Ina Garten's Favorite Side Dish Pairs Perfectly With Almost Everything

When Ina Garten claims that a side dish is her very favorite, her fans pay attention. She has written 13 cookbooks and created countless side dishes along the way, so this is a bold statement, to say the least. The lauded side dish is Garten's take on Charlie Bird's farro salad, and a friend of hers introduced it to her. Charlie Bird is an Italian-New American restaurant in New York City where the farro salad is a menu staple.

Farro is an ancient wheat grain, or one that has survived the centuries without changing much. Full of protein and fiber, farro is delightfully chewy when cooked and nutty in flavor, making it delicious as a base for this salad. Farro also happens to be a wonderful ingredient to jazz up classic cream of mushroom soup. 

Garten cooks her farro in a combination of apple cider and water to impart a sweet, interesting flavor. Once it's tender and still warm, she tosses the farro with a simple lemon vinaigrette, which the farro absorbs. Then, Garten adds in lots of fresh flavors and textures, like pistachios, fresh mint and parsley, sweet cherry or grape tomatoes, crunchy radishes, peppery arugula leaves, and shavings of fancy Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The salad is hearty enough to be a meal in and of itself, or you can take Garten's advice and serve it alongside, well, anything, from lamb to chicken to fish.

While Ina Garten's recipe is delicious just as it is, there is also lots of room for personalizing it as well. Though many outlets have published recipes for the Charlie Bird salad that look similar to the one Garten loves, even the restaurant itself features different versions. At the time of writing, the farro salad on Charlie Bird's menu has roasted pumpkin and honeynut squash, in addition to the pistachios and parmesan that Garten includes in her version.

This suggests that the salad is versatile enough to change out the ingredients on a seasonal basis or according to what you have on hand. Pistachios can be swapped out for toasted slivered almonds, pecans, or pepitas. Instead of parmesan, you can add salty feta cheese or crumbled goat cheese. Baby kale or spinach can be used instead of arugula if you prefer less of a peppery bite in your greens. You can add chopped salami, banana peppers, and mozzarella pearls for more of an Italian spin. Another idea is to add some sliced or diced protein into the salad, such as hard-boiled eggs, grilled chicken, or poached salmon. Really, all you need to do is take a look in your pantry or fridge to get inspired.