Recipes {Farro + Tuna Salad}

Friday, April 3, 2015

Recently, I have tried to make a change to my diet. I am trying to reduce the amount of pasta I eat. You see, I am a total sucker for a giant bowl of spaghetti. I absolutely love it. I also eat far too much and end up feeling guilty and stuffed. But wait, I love it! I can't give up pasta. My solution? I am no longer buying pasta to have in my pantry. If I want to make a large batch of fresh pasta to eat at home, I can. I can order it out. I can still have seconds when eating dinner at a friend's. I just can't have it as my easy back-up for dinner two nights a week.

This has lead me to start purchasing more whole-grain carbs to substitute the pasta in some of my favorite recipes. This has really started quite the love affair between myself and farro. Well, it might be a one-sided love affair, but the bring blue bag of 10-minute farro keeps coming home with me from Trader Joe's - I must be doing something right.

Farro has a nutty texture, is very filling and really holds its own in dishes. For this recipe, I paired it with tuna, beans, cherry tomatoes, olives, crunch celery and a lemony-mustard dressing. In my mind, it was a healthier tuna salad.

Scroll to the bottom for the recipe for Farro + Tuna Salad

The Base

1 Bag Farro

Low Sodium Chicken Broth {Optional}

The Filling

1 Can Black Olives, Sliced

1 1/2 Cups Cherry Tomatoes, Halved

6 Stalks Celery, Chopped

1 Can Canellini Beans, Drained

1 Can Tuna in Water, Drained

1 Can Tuna in Olive Oil, Drained

Mixed Greens {Optional}

The Dressing

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

3 TBS Red Wine Vinegar

3 TBS Grainy Dijon Mustard

2 Lemons -Zest + Juice 

4 Large Cloves Garlic, Minced

6 Green Onions, Chopped

Salt + Pepper

Step One

Mix all of the dressing ingredients together. Most likely, you will have extra dressing for other salads. Salt + Pepper the dressing to your liking. Do this first so the flavors can marry together.

Step Two

Prep and mix together the olives, tomatoes, celery and beans. Cook the farro. Personally, I like to toast the farro in a dash of olive oil then add chicken stock. If you would prefer to bring a pot of water to boil then add water, it will work great as well! I find that toasting and cooking with chicken stock adds more flavor and reduces the need for salting the dish later on.

Step Three

Once the farro is done cooking, immediately remove from the heat and add the tuna. Lightly salt + pepper, and let this sit for a few minutes.

Step Four

In a large bowl mix together the farro + tuna with the filling. Mix the dressing (it has separated at this point) and drizzle one-third over the salad. Mix together and add more dressing until you are satisfied. Be sure not over work the salad and mush the farro. 

To Serve

This salad can be served warm or cold, and mixed with greens if so desired. Salt + Pepper if needed.