Mason Jar Chickpea, Farro and Greens Salad

Summer. The kids are home and the house sounds like a zoo that lost its zookeeper. Noah is in his room coding something that makes clicking sounds at irregular intervals. Emma is in the living room FaceTiming three friends simultaneously. Jack is in the backyard talking to his corn plants, which is a sentence I never thought I'd write but which is entirely accurate and not even the strangest thing that happened this week.

The garden is thriving. The corn is two feet tall. The tomatoes are loaded with green fruit. The peppers are setting their first flowers. The sunflowers are waist-high and climbing. And Jack's jalapeños — his first hot pepper attempt — have small white blooms that he's tracking in his journal with the notation "flowering initiated, fruit expected within 14-21 days." He writes like an agricultural report. His 4-H judge is going to lose his mind.

I made a big batch of pasta salad for the week — rotini, cherry tomatoes (store-bought for now — Jack's aren't ready), black olives, mozzarella, Italian dressing. It sits in the fridge and everyone grazes through it at will, which is how summer feeding works. You make a big thing. You put it in the fridge. People eat it when they're hungry. Nobody sits down. Nobody has a schedule. Summer is controlled anarchy and the pasta salad is the fuel.

Kevin and I had a rare weeknight date — dinner at a taco place downtown while Noah watched the younger two. Noah is twelve and officially responsible enough to be left in charge for two hours, which means Emma and Jack are under the supervision of a boy who can build a robot but cannot be trusted to remember that bedtime is eight-thirty. We came home at nine. All three kids were awake. The kitchen had been "cleaned," which meant the mess had been relocated from the counter to the table. Noah said, "Everything went fine." The lamp in the living room was on its side. Everything went fine.

I'm enjoying this summer. Not just surviving it — enjoying it. Something shifted after Dad's surgery. When you spend a winter waiting for your father's heart to stop or to be fixed, and it gets fixed, the summer that follows feels earned. The light feels brighter. The corn feels taller. The tacos taste better. You notice things you'd stopped noticing because you were too busy worrying. I'm noticing this summer. I'm writing it down. That counts for something.

The pasta salad in our fridge this week reminded me of something I’ve been meaning to make more often — a heartier, grain-based salad that can sit there all week and actually get better as it marinates. With Jack tending his garden, Emma FaceTiming the known universe, and Noah proving that “everything went fine” is a relative term, I need food that works on everyone’s schedule rather than demanding one. This Mason jar chickpea, farro and greens salad is exactly that: nourishing and sturdy, something you can pack for a rare date night out and know there’s still something good waiting in the fridge when you get home to find a sideways lamp.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 cup farro, rinsed
2 1/2 cups water or vegetable broth
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 cups mixed greens or baby arugula
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup cucumber, diced
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Cook the farro. Combine farro and water (or broth) in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25–30 minutes until farro is tender and most liquid is absorbed. Drain any excess liquid, fluff with a fork, and spread on a baking sheet to cool completely.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Layer the jars. Divide the dressing evenly among 4 wide-mouth mason jars, spooning it into the bottom. Layer in this order: chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, cooled farro, parsley, feta, and greens on top. Seal with lids.
Store or serve. Refrigerate for up to 4 days. When ready to eat, shake the jar vigorously to distribute the dressing, or pour contents into a bowl and toss well. Serve immediately after shaking.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mason Jar Chickpea, Farro and Greens Salad — The Summer Fridge Staple That Feeds Everyone on Their Own Schedule