Fig & Arugula Wheat Berry Salad

This hearty grain & greens salad makes a healthy side or main in fall or late summer. Packed with fresh veggies & herbs, it can be made vegan & gluten-free!

This is actually the third time I set out to make farro. And for one reason or another, a farro post is still yet to happen. Thanks to my superior pantry labeling system (a million unlabeled bags), I happened to grab these wheat berries instead. Turns out, pre-cooked wheat berries and pre-cooked farro look remarkably similar to each other.

Not that it matters… in these salads, any grain will do. The formula is simple: grain + green + nut + chopped fresh herbs + a tangy cheese (optional) + a seasonal special guest. Today’s seasonal guest is figs.

But unlike my other recent fig post, I don’t have a charming farmers market story. This weekend, we didn’t get up and out early. We laid around on the sofa watching Netflix. In fact, I can hardly believe the summer is almost over and we’ve been so boring. But that’s about to change (no we’re not having a baby), but we’re getting ready to take a trip.


Fig & Arugula Wheat Berry Salad

 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 2 as a main
Ingredients
For the dressing:
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ garlic clove, minced
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon honey or maple syrup
  • Sea salt and fresh black pepper
To assemble:
  • 1½ cups cooked wheat berries or quinoa for gf*
  • 2 cups arugula or other baby salad greens
  • ½ cup figs, quartered, (about 8-10 figs, use dried figs if fresh aren’t available)
  • ⅓ cup walnuts, toasted & chopped
  • ½ cup chopped mixed herbs (I used basil and mint)
  • ¼ cup crumbled feta (optional)
Instructions
  1. Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, honey, and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  2. Assemble the salad with the cooked wheat berries, arugula, figs, walnuts, herbs, and feta, if using. Toss with as much or as little dressing as you like, and serve.
Notes
*To cook the wheat berries: Put 1 cup wheat berries and 3 cups water in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for approximately 45-50 minutes. Test for done-ness: they should be chewy, not mushy but not crunchy. (If all of the water absorbs and your wheat berries are still not tender, add some more water). Drain excess water before using. These can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for a few days. Measure 1½ cups cooked berries and proceed with the recipe!

 

13 comments

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  1. Karen
    08.15.2015

    Hi there, just discovered your blog and have added 3 of your meals to this weeks meal plan. I just made this recipe and both me and my husband were soooo impressed. My husband said its 5 stars and restaurant worthy! Just blew our minds! Absolutely perfect! I did want to mention that for fresh herbs in the recipe it doesn’t say cup or tbsp, I did 1/2 cup and that worked. Thank you for your beautiful blog!

    • jeanine
      08.17.2015

      Hi Karen, makes my day to hear this – so glad the fig salad was a hit 🙂

  2. Would you believe that I’ve only had one bite of a fresh fig, ever? I’m going to hunt some down so I can make this gorgeous salad.

  3. Heather from sundaymorningbananapancakes.blogspot.com
    08.22.2012

    I love recipes like this that use a simple formula for goodness as its base – you can never go wrong and you are guaranteed a salad that is never boring!

  4. Bec Brown from cloudsofcolour.wordpress.com
    08.22.2012

    This looks sooooo delicious. Love your photos!

  5. oh gosh, i feel ya. I just had to throw out a few small bags of spices because i couldn’t tell what they were – they were all just red and pungent, which didn’t really narrow it down.

    and just the other day, i mistakenly grabbed a container of what i thought was bulgur but turned out to be (i think) steel cut oats. what a goopy mess.

    but farro, man, it’s so lovely.

  6. What a beautiful blog you have, I will be happy to follow it, I love your design and pictures !

  7. Jess from inquiringchef.com
    08.21.2012

    Oh yes – I recognize this formula very well. It’s a near-weekly lunch salad design in my house too, but I’m absolutely envious of your beautiful figs. Hooray for a trip!

  8. I’ve been cooking with farro a lot lately, but have yet to try wheat berries! Looking forward to giving this awesome recipe a shot! 🙂 Hope I can find some fresh figs soon!

  9. I have so many versions of wheat berries – some spelt, some farro, some the typical wheat.. I think I also have emmer… nearly out of barley so I will have to resort to them when I want to make a risotto-type dish.. unless I make this salad first! Looks great! Definitely want to find some figs now. 🙂

  10. Nico from nicostinykitchen.wordpress.com
    08.20.2012

    I love your formula … especially the “seasonal special guest”. Very cute!

  11. Christina from delecasa.wordpress.com
    08.20.2012

    Your photos are outstanding. The figs in the bowl.. goodness. You clearly have wonderful light in your kitchen. Wheat berries fascinate me – they look large and nutty. Would love to get my hands on some.

  12. Wheat berries are a favorite grain in our house, and I often incorporate them into salads. Combining them with figs and walnuts is a whole new fantastic idea to me, and I look forward to making this.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.