Mediterranean Roasted Sweet Potato & Farro Salad
This hearty roasted sweet potato and farro salad has delicious a Mediterranean spin to it. It's a great vegetarian weeknight dinner!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 9, 2024
Sometimes, I like to imagine that I live a more glamorous food blogger existence. One in which lunch is more than a hodgepodge of cookbook leftovers, and I make myself proper dinners every night. This all takes place in my lovely, subway-tiled, self-cleaning kitchen (a girl can dream!).
My reality is far different. I’ve been intensely focused on photographing the breakfast chapter for my cookbook, so I have been living in yoga pants and surviving on scones lately. My dining table has moved to the middle of my living room, and a tripod now stands where my coffee table usually goes. Everything is a mess.
With impeccable timing, Blue Apron offered to send me three meal’s worth of ingredients (two portions each), complete with simple instructions on how to make them. They basically fed me a proper lunch for the first time in a week. It was amazing. I could have cried.
When life gets super busy, it’s so easy for healthy meals to fall by the wayside. Good dinners are more than just fuel—they’re a time to rest, recharge and connect with friends and family. They’re important, and they don’t make themselves.
Blue Apron makes dinners easier by shipping perfectly portioned, sustainably produced ingredients with simple, chef-created menus. I almost felt a little guilty accepting outside help, and I was worried about creating more waste with extra packaging. I was relieved when I opened the box to see that they have totally minimized the packaging (no styrofoam!), and even offer recycling programs. I’m going to ship my box back to them (for free) via USPS—here’s more information about their recycling options.
During this hectic time, it was quite a relief to know that I had all the ingredients I needed waiting for me in the refrigerator. Blue Apron deliveries seem like a perfect solution for particularly busy weeks, or for date nights in, or for the first week at a new house. I can see myself gifting a shipment to new parents who love to cook, too.
So today, I’m sharing the delightful roasted sweet potato and farro salad that Blue Apron shipped to me. It’s something that I would normally cook, but I wouldn’t have thought to add a Middle Eastern spin to it with mint, ricotta salata and sumac. Sumac is a reddish spice with a delicious, almost lemony, tart flavor.
You can peruse more of Blue Apron’s recipes over here, no membership or purchase required. If you want to try Blue Apron for yourself, they’re offering a special to Cookie and Kate readers—the first 50 readers will get two free meals on their first Blue Apron order! Just click here.
Mediterranean Roasted Sweet Potato & Farro Salad
This hearty roasted sweet potato and farro salad has delicious a Middle Eastern spin to it, thanks to the sumac, lemon, mint and ricotta salata. Recipe yields 2 large servings or 3 to 4 more modest servings.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup farro (the semi-pearled variety cooks faster)
- 1 pound sweet potatoes (1 large or 2 small), peeled and sliced into 1” cubes
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 teaspoons ground sumac (optional but recommended)
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale (also known as Lacinato kale), ribs removed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar or honey or maple syrup
- 1 medium lemon
- 1 handful fresh mint leaves
- 3 tablespoons roughly chopped hazelnuts
- ⅓ cup (about 2 ounces) crumbled salata cheese or feta cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. To cook the farro: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add the farro, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the farro is tender to the bite but still pleasantly chewy (pearled farro will take as little as 15 minutes; unprocessed farro will take 25 to 40 minutes). Drain off the excess water and return the farro to the pot. Set aside.
- To roast the sweet potatoes: Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Place the cubed sweet potato on the pan and drizzle with enough olive oil to lightly coat the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle the sumac over the sweet potatoes, followed by salt and pepper, then toss until the sweet potatoes are thoroughly coated in oil and spices. Arrange the sweet potatoes in a single layer and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, tossing halfway, until they are caramelized on the edges and tender when pierced with a fork.
- To pickle the onion: In a small pan or medium pot, combine the onion, vinegar, sugar and ½ cup water. Cook over medium heat, occasionally swirling the pan, for 4 to 8 minutes, or until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is slightly reduced in volume. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Once the farro is done cooking, add the chopped kale to the pot. Drizzle with olive oil, then stir to combine. Season with salt (I added ¼ teaspoon) and pepper, to taste.
- To assemble the salad: Drain the excess liquid from the pickled onions, then add the onions to the pot of farro and kale. Add the roasted sweet potatoes and squeeze an entire lemon’s worth of juice into the pot. Stir to combine and season generously with salt and pepper, to taste. Divide the salad into individual bowls and top each one with mint leaves, chopped hazelnuts and crumbled cheese.
