Name: Vegan Farro Salad with Sugar Snap Peas and White Beans
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 12 ounces sugar snap peas , strings removed, cut into 1-inch lengths; Salt and pepper; 1½ cups whole farro; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 2 tablespoons minced shallot; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans , rinsed; 6 ounces cherry tomatoes , halved; ⅓ cup chopped pitted kalamata olives; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Why This Recipe Works

Traditionally, farro is soaked overnight and then cooked gradually for more than an hour. Could we find a quicker, simpler method? Luckily, this was easy. After testing out a few cooking techniques, we learned that boiling the farro and then draining it (we call this the pasta method), like we do for so many other grains, yielded nicely firm but tender farro—no soaking necessary. We let the grains cool and then tossed them with snap peas that we had cooked first in the boiling water to bring out their vibrant color and crisp-tender bite. A lemon-dill dressing served as a citrusy, herbal complement to the earthy farro and fresh-tasting peas. For a full-flavored finish, we added in some cherry tomatoes and meaty kalamata olives, and we stirred in creamy cannellini beans to make this salad even more of a hearty meal.

Before You Begin

We prefer the flavor and texture of whole-grain farro; pearled farro can be used, but the texture may be softer. We found a wide range of cooking times among various brands of farro, so start checking for doneness after 10 minutes. Do not use quick-cooking farro in this recipe.

Instructions

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add snap peas and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer snap peas to large plate and let cool completely, about 15 minutes.

Add farro to water, return to boil, and cook until grains are tender with slight chew, 15 to 30 minutes. Drain farro, spread on rimmed baking sheet, and let cool completely, about 15 minutes. (Cooled farro can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Whisk oil, lemon juice, shallot, mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. Add cooled snap peas, cooled farro, beans, tomatoes, olives, and dill and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.