I know it’s still February…but March is just around the corner, which means spring isn’t far behind. I’m already feeling the itch to switch from the warm, comforting meals of winter, to the light and fresh recipes that spring brings. This gorgeous Rainbow Thai Farro Salad is first in line.
I mean, just look at those colors!! We’ve hit nearly every color of the rainbow here…red pepper, orange carrots, yellow pepper, green cabbage and cilantro, purple cabbage, white onions. Add a side of blueberries for lunch and that pot o’ gold is yours…
Another thing I love about this salad…the TEXTURES. Crispy and crunchy veggies and peanuts, cold and creamy dressing, and something a little different with the use of chewy farro as our grain. If you’ve never tried farro, see if you can find it in your grocery store (near where you’d buy rice, couscous or quinoa) and give it a try. It’s similar to barley and cooks up just like pasta in a pot of boiling water. I buy a quick-cooking farro from Trader Joe’s that cooks up in about 10 minutes.
Em wasn’t a big fan of the dressing on this salad, but loved all of the other ingredients on their own. She was literally taking huge spoonfuls of cooked farro out of the colander and scooping it into her mouth. She also loves snacking on raw bell peppers, carrots and peanuts, so this Rainbow Thai Farro Salad is a win-win lunch for both mama and toddler.
I was actually sad when these leftovers were gone. Must make again asap.
Little Hands Can…
- Older kids can help grate carrots or chop vegetables
- Put the chopped vegetables, cilantro and peanuts into a large mixing bowl
- Measure out the ingredients for the sauce
- Whisk (or shake in a resealable bottle) the ingredients together for the dressing
- Toss the salad together
- ¼ cup peanut butter (*see note)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 8-10 ounce package farro (I use a quick-cooking farro from Trader Joe's)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 3 carrots (any color)
- 1½ cups thinly sliced/shredded cabbage, from about 1 small head (purple or green cabbage, or a combination of both colors will work)
- ½ cup cilantro
- ¼ cup green onions (about 4-5 onions)
- ½ cup peanuts
- extra lime wedges and peanuts for serving
- In a large measuring cup or bowl, mix together the peanut butter and honey. Microwave for 15-20 seconds to allow the ingredients to loosen up a bit. Add the ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, rice wine vinegar, and water. Whisk carefully until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. You could also pour all of the ingredients into a resealable salad dressing bottle and shake until combined. The dressing should be pourable. If it's too thick, add a little more water.
- Follow the package directions to cook your farro. (The 8.8 ounce package I usually buy will cook up to be about 2 cups of cooked farro.) Once cooked, drain the farro and let it cool while you prepare the rest of the salad
- Wash and prepare your vegetables. Chop your bell peppers (about ½ inch pieces), peel and grate the carrots, and thinly slice the cabbage. Chop the cilantro and green onions, and coarsely chop the peanuts. Toss all of the vegetables and peanuts into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cooked, cooled farro and about ½ of the dressing. Mix well, adding more dressing to coat, but not soak, the salad.
- Serve with additional lime wedges, peanuts and extra dressing.
Check the ingredient label on your peanut butter...it should just read: peanuts. That's it!
Recipe adapted from Alaska From Scratch
On the Side
I’m trying out something a little different for the next few weeks…I’ll be posting our “On the Side” learning activity in a related post instead of here at the bottom of the recipe! With all the different textures and flavors in this Rainbow Thai Farro Salad, we’re using our sense of taste to go on a “Sense Adventure.” Check out our Taste Sense Adventure activity here!
P.S. Send me an email (sally@sweetpeasandabcs.com) and let me know what you think about the recipes and learning activities being separate, but linked posts. Thank you!
Disclaimer: As with all of our recipes, my suggestions for how kids can help with a particular recipe are based on what has worked in our kitchen. Your child may be able to help more or less based on their age and/or ability. As always, make sure you are properly supervising kids in the kitchen.
Samantha says
February 16, 2016 at 6:14 AMI have some farro in my pantry that I’ve been meaning to use. Can’t wait to try this!
Sally says
February 16, 2016 at 10:39 PMTry it! I think you’ll love it.
Linda Toonen says
February 16, 2016 at 7:10 AMSally,
Yummy!.! The colors are so appealing, making it look so fresh and inviting.. This is without a doubt another potential recipe for me to try for our next potluck at school.
Sally says
February 16, 2016 at 10:40 PMThank you, Linda! I know you like Thai food, so I think you’ll like this one.