Notes
Recipe courtesy of Blue Apron.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Skip the cheese. Vegans, use either sugar or maple syrup for the pickled onions.
Make it gluten free: I think ¾ cup cooked wild rice or wild rice blend would be a great substitute for the farro.
Make it nut free: Substitute toasted pepitas for the hazelnuts.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This post was created in partnership with Blue Apron and I received compensation for my participation. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
If you ever find the elusive self-cleaning kitchen, help a girl out! This salad looks amazing and I already have all the ingredients at home… pinned!
Wouldn’t that just be the best?!
I’m going to try this next week! Looks marvelous!
Side note – as an avid knitter, I got totally sidetracked by the white afghan shown in your photos. Did someone knit that for you? :0)
Thanks, Brenda! Hope you love it. I wish someone special knitted the throw for me. I actually found it at Target last week. :)
Made this for supper tonight. It was delicious. Will be making it again. I only had almonds on hand roasted them up and were very good. Thanks for the great recipie.
I love to hear that, Ann! Thank you for your review.
Looking forward to try this one. Wondering if anyone can share a good vegan sweet potatoes w/corn soup? You share many grand recipes. Keep up the good work! )
Hope you love it, Frances! I actually have a hard time combing sweet potatoes and corn (they’re both so sweet), but I’ll let you know if I come across such a recipe!
Hi Kate, Love the recipe and I’m heating up the oven now. This is going to be dinner.
I love your site, which is why I’m going to tell you it’s loading really slowly. I checked other sites I have open and they’re ripping along as usual. Don’t know what is happening here, but it’s hard to use the site.
All the best, Heather
Hi Heather, I’m so bummed my site was running slowly for you. I haven’t heard that from others, so I’m not sure what was going on. Is it still slow for you today, and if so, could you please try clearing your cache or visiting on another browser? I’m wondering if it’s something related to your computer or if it’s a more widespread issue.
Working fine now, Kate. No idea what was going on before. Computer gremlins! Thanks! : )
Glad it’s better now!
Hello Kate!
I am not a vegetarian, but I love vegetarian food. I am also concerned about animal welfare in the food industry and the contamination of our food supply. I have a great deal of trouble getting the minimum servings of vegetables into my diet,. It is not that I don’t like veggies, I really do, but I never know what to do with them. For me, meat has become the default. If I can’t think of anything for a meal, there is always meat. My goal is to convert to a mostly plant-based diet. It is extra-challenging for me because I am from and live in Wisconsin, the land of the meat raffle. (Seriously, it is a big thing here!) I have been reading your posts for a while and think your stuff sounds yummy so I am going to give this one a try. Also, I have GERD and eating lighter is one thing the doctor recommends. The only problems I see for myself with this recipe are the onions, vinegar and mint, all notorious triggers for a GERD flare, so I will have to tweaks things a bit, but I am looking forward to trying this. Thanks for all your great ideas!
Hi Michelle, you are definitely in the right place! I hope you enjoy this recipe and others!!!
Just made this for dinner. SO yummy. I left out the onion, mint and lemon as they cause GERD flares and used pecans instead of hazelnuts because that is what I had in the house and it was perfect anyways. Use more kale than you think you need because it shrinks down to about a third of what you start with when the heat from the farro and sweet potato hits it! I used the maple syrup to finish it off! Perfection!!!
I’ve seen a billion Blue Apron posts- and they are always awesome meal inspiration, so I enjoy them – but it never occurred to me that this might be perfect for a couple weeks here and there on maternity leave. I do love to cook and found getting back into cooking when I had my son not too difficult. However, handling a toddler and a newborn this summer…this might be perfect between meal drop offs.
Thanks, Amy! I can imagine that cooking with two little ones would be quite a challenge. Blue Apron might be perfect for you. Hope you love it, if you give it a try!
I have those oh-so-desirable laminate countertops that’re so hot right now. True glamour! Blue Apron was a little too much cooking for me right after baby was born (new recipes = stress on no sleep) but I’d be willing to give it another try now.
Oh, me too! Mine are a light speckled gray color. Could be worse. I think Blue Apron is worth another shot!
