Marinated Zucchini With Farro, Chickpeas and Parmesan

By Sarah Jampel

Marinated Zucchini With Farro, Chickpeas and Parmesan
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sarah Jampel.
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(932)
Notes
Read community notes

Zucchini’s a tricky vegetable, prone to mushiness. Here, we avoid those pitfalls: By pan-frying planks, you’ll get tender, rich insides with golden-brown exteriors. And when you pair these cooked pieces with delicate raw zucchini ribbons (don’t call them zoodles!) you’ll get just a glimpse of this vegetable’s full potential. A generous handful of arugula, and a bed of farro and chickpeas, fill out the rest of the meal. Cooking the chickpeas along with the farro may seem strange, but it will make the canned beans softer, creamier, and more flavorful than simply dumping them into the salad. For added crunch and flavor in every bite, roughly chop the zucchini noodles and the planks before tossing.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1cup farro
  • 1(15-ounce) can chickpeas
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
  • 1pound small zucchini and/or summer squash, ends trimmed
  • 7tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 1garlic clove, minced
  • 2tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1cup of your favorite soft, fragrant herb, like basil, mint, tarragon, or a combination, roughly torn or cut
  • Black pepper
  • 2cups arugula
  • 1tablespoon lemon juice
  • Parmesan, for shaving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

377 calories; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 497 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Rinse and drain the farro and chickpeas. Add both to a medium pot with 1 teaspoon of salt and add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, skim foam from the top, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until farro is tender, about 25 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, divide your squash haul in half. With one group, cut lengthwise into ¼-inch thick planks. Reserve the other ½ pound for later.

  3. Step 3

    In a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. When hot, add the zucchini planks in a single layer and leave undisturbed until golden-brown all over, about 3 minutes. Flip with a fork or pair of tongs, then cook until tender, about 2 more minutes. (You may need to work in batches, adding more oil if necessary.)

  4. Step 4

    Transfer browned zucchini to a shallow dish and, if desired, cut the planks into 2-inch pieces. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining olive oil, garlic, vinegar, and half the herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Pour about half the dressing over the zucchini and let marinate while you finish making the salad. Set remaining dressing aside.

  5. Step 5

    Use a vegetable peeler to shave the rest of the zucchini into ribbons (here’s the easiest way: lay the zucchini on a cutting board, then drag the peeler across it). If your farro is far from done, you can preserve the zucchini strands by soaking them in cold salt water. Drain and pat dry before using.

  6. Step 6

    Drain the farro and chickpeas and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Toss with the reserved dressing and season with salt and pepper. Add arugula, zucchini ribbons, marinated zucchini, lemon juice and Parmesan shavings. Gently toss to combine, adding remaining zucchini marinade to taste, and season again if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and top with the remaining herbs.

Ratings

5 out of 5
932 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Christa

I found this salad very satisfying. Roasted the zucchini a la Martha Rose Shulman's Zucchini Parmesan recipe--roasting, rather than frying the zucchini, allows you to cut down on olive oil and time (I do the same with eggplant, also a la Martha), with no sacrifice of flavor. Farro cooking with chickpeas smelled divine and would have been even better if I had made my own chickpeas from scratch, as I usually do. I don't know what people were expecting for flavor--sriracha?

Katherine

This was good, but I made a few adjustments that I think helped! First, I cooked all the zucchini--the marinating of raw strips was too fiddly for a weeknight. Second, instead of fresh herbs, I added minced garlic and a heaping teaspoon of za'atar to the dressing for some (needed) flavour. The herbs I just mixed in with the arugula, and used fresh oregano instead of basil. Third, as per the suggestion of another reviewer, I topped the salad with some feta cheese, which was delicious.

Kelsey

One of the best recipes I’ve made recently. Very easy and much more interesting than its ingredients would suggest. The key is to salt the grains sufficiently, and if you do that, you can easily skip the parm and make this vegan. Although, it is perfect just as written. If you keep some of the dressed farro/chickpea/cooked zucchini mixture separate it holds well in the fridge for quick weekday lunches.

Ellie

Wooow. This was amazing! Surprised at other comments regarding flavor.. I used mint, oregano and parsley. This is one of the best dishes I’ve made all summer!

cullen

Delicious made with fresh basil and quinoa instead of farro. Cut down on the oil to 4-5 Tabl. total. very unusual, satisfying and tasty though it looks too healthy to be so good! The two zucchini preparations are a bit fussy but they really compliment each other.

brandon

I loved this. Used basil and added pine nuts. Next time I would use more garlic but otherwise it was perfect.

