Radish, Cucumber and White Bean Farro Salad

By Yasmin Fahr

Published June 20, 2024

Radish, Cucumber and White Bean Farro Salad — Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.

Total Time: 50 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Rating: 5(53)
Notes: Read community notes

This colorful grain salad gains punchy acidity from pepperoncini and lightly pickled vegetables. While the nutty farro is cooking, the soaking begins: Scallions, radishes, cucumber, parsley and white beans are tossed in a sherry-Dijon dressing spiked with a spoonful of pepperoncini pickling liquid. The beans add a creamy texture to the dish in lieu of cheese, though a crumbled feta or torn mozzarella would work nicely. Swap these ingredients as the season changes, adding corn kernels or snap peas, or play with the herbs, mixing in cilantro or mint, too.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings (about 8 cups)

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1cup farro
2tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar
1tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 to 6jarred pepperoncini, thinly sliced (about 3 tablespoons), plus 1 tablespoon pickling liquid
¼cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2scallions, light green and white parts thinly sliced
4 to 6medium radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
1large cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1(15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed
¼cup flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, gently chopped or torn

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the farro and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, in a large serving bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, pepperoncini pickling liquid, oil and a few grinds of pepper until smooth. Add the pepperoncini slices, scallions, radishes, cucumber, beans and most of the parsley. Season the dressing with salt, and toss to coat. Set aside, stirring occasionally, until the farro is ready.
Step 3
Drain the farro, and drizzle with olive oil, tossing in the colander to cool slightly. Transfer to the serving bowl and mix to combine. Taste and season with more salt or oil, if needed, and garnish with the remaining parsley.

Ratings

5 out of 5

53 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Sarah in Atlanta4 days ago

This was absolutely delicious, especially during this heat wave. FYI, if you don't care for radishes, jicama and celeriac are good substitutes. And you can use any pepper pickling liquid (from sweet cherry peppers, for example) instead of pepperoncini if you'd like.

Tracy21 hours ago

Delicious. Made my farro in the instant pot so I didn’t have to turn on a burner in these boiling days. Had some fresh ricotta so threw in small dots at the end, used the scallion dark greens, which aren’t mentioned in the recipe, for garnish along with my herbs and a sprinkle of course sea salt. Who knew cucumber and farro were such a match made in heaven. Swap out veggies, sure, but do try and use cucumber if you can find fresh ones, they are perfect.

Jude1 day ago

Light, fresh, and delicious. Perfect for summer. I used fresh oregano and cilantro for the herbs and added a little extra pepperoncini pickling liquid, otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Might add some crumbled feta next time. Great with roast chicken. Would also be good with salmon or halibut I think. Took more like 20-25 minutes to make, but easy.

NY4 days ago

So good! I might use a 1/4 cup less of dressing next time but my family disagrees. Either way, 5 starts from our household. This will be a summer staple.

Laurie3 days ago

Would barley work instead of the farro?

Maggie Bee2 days ago

I'm definitely going to substitute with barley -- I use it all the time in salads that call for farro, couscous, etc. Tabouleh is especially good with barley.

Hannah3 days ago

Delicious! I had just harvested the last of our radishes and first of the cucumbers from our garden. I made it as written except I used a quick cooking farro. My husband was initially skeptical when I described it, but after two bites, he said he really liked it and would happily eat it again. I would too. I served it with a bit of ham and steamed green beans—next time, I think I’d just serve this salad as the main course.

Sarah in Atlanta4 days ago

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