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Eggplant, Farro, Honey-Almond Salad

This recipe was created by the University of Massachusetts Amherst Dining team on behalf of the Almond Board of California for a special Almond Day menu. The Honey-Almond Sauce can be used in lots of other applications, such as a dessert sauce, on grilled chicken skewers, or with fruit salad.
Almonds

Difficulty

Medium

Ingredients
Serves: 100
For the Honey-Almond Sauce
  • 1 lb 10 ¼ oz unsweetened almond butter
  • 1 lb 1 ¼ oz honey
  • 12 oz water
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
For the Dressing
  • 6 ½ oz lemon juice
  • 2 lemons, zested
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 ½ tsp ground sumac
  • 1 ½ tsp ground Aleppo chile
  • 12 oz extra-virgin olive oil
For the Salad
  • 1 lb 13 ¼ oz farro
  • 2 qt 3 ¾ cups water
  • Kosher salt, as needed
  • 5 lb 14 oz eggplant
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ tsp ground pepper
  • 3 ½ oz sliced almonds, toasted
  • ¼ oz chopped fresh mint
  • ½ oz chopped fresh dill
  • ¾ oz chopped fresh parsley
  • ½ oz chopped fresh chives
  • 9 lb 6 oz plain Greek-style yogurt
Preparation
For the Dressing
  1. In a bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, salt, pepper, sumac, and Aleppo.
  2. Drizzle in the oil while whisking to make the dressing. Cover and hold at room temperature.
For the Honey-Almond Sauce
  1. In a bowl, whisk together the almond butter, honey, water, and salt until smooth. Cover and hold at room temperature.
For the Salad
  1. Put the farro and water in a large pot and bring to a boil.
  2. Add ½ tsp salt and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the farro is tender and the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat to fully cool.
  3. Slice the eggplants lengthwise about ¾-in thick. Brush with 1 tbsp oil and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Grill the slices for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove and cover with foil for 20 minutes to cook through.
  5. Cut the cooked eggplant into bite-sized pieces.
  6. Add the eggplant, farro, almonds, and chopped herbs to the lemon dressing. Toss to combine.
  7. For each portion, spread 1 ½ oz yogurt at the bottom of a bowl. Place 1 ½ to 2 oz eggplant-farro salad on top. Drizzle with Honey-Almond Sauce and some olive oil. Serve cold.
Did you know?

In addition to almonds being a delicious ingredient in our recipes they’re also heart healthy, gut healthy, and full of vitamins and nutrients - explore Health & Nutrition to learn more. Not only that, almond farmers are dedicated to sustainability - find out how they’re Growing Good.