Pomegranate Farro Mason Jar Salad (Make-Ahead!)

It’s no secret.. I LOVE salads. I love the way they look. I love the way they taste. And I love the way they make me feel.

But, I haven’t always felt this way.

I used to eat salads purely for the health of it. I’d pile some raw veggies on top of spinach, drizzle on some reduced-fat salad dressing, and call it a meal. That is, until I was hungry a half hour later.

I’m willing to bet that there are plenty of people out there right now suffering through mediocre salads, all in the name of “health”. But I’m here to tell you that that it doesn’t have to be that way. Believe it or not, you can build a salad that can not only tastes AMAZING, but also keeps you full for hours on end.

Case in point: this Pomegranate Farro Mason Jar Salad.

I know this is probably going to come off sounding a bit dramatic, but this right here is the holy grail of salads. It’s light, yet filling. Savory, but with a hint of sweetness. Nutritious AND delicious.

And last, but not least, it can be made ahead of time!
(Can I get a praise hands emoji, anyone?)

Yep, that’s right. You can prep these salads over the weekend (dressing and all) and they won’t be a soggy pile of mush come lunchtime on Thursday. The secret is in the layers. Storing the salad “upside down” in a quart-sized mason jar serves a few different purposes here:

1. Practicality. Chances are, you probably have some mason jars lying around somewhere (if not, no worries.. any other similar size storage will do), so why not put them to use? Line the mason jars up side-by-side and use an assembly line approach to seamlessly create four individually portioned salads. Simply go down the line, divvying up the ingredients in the order listed (starting with the dressing and ending with the greens); within minutes, you’ll have a week’s worth of lunches, ready to enjoy at a moment’s notice!
2. Portability. The mason jar doubles as both a storage vessel and a portable serving dish. When you’re ready to eat, just shake until everything is evenly coated in dressing and dig in! (Alternatively, you can also dump the salad into a bowl and eat it that way if that’s more your style)
3. Trendiness. Mason jars are pretty much all the rage right now. Impress all of your coworkers with your super trendy (and super delicious) Pinterest-worthy lunch.

But, enough about the containers.. let’s talk about what’s inside them. Each of these of these 32-ounce mason jars is jam packed with tons of flavor and nutrition, thanks to a secret ingredient: POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice.

Over the past few years, pomegranates have easily become one of my absolute favorite fruits. They’re slightly tart, slightly sweet, and just SO good. POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice takes everything that you love about this ruby red fruit and packs it into a delicious, refreshing, sippable beverage.

To make the juice, pomegranates are whole-pressed, releasing valuable nutrients from the rind, pith, and arils. As a result of this process, each 8-oz serving of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice contains a powerful dose of polyphenol antioxidants (the equivalent of two whole pomegranates), as well as 600 mg of potassium (that’s as much as a medium banana!). Research on the health benefits of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice is still in its infancy, but studies to date support the use of 8-oz of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice for muscle strength recovery, memory and cognition, microbiome, and more. So cool!

For this salad, I created a simple homemade Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette using pomegranate juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and maple syrup. It’s seriously SO good that I could probably drink it with a straw (I won’t, but I could). If you’ve never made your own homemade salad dressing, you’re missing out – it’s so easy and such a simple way to completely change the flavor profile of your salad.

But, as much as I love the dressing, the REAL MVP in this salad is the Pomegranate Farro. Yep, you read that right. POMEGRANATE. FARRO.

Rather than cook the farro in water as the package suggests, I decided to mix things up and use a combination of pomegranate juice and water. And let me just tell you.. total game changer. I’m not sure if I’m ever going to be able to go back to plain ‘ol farro again! Cooking the farro in pomegranate juice adds a subtle (yet, surprisingly bold) sweet/tart flavor that compliments the nuttiness of the grain perfectly! Oh, and not to mention a fun purplish hue.

I’m not even exaggerating in the slightest bit when I tell you that I am straight up OBSESSED with this salad. I’ve eaten it 6 of the last 7 days aaaannddd I’m probably going to make another batch this weekend. And for someone who thrives off of variety, this is HUGE.

I hope you give this salad a try and fall head over heels in love with it too. If you make this recipe (or any others from my site), be sure to let me know in the comments below or tag me on social media so I can see your creations!

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Pomegranate Farro Mason Jar Salads

Shake up your lunch time routine with make-ahead Pomegranate Farro Mason Jar Salads. A quick, easy, and portable salad that will stay fresh in your fridge all week long!

Course Main Course, Salad

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the salads:

• 1/2 cup pomegranate balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below)
• 1 cup apple, diced (I used Granny Smith)
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups pomegranate farro, cooked (recipe below)
• 1 cup feta, crumbled
• 1/2 cup pistachios
• 4 cups arugula, loosely packed

For the Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup
• salt and pepper, to taste

For the Pomegranate Farro:

• 1 1/4 cups quick-cook farro, uncooked*
• 2 cups POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions

For the Pomegranate Balsamic Vinaigrette:

• Add all salad ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine (alternatively, you can add all ingredients to a small container with a lid and shake to combine).

For the Pomegranate Farro:

• Add pomegranate juice, water, and farro to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook according to package instructions. Set aside to cool slightly.

To assemble the salad:

• Divide all salad ingredients evenly among four 32 ounce mason jar (or equivalent sized container), adding ingredients in the order listed. Place lid on top and store in fridge until ready to consume. When ready to eat, simply shake the jar until all contents are coated with dressing and pour into a bowl (or eat directly out of the jar if your fork is long enough!)

Notes

* For this recipe, I used the 10-minute Farro from Trader Joe's, but any brand will work. You can use regular farro, but note that the cooking time will be longer. Always check the package instructions to ensure that you are using the proper grain-to-liquid ratio and cooking time. Other grains (such as quinoa, brown rice, or barley) may be substituted in place of the farro. Again, check the package instructions for proper cooking.