This delicious Wheat Berry Salad is packed with healthy roasted vegetables and yummy fall flavors … perfect for Thanksgiving or any autumn or winter meal!
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Wheat Berry Salad
Does your cooking ever get stuck in a rut?
I’ve been wanting to shake things up lately and incorporate more interesting grains to my diet. While I’ve tried different grains in restaurants, I haven’t cooked with them at home. I’ve got rice, quinoa (my fave), and even freekeh down, but that’s about it.
I needed to do a little experimenting. So when I spotted a bag of wheat berries at a farm stand recently, they called my name.
With fall flavors in mind, I used my find to create this scrumptious Wheat Berry Salad with Roasted Vegetables … and it’s my new favorite!
What Are Wheat Berries
Are you familiar with wheat berries?
They’re basically unrefined wheat … the thing that all wheat products are made from. Flour, for example, is made from milled, ground wheat berries.
Cooked wheat berries have a wonderful chewy character that’s so delicious. I love them in salads where they add lots of texture.
Wheat berries add a distinct heartiness to this gourmet Wheat Berry Salad recipe, making it perfect for a main course, as well as a side dish.
How to Make Wheat Berry Salad
This recipe for salad with wheat berries is simple to prepare. And once you get everything going, it’s mostly hands off, which I love.
The wheat berries take longest to cook, so start with them first. You’ll toast them in olive oil, which adds a tasty nuttiness to the finished salad. Then, you’ll simmer them in salted water until they’re tender, but still chewy.
Depending on the type and freshness of your wheat berries, they can take anywhere from 30 to 55 minutes to cook, so keep that in mind. Mine took 45 minutes.
Once the wheat berries are started, you’ll work on the roasted vegetables. I used Brussels sprouts and sweet potato, but feel free to experiment with your favorite veggies.
The cooked wheat berries and roasted veggies get mixed with dried cranberries and toasted pecans, then tossed with an amazing maple vinaigrette.
I love this tasty salad dressing so much. It adds so much flavor to the finished salad. This is the same vinaigrette that I used on my Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad, although it’s perfect on any autumn salad.
I actually created this wheat salad recipe with Thanksgiving in mind. The flavors are perfect for a festive fall dinner, and it can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature, or even chilled … perfect for entertaining!
This Wheat Berry Salad recipe with Roasted Veggies is very hearty. Serve it as a main course or as a side to a bigger meal.
Love this Wheat Berry Recipe and Want More?
If you like this recipe for wheat berry salad, here are some other grain-focused recipes you’re sure to enjoy!
- Creamy Wild Rice Soup
- Healthy Mexican Quinoa Casserole
- Pineapple Fried Brown Rice
- Winter Kale Salad with Freekeh and Roasted Veggies
- Curried Veggie, Chickpea, and Quinoa Stir Fry
- Indian-Spiced Quinoa Chickpea Burgers
- Spicy Tomato Basil Fried Rice
Wheat Berry Salad with Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
For Wheat Berries:
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup wheat berries
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For Roasted Veggies:
- nonstick cooking spray
- 4 cups halved Brussels sprouts (about 10 ounces)
- 2 cups chopped sweet potato (about 1 large potato)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
For Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
For Salad:
- 1/2 cup toasted pecan halves, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Prepare Wheat Berries:
- Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat.
- Stir wheat berries into oil to coat; cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted.
- Add 3 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to wheat berries. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Cover pot and cook wheat berries until tender, but chewy, about 30 to 45 minutes. (It may take up to 55 minutes depending on how fresh your wheat berries are.)
- Drain wheat berries and place in a large bowl.
Prepare Roasted Veggies:
- While wheat berries are cooking, spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place Brussels sprouts and sweet potato on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well to coat veggies with oil and seasonings.
- Roast veggies in oven for 20 minutes. Flip and roast 15 more minutes, or until browned and tender.
- Add veggies to bowl with cooked wheat berries.
Prepare Vinaigrette:
- While wheat berries and veggies are cooking, whisk together vinaigrette ingredients (olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, salt, pepper, and cayenne). Set aside.
Assemble Salad:
- Add pecans, cranberries, and parsley to bowl with wheat berries and veggies; stir together.
- Pour vinaigrette over salad and mix until well coated. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve salad warm, at room temperature, or cold. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Have you ever tried wheat berries?
This sounds delicious! I’ve never tried wheat berries and am eager to add something new to my fall menu plan.
They’re really good, Paula! Very chewy, and I think they’d pair well with lots of different flavors.
I’ve never made wheat berries before, but I’ve had them, and liked them. Adding sweet potatoes is a great idea, and the maple syrup in the dressing sounds delish!
They’re actually really easy to make, Amy! Kind of similar to rice but not as fussy 🙂