Farro Roasted Veggie Salad

This is one of those dishes that turns out better than you think it's going to, and Thad gave his stamp of approval, saying it's the first dish with mushrooms that he's really loved (he generally is not a mushroom fan, but these did it for him!). I actually made this for lunch one day this week. What a nice treat to have a freshly cooked new meal for lunch instead of leftovers (don't get me wrong, I LOVE leftover lunches, but variety is nice too!). One of the nice things about Thad working from home is that we got to sit down to enjoy lunch together.

This recipe came from a food blog, I don't even remember whether I saw it on Tastespotting or it was linked from another site - but I'm glad I found it either way!

Farro Roasted Veggie Salad
serves 2

Ingredients:

• 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, quartered
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup uncooked farro
• 1 TB balsamic vinegar
• fresh thyme leaves from 2 small sprigs
• baby spinach
• 2 ounces crumbled feta

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425. 
2. Toss mushrooms, tomatoes and shallots on baking sheet with 1/2 TB Olive oil, a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes until tender and browned. Let cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile combine 1/2 cup uncooked farro with 1 1/2 cups water, 1/4 tsp salt in a small pot. Bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
4. Add roasted veggies, balsamic vinegar and thyme to bowl with farro. Add 1/2 TB olive oil, 1/8 tsp salt and several grinds of ground pepper. Toss gently.
5. Pile a handful of spinach on each plate. Top with a scoop of the mixture and sprinkle with the crumbled feta. Enjoy!