I just love seeing all those photos of Cookie here!! She is such a cutie pie!! :D
Thanks, Sarah! I think so. :)
I made this today, and it was delicious! I did not have sumac, but did have za’atar and it worked well. This recipe is a keeper
Thank you, Jane! So glad you enjoyed it. I wouldn’t have thought to add za’atar—so smart.
You know you’re addicted to a food blog when you read through the recipe and go straight to Amazon to order some Sumac. I’m excited to try this next week!
Yay!!! Your comment made me smile, Sarah. Also, I hadn’t thought to order sumac on Amazon—doing that next!
I love love love seeing Cookie’s little mouth in those aerial shots of you on the couch! Ha! That is totally what Loki does. This salad looks divine Kate, I have a massive jar of sumac waiting to be used (my friend ordered in bulk and gave me half!) so your recipe is the perfect opportunity to crack it open xx
She is so ornery around food! Not to be trusted, I tell you. How lucky that you have so much sumac. I can’t find any!
Try checking out your local bulk store or smaller ethnic markets. It might also be at higher end grocery stores. In Toronto it’s quite common at stores like Bulk Barn.
I can’t wait to try this recipe out, I am obsessed with grain bowls at the moment.
I don’t know why have I not tried Blue apron yet. Most of my friends love it. I guess its time!
Hello, dream lunch! This salad is everything I’m craving.
This was delicious! I had everything on hand except the hazelnuts so I substituted a mix of almonds and cashews. The sumac was crazy good on the roasted sweet potatoes. Another fantastic recipe. Thanks Kate!
Thank you, Lisa! Happy to hear it! I’m definitely putting sumac on sweet potatoes again soon. :)
Very flavorful and filling salad! Love the addition of mint leaves and pickled onions. Found sumac at our local grocery store, which was fun to try for the first time. Thanks!
Thank you, Beth! So glad you enjoyed it. I just ordered more sumac, yay!
This was amazing!! I love your recipes that have a southwestern flavor (black beans, avocado, cilantro, etc) but I felt this branched out in a really nice way. Couldn’t find sumac (used a little lemon zest instead) and omitted the cheese to make it vegan and it was still delicious. I will definitely make this again, and will start cooking more with farro because it was really yummy! Thanks!!
Thanks, Liz! Glad you enjoyed it. I knew I would like this recipe, and it was fun to use the Mediterranean flavors I wouldn’t have picked myself! I forgot how awesome hazelnuts and mint can be. :)
The first part of your post had me cracking up. It reminds me of those “expectations vs. reality” photos. The struggle is real!
Right?! xo
Hi to All, I found just what I needed on another web sight for a “creamy vegan corn chowder soup”. I will be substituting sweet potatoes instead of the regular potatoes. I will make it today. Thanks for the info.
Glad you found a good recipe, Frances! Hope it turned out well for you.
Blue Apron has been my SAVIOR during these months of pregnancy + medical school…in fact I had this exact meal for lunch today! I had it last year also when it was featured…loved it then and love it now!
Yay! I don’t know how you do it all, Joanne. Glad to hear you get some help from Blue Apron! Hope you are feeling great!
I have loved every recipe of yours that I have made except this one – maybe it was because I left off the cheese but I felt this salad was begging for a dressing or an avocado
What an exciting recipe! Farro makes really great salads and I love the flavors you are adding in. Sumac would absolutely be a great flavor to add. :)
What a great and tasty and healthy salad! I used blue cheese since I love blue cheese and feta for the rest of the family. We loved it. We had it as a side with haddock, but it is a meal on its own. Could not finish the fish! Ate all of the salad!
I also had to leave out the sumac (I’m going to pick some up at Penzey’s at my next visit!) but it was still delicious!(I also used walnuts instead of hazelnuts because I had them on hand.)
I made this for supper tonight, and I love it! There might not be leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. My grocery store didn’t have sumac, but I’ll have to get some for next time, because I’m definitely making it again!
Farro Salad has such a refreshing taste, I made mine super crunchy using a variety of nuts I had in my pantry. Maybe I went a little overboard this time but it was still a great salad.
This was winner! So, so good! I subbed pistachios for the hazelnuts and lemon zest for the sumac. Will definitely make again and again.
Eating this salad right now and it’s very tasty! I used goat cheese instead of feta and lemon pepper spice since I didn’t have sumac. I will definitely make again! Thank you!
