Beet, Orange and Farro Salad

This salad is all about contrasts. Farro is the grain that makes a salad feel like a meal, and red beets and orange together are one of the more reliably beautiful color combinations in a bowl. Add arugula, goat cheese, tarragon, and dill, and this stops being something you make because it is healthy and starts being something you make because you want it.

By Marinka
September 26, 2025

The beets and farro are cooked separately, then cooled before everything comes together. The oranges are segmented and added fresh, their juice becoming part of the dressing, added at the end. Goat cheese crumbled over the top adds a creaminess against the chewy farro and the firm beet. This is a filling salad, a proper lunch or a light dinner for two, served in one large flat bowl.

The tarragon and dill are the detail worth not skipping. Most beet salads lean on balsamic and call it done. The herbs here push it into something more interesting, brighter, more aromatic, and distinctive enough to remember.

This could be your next colorful dish to impress guests, or your next wholesome lunch. Enjoy !

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Key Ingredients in This Recipe

Key ingredients to make Beet, Orange and Farro Salad

You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.

  • Beets
  • Farro – quinoa, brown rice, couscous or barley and great alternatives.
  • Oranges – grapefruits could be an alternative
  • Arugula – spinach or the beet greens can be used as well.
  • Dressing
  • Goat cheese
  • Tarragon
  • Dill

Want to see the recipe in action? This short video below walks you through the key steps.

How to Make Beet, Orange & Farro Salad

  • Step 1 – Prep the key ingredients by cooking the beets (roasting in the oven, steaming or cooking on the stove), cooking the farro (according to the directions on the packaging) and sectioning the oranges.

Step 2 – Make the dressing by mixing red wine vinegar, maple syrup, and mustard. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Add chives and season with salt & pepper. Pour the dressing into a salad bowl.

Step 2 - Make the dressing by mixing red wine vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, chives, salt & pepper. Pour the dressing into a salad bowl.

Step 3 – Transfer arugula onto the dressing and mix.

Step 4 – Next layer is the beets. Decide how to cut them, in quarters, in slices, or grate them.

Step 4 - Next layer is the beets. Decide how to cut them, in quarters, in slices, or grate them.
Step 5 - Add the cooked farro. Decide whether you want to mix the salad or keep the layers more or less separate. I prefer to not mix the salad more than necessary to preserve the colors of the individual ingredients. Beets have a very strong color that will stain everything it comes in contact with.

Step 5 – Add the cooked farro. You can mix the salad at this point or keep the major ingredients more or less separate. Beets will stain everything it comes in contact with, so I prefer to not mix the salad, preserving the colors of the arugula, and farro.

Step 6 – Divide the orange sections over the salad.

Step 6 - Divide the orange sections over the salad.

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Step 7 - Crumble the goat cheese and divide that over the salad. The addition of the white cheese make the other colors stand out. I love this effect.

Step 7 – Crumble the goat cheese and divide that over the salad. The addition of the white cheese make the other colors stand out. I love this effect.

  • The very last thing to do is to sprinkle some fresh herbs over the salad and drizzle some of the orange juice. Tarragon and dill are great flavor additions and that extra touch of green is just the right finish for this salad. Don’t you love it?
Bowl with beet, orange & farro salad. Serve with spoon and fork.

Other Recipes with Beets to Try

Beet, Orange and Farro Salad
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Beet, Orange & Farro Salad

Author: Marinka
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Salads
Cuisine: American
Diet: Egg-free, Nut-free, Vegetarian
Servings: 2
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Did you make this recipe?Please consider Leaving a Review!

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound red beets
  • 1/4 cup farro
  • 2 oranges
  • 1 cup arugula
  • 1 ounce plain goat cheese, crumbles
  • tarragon, torn
  • dill, torn

For the Dressing

  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
  • salt & pepper

Instructions
 

  • Cook the beets (roasting in the oven, steaming or cooking on the stove). For this salad I cooked the beets in water. This will take about 30 minutes (depending on the size of the beets. Allow to cool (or not if you like them warm) and slice.
  • At the same time cook the farro, according to the directions on the packaging. Allow to cool
  • Segment the oranges. (NOTE 1)
  • Make the dressing by mixing red wine vinegar, maple syrup, and mustard. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Add chives and season with salt & pepper. Pour the dressing into a salad bowl.
  • Place the arugula into the dressing and mix.
  • Add the beets and divide them over the arugula.
  • Add the cooked farro. (NOTE 2)
  • Divide the orange sections over the salad.
  • Crumble the goat cheese and divide that over the salad. The addition of the white cheese make the other colors stand out. I love this effect.
  • The very last step is to sprinkle some fresh herbs over the salad. Tarragon and dill are great flavor additions and that extra touch of green is just the right finish for this salad.

Notes

  1. Check out this post and I’ll show you how to get nice clean wedges of orange.
  2. You can mix the salad at this point or keep the major ingredients more or less separate. Beets will stain everything it comes in contact with, so I prefer to not mix the salad preserving the colors of the arugula, and farro.

Nutrition

Calories: 484kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 242mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 30g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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