When Caesar salad isn’t delighting and you’re craving something more inviting, this salad shows: anything goes! Anything Goes Salad might seem freewheeling, but all of its delicious components come together to make something even tastier than the sum of its parts: the nutty, hearty farro and peppery arugula provide the perfect base for tender, golden roasted carrots, and leaks with crisp red peppers for bites that are simultaneously bright and mellow, sweet and savory. With a sprinkle of creamy, tangy goat cheese atop the sweet and herbaceous dressing, you’ll feel as free as the name proclaims. Anything Goes Salad will certainly liberate you from boring salads from this point on!
Ingredients
For the vegetables:
- 3 1/2 cups water, plus more as needed
- kosher salt, to taste
- 1/2 cup farro, rinsed
- 2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch-thick sticks
- 2 large leeks, washed thoroughly and sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1 (15-ounce) can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 head radicchio, thinly sliced
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the salad:
- 3 cups arugula
- 1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 2 –In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a boil.
Step 3 –Lightly salt the water.
Step 4 –Add the farro to the boiling water and reduce the heat to a simmer.
Step 5 –Let the farro simmer until tender, about 40 minutes. Add more water if needed.
Step 6 –Place the carrots and the leeks on a baking sheet.
Step 7 –Toss the carrots and leeks with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Step 8 –Bake until the carrots are tender and the leeks are dark golden, about 30 minutes.
Step 9 –In a large bowl, toss the farro, roasted carrots, roasted leeks, beans, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and radicchio.
Step 10 –In a small bowl, combine the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Step 11 –Pour the dressing over the farro mixture, tossing to combine.
Step 12 –Add the arugula and the goat cheese, tossing to combine.
Step 13 –Serve.