Yum!! I made this recipe for the second time this week. I can’t lie, it’s a little involved but… So delicious!!! It keeps very well for lunch for the week (I just keep the hazelnuts separate). I love recipes that make me actually CRAVE kale. :)
The first time I skimped on the sumac, and it is much better to use the amount the recipe describes. All I could find the first time was a tiny package at Whole Foods and didn’t want to use the entire thing! But then I found a nice big package at a mediterranean store. :)
Thanks, Kelly! Glad you enjoyed this one. You just reminded me that I have a big bottle of sumac from Amazon!
I made this for dinner last week & I really enjoyed all of the elements, but felt the dish was lacking a bit in the sauce department . My husband had a stroke of genius & added a little balsamic. It was the magic touch! I’ve now found a keeper recipe :) It should work great as a unique side dish for potlucks too! Thanks for sharing!
That’s a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
This was fabulous. I used zaatar instead of sumac and almonds instead of hazelnuts because that’s what I had on hand. Also subbed agave for the sugar. It turned out great! Next time I will probably make a double batch.
Made it – family loved it!!
Jazzed to hear it, Kathy!!
Loved this! This is a regular in my house. The flavors are amazing and I wouldn’t change a thing (except I opted out of the hazelnuts because I just don’t ever have them).
Thanks, Sarah.
Kate – This was pretty much the most delicious salad that’s ever graced our dining room table — and we eat a lot of salad! The combination of flavors and textures danced on the tongue like a perfectly choreographed ballet! Hyperbole…? No, it REALLY was THAT good. I adhered to the recipe but I made the pickled onions, sweet potatoes and kale 2 days before and stored separately. A slight departure on the kale, which I thought worked well… after chopping, I put into a bowl and drenched it with freshly squeezed lime juice and some fine sea salt, mixed, and covered. When I mixed all of the ingredients tonight, I squeezed another fresh lime over the entire salad, then served as you recommended. We have a favorite restaurant here that has great salads — the Veggie Grill — but as good as those are, I must say yours was even better, if that’s possible. My only complaint: all of your recipes we’ve tried had plenty for leftovers. This barely made enough for 3 people, and I didn’t use large bowls. I used a large handful of precut Tuscan kale from Trader Joe’s, which I then trimmed as instructed. Maybe I didn’t use enough. But if I were to use more next time, I suspect the balance of flavors might be tweaked. It’s a minor issue; next time I’m probably going to make 3X as much — so that will take care of that! Thank you for sharing. Without question, C&K is now our nearly exclusive go-to website for GREAT vegan/vege recipes. We’re mostly vegan now, and your site could be the hood ornament for great vegan eating. Well done!!!
Wendell, thank you! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes so much. Perfectly choreographed ballet, that’s really something. Thank you for your kind words and have a great weekend!
Kate – this looks like another delicious recipe I will be trying soon.
Actually I wanted to ask you a question – have you considered adding nutritional facts to your recipes? I’ve been frequenting your blog, cooking (and loving) DOZENS of your recipes for well over a year since I gave up meat, and your site has been a godsend to make the transition easy-peasy. But recently I’ve also tried to be more conscious of calories, carbs, and especially upping the protein. I’ve been veering away from your wonderful recipes in favor of sites that include the info. As a longtime reader I thought I should tell you :)
Or, let me know if you have found any easy nutritional fact finder sites. I found one that lets me input the entire recipe but it’s closing soon. Other sites make you enter every ingredient and amount individually – very time consuming.
I recognize I’m asking you to do more work, which isn’t totally fair, but I figured I’d ask :)
Hi, Julie. Unfortunately, I don’t have nutritional info available for my recipes just yet. I’m looking for a solution, and will update about it once I find one. Thanks!
I finally got to make this tonight and it was delicious! First time trying the Tuscan kale and I realize now that even though I liked kale before, I love this variety. I’m thinking of making it with cooked wheat berries next time for something different.
Yum! Let me know if you try it with wheat berries, too. I’d love to know how that works out.
Yum! That sounds like some delicious textures, too, Amy.
Made this one tonight. Wife and I loved it. The mint is a nice touch and the pickled onions add a lovely touch of sweetness. Can’t beat farro but couldn’t find sumac for love nor money so I went to the oracle of all things – google – and discovered that lemon zest is a good substitute. Thanks!
Perfect! Thank goodness for Google. It helps me out of lots of cooking binds!