Carol says
February 16, 2016 at 9:00 AMCan’t wait to try this Sally! I love peanut sauce!
Sally says
February 16, 2016 at 10:38 PMThank you, Carol! I love it too!
Katie says
February 17, 2016 at 9:08 PMThis looks delicious!! Can’t wait to try it! I’m going to share it with my clean eating group as well! 🙂 YUM!
Sally says
February 18, 2016 at 10:25 PMThanks Katie! It’s SO good…I could literally eat the whole bowl myself.
Mary K C says
February 27, 2017 at 6:22 PMMade this for dinner tonight…so yummy! I just bought a bag of coleslaw mix so I didn’t have to mess with shredding the cabbage. I will make it again for sure!
Sally says
June 20, 2017 at 3:52 PMGreat tip! Thanks, Mary 🙂
Carrie says
March 20, 2017 at 8:23 PMThis was delish! I added some ground turkey for protein, and made it into a healthy bowl! Fantastic recipe, I’ll be making it again!
Sally says
June 20, 2017 at 3:52 PMThank you! Great addition with the turkey!
Lisa says
April 7, 2017 at 11:52 AMJust finished eating this. It’s gorgeous. I made it as read and it’s really a great recipe. Thank you.
Sally says
June 20, 2017 at 3:51 PMThanks, Lisa! It’s one of my favorites too 🙂
Prashant says
July 23, 2017 at 6:26 PMWhat an amazing salad, it was beyond delicious Thanks for posting the recipe!
Sally says
January 10, 2018 at 10:07 AMThank you!! It’s a favorite in our house 🙂
MsRas says
September 19, 2017 at 10:31 PMI got this recipe from my Pinterest feed and tried it right away with some emmer farro. Delicious! I love the clean taste of the sauce. It also tastes wonderful the next day as lunch. I’ll be making it again..
Sally says
January 10, 2018 at 10:06 AMI’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Jayme says
April 24, 2018 at 9:08 PMChose your salad recipe because of all the beautiful colours – and I am really enjoying the taste. One thing I’m finding is that my peanut sauce came out much darker than yours in the picture, leaving a really good tasting salad with a not so great presentation. Did you use a certain type of soy sauce to keep it so light? Thank you.
Donna says
June 12, 2018 at 8:37 PMI followed the recipe to the t and it was so dry. I added more water to the dressing too but it didn’t help. The flavor was pretty good but not quite what I expected.
Cathy Rothe says
September 12, 2018 at 7:54 PMWhat is the serving size? I just made this salad. It is delicious. Serving size helps control m portions. Thank you.
Cathy Rothe says
September 12, 2018 at 7:56 PMWhat is the serving size? I just made this salad. It is delicious. Serving size helps control m portions. Thank you. I do not se any comment on portion size
Lauren says
December 11, 2018 at 8:42 AMDoes this keep well leftover with the dressing on or is it better to mix the dressing in just the portion that i plant to eat?
thank you
Sandy says
January 14, 2019 at 9:44 PMI just made this tonight.
Fantastic!!!!! Loved it so much. Thank you!
Aimee says
May 14, 2019 at 2:35 PMI can;t find any Farro where I live, what could I use instead? Barley? Quinoa? I have that tiny orzo pasta?
Sally says
May 28, 2019 at 3:07 PMHi Aimee, I think any sturdy whole grain would work just fine as a substitute. Barley, brown rice, and yes, definitely quinoa would work well too.
Lucie says
June 23, 2019 at 8:52 AMHow many cups in 10oz of farro?
Dave says
November 3, 2019 at 11:00 PMGreat but beware green onions. I. Found 4-5 was way too many. One big one or a couple of small ones Is plenty.
Sarah says
June 1, 2020 at 2:23 AMIs the nutrition hiding somewhere?
Judy says
September 9, 2020 at 5:37 PMThis is sitting in the fridge waiting for tonight’s dinner. I didn’t have peanut butter so used sunflower seed butter and that worked well. Great recipe.
Angie says
January 13, 2024 at 6:44 PMAlso looking for the nutrition information! Absolutely delicious salad…and was even better 3 days later!! My family fought over the leftovers!
Suzanne says
October 14, 2024 at 9:51 PMThis looks so good! What a great combination of flavors!
Krissy says
November 11, 2024 at 8:36 PMThis is so delish, thanks for sharing this recipe. I made just as directed and added in some edamame at the last minute. I love the farro!