Peach and Arugula Farro Salad

I love a salad that combines greens and grain. They’re hearty and filling and make a great one-stop side dish to a meal, and are easy to turn into a main dish as well. This summer salad combines chewy farro with flavorful arugula, fresh peaches and blackberries, and creamy mozzarella pearls. I’ve added chopped avocado and toasted walnuts a time or two and that’s delicious as well! This Peach and Arugula Farro Salad looks fancy but is simple to assemble and serve. I specifically love a Peach White Balsamic vinegar on this salad, but I also have several homemade dressing options linked below. Make sure to read my ingredient notes below for notes on that!

Ingredient Notes

  • Farro – Farro is an ancient grain with a hearty chewy texture and slightly sweet and nutty flavor. You should be able to find it in your normal grocery store. I usually buy the Bob’s Red Mill brand because it’s readily available in my store. It’s located with the other Bob’s redmill products, near the baking aisle. It may be located in another area in your store, like with the rice, etc. If you don’t want to use farro, you could try a brown rice or quinoa in it’s place.
  • Baby Arugula– I love the flavor of arugula in this salad, and tender baby arugula in particular has a better size leaf and a lovely flavor. Optionally, you could roughly chop your greens if you’d like a smaller bite.
  • Basil – this is a great use for basil if you happen to be growing it. I like to use a big handful. If it’s not cost effective to purchase basil here, you could leave it out, but I do love the flavor it adds!
  • Peaches or Nectarines – If I’m being honest, my preference is almost always nectarines, even for things that call for peaches! But you can use either. You’ll want them nice and sweet. Ripe, but not mushy. I like to leave the skins on.
  • Mozzarella Pearls – Mozzarella pearls come in little bite-sized pieces, the size of mini marshmallows. It’s often sold in a vacuum packed plastic that looks like a single ball of cheese, but it’s little pieces smooshed together. You could also just dice up traditional fresh Mozzarella.
  • Peach White Balsamic Vinegar – I specifically designed this salad around the simple use of peach white balsamic. It’s one of my favorite things to dress salads with and brings amazing fresh peach flavor. It’s also what I use to marinate my tomatoes and greens in the best blt ever. I love and use this one by Baker and Olive (use my affiliate code ourbestbites for a discount), but I grabbed an easily accessible bottle from Amazon in another brand to try out and it was just as great. If you don’t want to purchase vinegar, you could try a traditional balsamic vinegar, or I’ve linked 3 homemade dressing options below!
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Kosher salt and black pepper

How to make Peach and Arugula Farro Salad

This is a simple overview of the process, for the full printable recipe with specific measurements and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card!

  1. Cook farro according to package instructions. When drained, run under cool water to chill.
  2. Place farrow in a large salad bowl and add arugula and basil and toss to combine.
  3. Add sliced peaches or nectarines, mozzarella, and blackberries.
  4. Drizzle with peach white balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil( (or one of my homemade dressing options linked below).
  5. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. You can eat immediately or chill for up to an hour.
  6. Note: I’ve made this a couple times and added avocado and toasted walnuts to it as well and that was also delicious, if you want to load it up a little more!

Serving Suggestions

  • Because this salad contains both greens and grain, it works well as a one-stop side dish for a meal. I love it with simply grilled chicken or steak on the side.
  • It also makes a filling main dish when topped with a grilled protein, or shredded rotisserie chicken.
  • You may want to leave the Peach Balsamic on the table because it’s so delicious and people can add extra if they like!
peach arugula salad in a white bowl with sliced steak

More Dressings that Pair Well with this Salad

If you don’t want to purchase Peach Vinegar, these homemade dressings would also be delicious on this salad.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I substitute something in place of Farro?

I love the hearty chew of farro and I think it’s worth buying if you haven’t tried it! But if you’d like to try another grain, brown rice or quinoa would also be delicious. If using quinoa, I would probably roughy chop your arugula and peaches so it’s easier to eat with the tiny grains. You could also leave out grain entirely and make this salad with just your favorite mix of greens.

Can I substitute another green in place of arugula?

I like that baby arugula adds flavor and doesn’t wilt, but you could certainly sub spinach or a spring mix, if you like. Chopped kale would also be tasty.

How far in advance can I make this?

This salad does well holding up and avoiding wilting. I like it freshly tossed, but if needed, you could certainly make it up to an hour ahead and store in the fridge.

Peach Arugula Salad in a white bowl

Peach and Arugula Farro Salad

A delicious salad with baby arugula and hearty farro featuring fresh peaches and blackberries with creamy mozzarella pearls. This salad serves 6-8 side servings or 4 large main dish.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings8 people

Ingredients

  • 1 cup farro cooked according to package instructions and cooled
  • 5 oz baby arugula 1/2 a 10oz container
  • 1 oz fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped 1 large handful
  • 2 nectarines or peaches, sliced
  • 3 oz fresh blackberries that's 1/2 of a standard 6oz container
  • 4 oz mozzarella pearls
  • 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 tablespoons peach white balsamic vinegar see notes for substitutions
  • kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions

  • Place cooked farro in a large salad bowl. It should be well drained, and cool.
  • Add arugula and basil, and lightly toss together.
  • Add peaches, blackberries and mozzarella to salad.
  • Drizzle on olive oil and peach balsamic (or another dressing, if using). I like to start with about 2 tablespoons of each.
  • Sprinkle on a little kosher salt and a few cracks of black pepper and then gently toss salad together
  • Taste your salad and then add more seasoning or balsamic or oil to taste.

Notes

Ingredients are listed in weights because you’ll notice arugula, blackberries, and mozzarella are exactly 1/2 of their standard containers.  This makes it easy to make twice, or double for a large salad!
Dressing Notes
I purchase Peach White Balsamic online.  This one from Baker and Olive is great (I have an affiliate discount code there: ourbestbites) and I also love this one from Amazon
If you’d like to whip up a homemade dressing instead, I think all of these would be a lovely pairing:
Honey Basil Vinaigrette
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
Smoked Paprika Vinaigrette

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup, Calories: 188kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 102mg, Potassium: 214mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 662IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 112mg, Iron: 1mg
Course: Salads
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Arugula Farro Salad
Calories: 188kcal
Cost: 20
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woman in denim shirt holding a salad bowl
Meet The Author

Sara Wells

Sara Wells co-founded Our Best Bites in 2008. She is the author of three Bestselling Cook Books, Best Bites: 150 Family Favorite RecipesSavoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites, and 400 Calories or Less from Our Best Bites. Sara’s work has been featured in many local and national news outlets and publications such as Parenting MagazineBetter Homes & GardensFine CookingThe Rachel Ray Show and the New York Times.

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