This sweet potato farro salad is so cozy and comforting! It’s full of flavor, packed with crispy bacon, creamy goat cheese, peppery arugula and chewy farro. It has a delicious hot honey vinaigrette that makes the whole salad shine!
Raise your hand if you want a cozy winter meal!
This sweet potato farro salad is so cozy and comforting. It’s warm and crunchy, smoky and spicy and satisfying from the farro. There’s a creamy touch from the goat cheese and it’s such a filling dish!
I love making it for lunch. For myself! A big bowl of this is so incredibly satisfying during the work day for me. It holds me over until dinner and it’s a meal that really sticks with me. Plus, it tastes amazing!
You know the drill when it comes to a salad like this.
For me, it could be my entire meal. I love how filling a salad like this can be – it’s not only lettuce and vegetables!
For Eddie, he’d prefer this as a side dish. But it’s a delicious side dish, and excellent when served with grilled chicken or even steak. Heck, you could add the chicken right into the bowl if you want!
This is also an amazing dish to make for a sunday dinner with friends and family. It has a comforting flavor profile with the sweet potatoes and the bacon. The farro is so chewy and the goat cheese is creamy and tangy – giving the dish a bit of everything.
You can also toss in some pepitas or walnuts if you’d like!
This is how I make it!
First up, the sweet potatoes. I season them with my favorite combo: salt, pepper, smoked paprika and garlic powder. I love how smoky and flavorful this spice mix is.
Then, I roast the potatoes and add chopped bacon to the sheet pan about halfway through cooktime. Not only does the bacon fat make the sweet potatoes taste extra good, but the bacon gets SO crunchy and it’s wonderful.
While the potatoes and bacon are in the oven, I cook the farro. This usually involves boiling the farro for about 30 minutes – but follow the directions on your package! I know that Trader Joe’s has a farro that cooks in 10 minutes! Either way, cook a batch farro so you end up with two cooked cups.
In a large bowl, I toss some arugula with thinly sliced red onions. These both taste excellent with the bacon and the goat cheese! And the sweet potatoes, obviously. So I toss those with a touch of the dressing and then add the warm farro right to the top. It helps wilt both the greens and onions and they get super soft in the salad.
Speaking of – the dressing! I make a hot honey vinaigrette that has a touch of lemon. The acidity adds a wonderful brightness and the hot honey is so savory and sweet. We love it! I use this on fruit and vegetables often. But it also makes a great dressing for salads because it is so neutral. It’s not overly citrusy or mustardy or garlicky! It doesn’t have a strong taste of balsamic or red wine vinegar. So it works very nicely on just about any dish.
The sweet potatoes get tossed right on top of the farro too. And then the goat cheese! I don’t mind if this entire salad is at room temperature, chilled right from the fridge or warm. But I do have to say that the goat cheese gets slightly melty if the ingredients are still warm. And that is just a delight because then the goat cheese spreads throughout the salad.
It’s definitely become one of those repeat meals I love!
Sweet Potato Farro Salad with Bacon & Goat Cheese
Sweet Potato Farro Salad with Bacon & Goat Cheese
This sweet potato farro salad is so cozy and comforting! It’s full of flavor, packed with crispy bacon, creamy goat cheese, peppery arugula and chewy farro. It has a delicious hot honey vinaigrette that makes the whole salad shine!
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and prepare the farro according to the package directions.
Toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil, a big pinch of salt and pepper and the smoked paprika and garlic powder. Toss until combined. Spread the mixture out on a baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, toss the sweet potatoes. Add the chopped bacon all over the sheet with the potatoes. Roast for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp and the potatoes are golden. You may need to toss once more during that 15 minutes too!
In a large serving bowl, toss the arugula and red onions together with a pinch of salt and pepper.. Drizzle with a tablespoon of the dressing and toss. Add the cooked farro into the bowl and toss well, adding another tablespoon of dressing to distribute it.
Top the mixture with the sweet potatoes and bacon. Drizzle with a bit more dressing, as much or as little as you’d like. Add the crumbled goat cheese on top and serve!
hot honey vinaigrette
Whisk together the vinegar, lemon, hot honey, garlic and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Slowly stream in the oil while constantly mixing, until the dressing is emulsified. This can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to use! Shake or whisk before using.
So many dream flavors!
