is absorbed.)
To cook the farro using the Pasta Method: Fill a 3-quart pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the farro and turn the temperature down a little so it doesn't boil over. The farro will probably foam which is normal. You can skim it or stir it into the water. It will take about 20 minutes for the farro to cook fully. It should have the tiniest bite to it, but otherwise, be tender. Drain out the water and set the farro aside to cool, or refrigerate while finishing the other ingredients. To speed up the process, you can spread the farro out on a platter or sheet pan... I know, I know, more dishes. But it works! - The next thing you'll want to do is fry the cheese, so it also has time to cool before adding it to the salad. Whichever cheese you choose, dry it off with a paper towel and cut it into slabs or sticks. After it fries, you can dice it into bite-sized pieces for the salad. (I found when I chopped it into bite-sized pieces ahead of time, all the smaller pieces just reconnected while heating it up, and I had to cut them apart again.)
Warm a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Lay the cheese pieces into the pan leaving room between; you may need to do this in batches. The cheese will cook fairly quickly, so keep an eye on it. After a few minutes, check the bottom and turn it if it's browned. Small tongs work great for this. Continue on until all the cheese has been fried toasty brown. Set aside to cool, and try not to eat them all! Once cooled, dice them into bite-sized pieces. - When all the cheese is cooked, wipe out the skillet and return it to the heat. Add the pine nuts and shake the pan, swirling them around until they get toasty brown, 4-6 minutes.
- Dice the red onion and soak it in a bowl of cold water to mellow them out. Mince all of the herbs, quarter the kalamata olives, dice the zucchini, and measure out any remaining salad ingredients. Add all of these to a large bowl along with the farro and cheese bites once they have cooled.
- To make the dressing, put the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a mason jar with a fitting lid or another lidded shaker and, well, shake it up! Pour it immediately into the bowl with the other salad ingredients and toss together until fully coated.
- The salad tastes best better after its had time for all the ingredients to marinate together! Give it at least an hour if you can. A simple green salad is a perfect accompaniment. Especially when you stir it all together!
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think of Farro, Corn, and Zucchini Salad with Fried Cheese!
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Farro, Corn, and Zucchini Salad with Fried Cheese
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A salad with farro, corn, zucchini, kalamata olives, fresh herbs, toasted pine nuts, and fried cheese in a simple lemon olive oil dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dry farro
- 8 ounces frying cheese like halloumi, panela, or queso fresco
- 1 cups corn
- 1 cup diced zucchini
- ½ cup kalamata olives, quartered
- ⅓ cup diced red onion, soaked in water
- ⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted
- 3-4 tablespoons minced fresh dill
- 3-4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 3-4 tablespoons minced chives
- salt and pepper to taste
Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Fill a 3-quart pot with water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. When the water is bubbling, add the farro. Bring it back up to a boil, but turn down the heat slightly so it doesn't boil over.
- Boil the farro for 20 minutes or until the grains are tender with some bite. Drain the water and set out to cool.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Slice the cheese into slabs or sticks and add to the pan, spread out in one layer. Fry each side for a few minutes. You may need to do a few batches. Set cheese aside to cool. Once it has cooled, dice the cheese into bite-sized pieces.
- When all the cheese is cooked, wipe out the skillet and return it to medium heat. Add the pine nuts. Shake the pan to swirl the nuts until they are lightly toasted, 4-6 minutes. Watch closely because they burn quickly.
- Add the remaining salad ingredients to a big bowl, draining the water from the onions before adding. Stir in the farro, cheese, and pine nuts once they've cooled to room temperature.
- Put the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a mason jar and shake it up until combined. Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and stir to completely cover and evenly combine all the ingredients.
- Add additional salt or pepper if needed. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Salad, side dish
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: mediterranean
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