Simple Ancient Grains Salad with Tahini Dressing

Ancient grains salad served on a white platter with wooden salad servers placed in the right corner.

Simple Ancient Grains Salad with Tahini Dressing

This Ancient Grains Salad is a healthy side dish or a light meal that is brimming with fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals! It features juicy cherry tomatoes, salty kalamata olives, and a tangy tahini dressing that's to die for!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 405kcal

Author Rachel

Ingredients

For the salad:

½ cup farro uncooked
½ cup quinoa uncooked
½ cup pearl barley uncooked
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes halved
½ cup kalamata olives halved
½ small red onion diced
½ cup fresh basil leaves thinly chopped

For the dressing:

¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup tahini
⅔ cup water
½ lemon juiced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic
1 date pitted soaked in hot water for 30 min, or 1⁄4 cup raisins

Instructions

Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Check the package instructions for your grains, add your longest cooking grain to the pot first (typically farro), and set a timer for the difference between the longest cooking grain minus the second longest. When the timer goes off, add your second grain (most likely quinoa). Set the timer again for the difference between the second and third grain cook times. When the alarm sounds, add the third grain and set it for its cooking time.
½ cup farro, ½ cup quinoa, ½ cup pearl barley
Once done, drain the grains in a fine mesh strainer and rinse with cold water.
In the meantime, prepare the tahini dressing. To a high-speed blender, add all of the ingredients, starting with the liquid first. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the mixture is completely smooth and no chunks of garlic or dates remain. Adjust consistency with more water if needed.
¼ cup balsamic vinegar, ¼ cup tahini, ½ lemon, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 clove garlic, 1 date, ⅔ cup water
To assemble the ancient grains salad, add all of the ingredients including the cooked grains to a large bowl. Pour the dressing all over, and gently toss to coat. Be careful not to mash the grains or any of the other ingredients. You may have more dressing than you need, so feel free to add as much to your liking and store the rest for future salads.
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, ½ cup kalamata olives, ½ small red onion, ½ cup fresh basil leaves
Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, adding more salt, lemon juice, or basil leaves to taste. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for 2 hours to allow the flavor to meld and marinate.

Notes

Storage

To keep it fresh for longer, keep the salad ingredients and the dressing in separate containers until you're ready to serve. This way everything will last for 3-4 days in the fridge.

If you have already dressed salad, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.

This salad is not freezer-friendly.

Nutrition