It was SO hard not to eat like 4 servings of this! I’ve used your blog quite regularly for almost 2 years now and this is a favorite. I used zaatar instead of sumac and pine nuts instead of hazelnuts (none at the store and I LOVE pine nuts). Also I quickly pan seared my kale and it turned out almost crispy. This is such a versatile salad- great for dinner but also as a side at a big party.
Thank you, Julie! I’m so glad you enjoy this.
This was very tasty! I didn’t to use sunflower seeds (allergic to hazelnuts and my local grocery in my new city doesn’t have pepitas — can I survive here?). But they tasted great! But I do have one question from a lot of your recipes — what is one bunch of kale for you? As I’ve moved around the country and used different stores and farmers’ markets there is a big range in the way they bundle kale. What is normal for you? This would help me so much in interpreting your recipes! (Usually I just look at it and think, yeah, that’s the amount of kale I want to eat, but that is very unscientific!). Thanks for the great recipes here and in your book!
Hi Kathryn! I’m glad you enjoyed this one, and I’m sorry I missed your question until now. I realized the same thing with kale as I was making my cookbook—it varies SO MUCH from bunch to bunch. 1 medium bunch of kale = about 8 ounces.
This recipe is gold!! I’m not much of a salad person but this is amazing! The combination of flavours is perfect, they go so well together and the mixed textures is great too. I’m adding this recipe to my meal repertoire for sure. Thank you Kate :)
This was delicious and I almost ate the whole bowl for supper. But I decided to keep some for my lunch tomorrow. Only difference my organic grocer didn’t have Tuscan kale so I made it with spinach. And I just didn’t like the pickled onion but will definitely do it again!
Great to hear, Cynthia! Thanks so much for sharing.
This salad is amazing! I have made many of Kate’s recipes and all are delicious. I feel I have never eaten as well since finding Kate’s blog and cookbook.
Thank you, Shelley!
I made this with za’atar on the sweet potatoes (as someone one else recommended above) but enjoyed the recipe enough to grab sumac for the next time I make it. What took the recipe above and beyond for me was my decision to sautee the mizuna I was using in place of the kale — sometimes raw dark greens are a bit “grassy” tasting to me, and the mizuna (a random item in my CSA box) was no exception. But crisp up the greens and wow! Now I’m willing to try it with crispy kale as well :)
Thank you for sharing, Sadye!
I am not a fan of farro and wonder what other grain I could use for this salad.
Hi Mirabel! I think this would be good with cooked short-grain brown rice or quinoa instead of farro.
I am making the farro sweet potato salad for the third time in two weeks because friends and husband love it so! I like all the elements- my favourite thing is pickling the onions- but all combined not so much. But it is one of the most requested things I’ve made! Thanks!
I’m happy to hear you love it that much! If you would like to leave a star review since this is a new favorite, I would appreciate it!
My husband and I recently went to a new restaurant and were introduced to sumac (and fell in love!). I was so excited to see this recipe and enjoy some sumac again, and it didn’t disappoint. Such an amazing blend of flavors, one of my new favorites!
This was yummy! Took this to a potluck and it was devoured. Thank you, Kate!
You’re welcome, Jessica!
I have a bit of an aversion to fresh mint haha. Would you recommend something like parsley instead or just leaving it out?
Parsley could be nice!
This was really yummy, just a bit time consuming with all the different components. I toasted the hazelnuts, went with feta, and didn’t have sumac or lemon zest but sprinkled some cumin and chilli powder on the yams. I think if I make it again I’ll double the recipe so it feels more worth the while for the time and all the dishes. Lovely recipe though, thanks for sharing!
PS: it would be lovely if there were comment filters/categories, such as one for ratings and one for general comments or questions (similar to Minimalist Baker), as there are often a ton of comments to sift through when looking for feedback on the recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m happy you liked it. For the comments, you can always try and search (ctrl+F) with keywords for what you are looking for :)
Hi Kate! This dish is fantastic! I just made it for dinner tonight, and I am having leftovers for lunch tomorrow. The pickled onions give it such great flavor. I topped with feta, and the salty, tangy feta perfectly finish this dish. I am sure that I will be making this every week! Thank you, your recipes are fabulous!
All the best,
Heidi
You’re welcome! I’m happy you loved it.
This salad has me swooning–I think I am in love! I only had split farro on hand, and when I make it again I will probably use pearled farro. Really, really good, and the seasonings make it extra special.
Thank you for sharing your feedback, Eileen!
This is really good; thanks for sharing!