Kale Farro Salad with Radicchio

This hearty kale farro salad combines chewy grains, bitter radicchio, hazelnuts, and coarsely grated pecorino for a fresh, flavorful lunch or side.

I’ve had a soft spot for farro ever since I lived in Italy, where it turned up everywhere—from rustic soups to simple grain salads. 

My favorites were generally the simplest renditions: perfectly cooked farro doused in peppery, rich extra-virgin olive oil.  It taught me how a humble grain could feel elegant, and I’m always trying to find ways to use it at home. I’m obsessed with the chewy texture and heartiness it brings. Somehow other grains just feel inadequate in comparison!

This kale farro salad is exactly the kind of thing I want in my fridge all week—ready for quick lunches or an easy side with roasted chicken. It actually gets better after some time in the fridge: the farro soaks up the maple olive oil dressing, the kale softens, and everything melds just right.

I love the balance of greens to grains here. It’s mostly kale with some gorgeous bitter ribbons of radicchio, and just enough chewy farro and toasty hazelnuts to add texture and heft.

For a full-meal version, toss in creamy cannellini beans or gigante beans—I have a whole guide to cooking dried beans if you want to make them from scratch.

here’s how to make this kale farro salad:

A few recipe tips:

Choose the right farro: Look for pearled or semi-pearled farro. It cooks faster than whole grain and doesn’t require overnight soaking. Cooking times vary, so follow your package directions.

Batch cook farro: Double it, and use the extra in this asparagus farro bowl or this farro salad with butternut squash and grapes.

Make it your own: Swap kale for arugula, use toasted walnuts or pecans instead of hazelnuts, or try white balsamic in place of sherry vinegar. This salad is endlessly flexible!

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