This is a salad that you will want to tuck into.

Don’t you just love that phrase? ‘Tuck-in?” To me it implies bedtimes, pressed business shirts, and a hearty meal made with love. You may think that a kale salad does not constitute a hearty meal, but I’m here to tell you otherwise. Trust me on this one.

When I have a salad for dinner, I want something a little more substantial than some greens and cucumbers. I mean, come on. Where’s the heartiness?! I want something that fills me up, packs in fiber and protein, and tastes absolutely delicious. This salad does all that, and then some. It’s filled with plenty of wholesome good things including farro, one of my favorite little grains. The Italians love it, (therefore I love it) and it delivers a satisfying chewy and nutty taste in each bite. Farro is perfect layered with velvety, massaged kale, roasted sweet potato, and walnuts and totally establishes the “tucking in” sensation. Farro is also a super little grain filled with tons of fiber in its tough husk, B Vitamins, and protein too.

The salad up’s the heartiness factor with roasted sweet potato, my personal favorite thing on the planet. You know when you’re “tucking into” a salad, and you’re searching for your favorite ingredient to create perfect bites? (Don’t pretend you don’t do this!) For me it’s usually avocados or fresh tomatoes, but in this salad it’s the sweet potato hands down. This also means that I save a bunch of sweet potato at the bottom of my bowl to have as the last thing I’ll eat. Victory! Sweet potato rocks, as you all know. Each potato is loaded with the super potent antioxidant beta-carotene for beautiful skin and eyes, iron for your blood, Vitamin C for a healthy immune system, and Vitamin B6 needed for breaking down homocysteine that contributes to hardening of the arteries and blood vessels.

Let’s dig into a bowl filled with massaged kale, crunchy walnuts, nutty farro, and creamy sweet potato. All that goodness in a salad? Oh yeah, it is definitely tuck-in worthy.

Kale, Farro, & Sweet Potato Salad

Makes 2 large servings

1 sweet potato, cubed
1 tsp coconut oil
1 cup farro, cooked
1 large head of kale, thick stems removed and roughly chopped
¼ cup walnuts, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 T olive oil
A pinch of sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Start by prepping your kale. In a large bowl drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over chopped kale and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using your hands, gently massage kale until it feels smooth and silky, about 2 minutes. Put kale in refrigerator and let it sit in its massaged goodness for as long as possible. The lemon juice breaks down the cell walls of the kale and makes it much tastier.

Cook farro according to package directions. Once cooked let cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400° F. Toss cubed sweet potato with coconut oil and roast in oven for 20-30 minutes, until soft. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

Add sweet potato, cooked farro, and walnuts to kale. Mix to combine. Enjoy!

*This recipe can sit prepped and ready to go for hours: the longer that kale sits, the more delicious it becomes. Leave walnuts out until you’re ready to serve so they remain crunchy.
**A sprinkle of Feta cheese would make a great salad addition for all my cheese lovers.