A Hearty Fall Salad for Thanksgiving or Anytime

Plus parsnip trivia, strategies for upping the protein, and other salads for your consideration

I believe, unsurprisingly, that a big beautiful salad belongs on the Thanksgiving table. Other people seem to prefer just the beige and brown classics, unobstructed by any fresh, colorful vegetal clutter — and I don’t judge them for that. May everyone’s Thanksgiving be what they want it to be.

Depending on what camp you align with, I’ve got a salad that you can approach in two different ways. It’s either a Thanksgiving-worthy salad that’ll fit in perfectly with a classic menu next Thursday, or a fun and fall-flavored grain salad that takes well to meal prepping, packed lunches, and casual weeknights. You can even turn it into a meal with one of the protein add-on’s that I’ve listed below.

Parsnips are a key player in it. I don’t cook with them all that often but I’ve loved their assertive, floral flavor ever since I developed my Carrot-Parsnip Veggie Burger for Made by Lukas (that veggie burger business closed a while ago, but you can find the recipe in the new edition of Veggie Burgers Every Which Way).

In doing that, I learned a few parsnip factoids, which I’m always a little too excited to rattle off to anyone willing to listen:

• Parsnips spend up to 9 months in the ground, which helps explain their extreme density and strong, heady fragrance. They’re often even harvested while there’s snow on the ground.

• To that end, they’re a cold-weather crop similar to cabbage or leeks, which benefit from a frost or two to concentrate the sugars and make them sweet.

• If you’ve ever wondered why parsnips are expensive, and why they aren’t sold in bunches with their bushy tops attached — this is all related. They simply occupy a lot of a farmer’s real estate through the growing season, and during in that time long time in the ground, combined with the cold weather, the greens wither and wilt away.

In today’s salad, I’ve paired them with farro, apple, toasted hazelnuts, and optional sharp cheddar, and further play off their trademark sweetness with a bright, zingy dressing that uses preserved lemon and sumac.

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More Thanksgiving (or Anytime) Salads

A few from the archives:

• Marinated Roasted Beets & Grapes with Radicchio and Hazelnuts: Last year I featured this terrific salad from Amy Thielen. It's such a pretty one with earthy shades of purple and fuscia, and key to the recipe is roasted, marinated beets that become saturated with flavor as they sit for a day or two.

• Wild Rice Salad with Charred Scallions and Olives: Wild rice — an important crop native to North America — is nutty and has such a good, robust texture. This salad pairs it with cherry tomatoes, olives, and charred scallions. It's full of flavor and best made a day in advance.

• Cabbage & Fennel Slaw: Don't be discouraged by how everyday it may seem to serve slaw at Thanksgiving. This fresh, crunchy one has a slightly rich, satisfyingly savory dressing, and you could easily incorporate some seasonal flair by adding shaved apple, pear, or jicama.

• Picnic Broccoli Salad: I primarily associate this recipe from a few years ago with summer and, well, picnics. But its portability and the fun of crunched up bbq potato chips on top (bringing to mind mini marshmallows on sweet potato casserole) makes me think it a worthy Thanksgiving contender.

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Make It a Meal with 30 Grams of Protein

Today’s parsnip salad is hearty, with a variety of whole foods so that there’s a robust nutritional profile. At six servings, it hits about 17 grams of protein. If you’d like to make it a full meal, here are a couple easy ways to amp it up, each of which brings the protein count to 30 grams.

• Serve It Over a Yogurt Whip: Similar to this high-protein veggie bowl, for each serving, whisk together about 1/2 cup Greek yogurt with a lemon juice or a dab of preserved lemon paste, plus salt to taste and water to lighten.

• Top with a Slab of Halloumi: Sear a slice or two of halloumi until browned and melty and serve on top of the room-temperature salad.

• Add an Egg or Two: Two poached or boiled eggs (a 7-minute one with a molten yolk is my preference) add richness, even coating the grains a bit.

• Tofu, an Obvious Choice: Fold cubes of seasoned, roasted tofu into the salad either ahead of time or when you serve it. You’ll about 5 ounces, or a third of a package of firm tofu, per serving.

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Recipe Video

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Thanksgiving Salad with Roasted Parsnips & Farro

• This is so swap friendly. Any roasted vegetable can go in for the parsnips — I’ve used sweet potato and butternut squash chunks. And barley, rye berries, spelt berries, or any chewy, formidable grain can replace the farro. Ditto for the hazelnuts: almonds, walnuts, pecans are also great.

• The rice cooker can be very handy during busy cooking stretches, and works great for farro. I’ve had good luck with barley; haven’t tried spelt or rye berries yet, but my guess is they would work. Just use the brown rice setting and proportions.

• Instead of lemon paste, you can substitute a tablespoon of finely minced preserved lemon (including the pulp if you’ve got it). Or, if you don’t have or want to source preserved lemon and/or sumac, simply leave them out. I’ve made this dressing without those additions and it is still very good.

• Parsnips have a tough, and sometimes woody core, which I recommend trimming out. After you slice one in half lengthwise you’ll see it. Use a paring knife to carefully trim it away; it should be easy to pry out. The cores and peels can be added to stock, but head’s up that with these trimmings, a little goes a long way.

• The salad can be made a day in advance; add the nuts and arugula just before serving.

Yield 6 to 8 servings | Prep & cook time About 45 minutes

1 ½ cups farro
Fine sea salt
2 pounds parsnips
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large or 2 medium apples, cored and diced
½ cup hazelnuts, roasted, skinned, and coarsely chopped
About ½ cup crumbled sharp cheddar or parmesan cheese (optional)
Big handful chopped fresh dill or parsley
4 big handfuls baby arugula
Freshly ground black pepper

Dressing
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or 1 tablespoon preserved lemon paste
2 teaspoons sumac
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Cook the farro: Using the package instructions as a guide, bring a pot of well salted water to boil, add the farro, and simmer vigorously until the grains are tender. Drain well and transfer to a mixing bowl. (Alternatively, you can cook it in a rice cooker, using the brown rice proportions and setting, and adding ½ teaspoon fine sea salt to the water; in this case the farro won’t need to be drained.) 

3. Peel the parsnips, slice them in half or quarters lengthwise, carefully trim out the cores, then chop into ½-inch pieces. Pile on the sheet pan and toss with the olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Roast until they’re lightly browned and tender, stirring only once, 25 to 35 minutes. 

4. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the warm farro and parsnips. Allow to cool unless you plan to serve the salad warm.

5. Fold in the apple, hazelnuts, cheese (if using), and herbs. To serve, either fold in the arugula, or spread it over a serving platter or bowl, and scoop the salad on top. Garnish with black pepper and drizzle with olive oil if you like.

Recipe: Thanksgiving Farro Salad with Roasted Parsnips & Farro

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