K

Great salad for summer! It's fresh and hearty. I didn't use the oil and pan method. I cut 2 of the zucchinis in planks and flashed grilled to put nice grill marks on them. I pulled it off the grill then cooled them and put the marinade on it. I would definitely make again

Cheryl Herrera

This dish was delicious! A lot of the flavor came from the marinated zucchini. I used fresh basil and I think I would add some mint to it the next time I make it. I would also used 3 cups of arugula instead of 2.

Tessa

This came out great! I added a bay leaf and some thyme stems to my farro and chickpeas, and then fished those out after straining. I would also keep the arugula separate from the tossed ingredients if you plan to keep any of this for leftovers.

Karen

Excellent recipe as is. Easy prep; no big deal to marinate browned zucchini while finishing up other steps.

Figaro

Way too much faro. I reduced the amount by half, but the grain was still excessive. The salad itself lacked flavor. I treated it in a middle-eastern style, subbing feta for parmesan and added Aleppo pepper. In the end, I folded in some tahini sauce (tarotoor) which improved it a bit. I didn't care for the idea of cooked and raw zucchini, so I sauteed all; it needed additional lemon juice as well. Will try this again with less faro, although the faro was one of the best parts of it.

Suze

I just made it and followed the author's notes and had no issues. They were definitely not mushy. A very good tip!

Ellen

Made this tonite-fabulous! I changed a couple things-more vinegar & oil, more garlic, ditched the raw zucchini becuz too fussy, added some chicken sausage for more protein, used a bit less arugula becuz I love it but wasn't sure about partner but he LOVED this too. I was so apprehensive about this, I have never cooked farro before but I really wanted a slower carb and this is amazing. I think next time I will add the chickpeas in 1/2 way thru becuz they got a little mushy. Thank you.

ANDinCDMX

I was thinking of this more like a warm grain bowl than a salad. Thus the arugula I added (which admittedly was of low quality) ended up feeling out of place and invasive, like random raw weeds. If I made this again, I'd make extra dressing and maybe toss it with the arugula and top with grains/veg, or just omit the arugula entirely. The rest was pretty tasty but not my favorite.

Christy

I suspect it's missing some allium (more than just garlic), but I do like this salad. Throw some chopped fresh garden tomato on the top since it's tomato season!

zeynep

I prefer to roast half the zucchini instead of sautéing. I cut the zucchini into 1 inch half moon pieces, mix with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and arrange, spaced out, on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. They go in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 425°F. It’s less time consuming this way and I like the texture more.

Judy Stark

I tried to get a jump on this recipe by cooking the zucchini planks and shaving the ribbons a day in advance. The planks got limp and greasy overnight, though still edible, but the ribbons essentially melted into the ice water in which I’d stored them. I used leftover white and wild rice pilaf stead of farro and added cherry tomatoes, red onion, scallions, black olives and red pepper. (Great fridge clean-out.) Might do blue or feta stead of Parm.

sarahsw

So amazingly good. Made exactly as described. No alterations needed or desired.

Lauren

Love this recipe. I made maybe a couple of big changes. One I don’t cook any of the zucchini just ribbon and chop it. I found the cooked zucchini did not go as well as the raw ribbons. Two, half the chickpeas I crisped for additional texture. We have had this recipe two nights in a row and are very happy.

Sharon

Why boil the canned chickpeas?

BK

Roasted the zucchini at 450 instead of fried, but required some time under the broiler at the end, took about 15 mins. Try just broiling.

Pennor

Delicious. Used quinoa b/c didn't have farro and it was melded well with the balsamic. It's going into my rotation.

Jean Tordella

Yum!! I did make several alterations. I used quinoa since I already had it cooked. Plus, I like it better than Farro. I did not fuss with the zucchini the same way that the recipe recommends. I didn’t use as much oil either. I added extra garlic. I added freshly picked mint from my garden. It was over the top delicious! I didn’t have arugula handy because I forgot it when I was at the store. I’m sure it’s delicious. A Parmesan sprinkle on top enhances the flavors.

MC

No chopped planks or zucchini noodles in the photo ...

m

Crisped chickpeas in the pan first. Skipped the Farro. Added sumac and Aleppo pepper. Delicious.

m

Skipped the Farro and crisped the chickpeas in the pan first. Delicious.

SMS

Just plank all the zucchini, don’t marinate it, just lay it on top. If you marinate your nice firm zucchini will turn to mush. For an addition, I fried up mushrooms and laid them on top of the zucchini. My husband normally doesn’t like zucchini but he loved this. The farro and chickpeas are a great flavor combo.

Sarah

Excellent dish. Made it with toasted buckwheat grist’s which paired very well with the subtlety of the zucchini. Combo of sauté planks and raw thin strip made for great texture and mouth feel. Will def make again.

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