Farro With Roasted Squash, Feta and Mint

By Melissa Clark

Updated October 16, 2023

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(2,036)
Comments
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Falling somewhere between a grain bowl and a warm grain salad, this colorful dish is substantial enough to be a meatless main course, or it makes a hearty side dish to simple roasted meat or fish. You can use whatever kind of squash you like here, either peeled or unpeeled. Squash skin is perfectly edible; let anyone who objects cut theirs away at the table (though see if you can get them to try it first). If you don’t have farro, you can substitute brown rice. Just increase the cooking time by about 20 minutes.

Featured in: Grain Bowl? Salad? Farro and Squash Can Go Either Way

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

FOR THE SQUASH

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 teaspoons sugar

  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed

  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

  • 3 pounds winter squash, such as kabocha, carnival or butternut, seeded and cut into ½-inch thick slices (leave the peels on or remove as desired)

FOR THE FARRO

  • 1 ½ cups apple cider

  • 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste

  • 1 ½ cups farro

  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, more to taste

  • 2 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or minced

  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

  • 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed

  • 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about ¾ cup)

  • Fresh mint or arugula leaves, or both

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

60 grams carbs; 17 milligrams cholesterol; 511 calories; 18 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 28 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 888 milligrams sodium; 11 grams protein; 15 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare the squash: In a large bowl, mix together olive oil, sugar, cinnamon, salt, pepper and cayenne. Add squash and toss well to coat with the spiced oil. Lay the squash pieces out flat on one or two rimmed baking sheets.

  2. Step 2

    Roast squash until the bottoms are golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully turn the pieces over and continue to roast until tender, another 10 to 20 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, make the farro: In a medium pot, bring the apple cider, 2 cups water and the salt to a simmer. Add farro and simmer until water is absorbed and the farro is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. If the liquid evaporates before the farro is done, add a little more water. Or, if there’s still liquid in the pot when the farro is done, drain it.

  4. Step 4

    In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, garlic and pepper. Whisk in olive oil. Add farro and toss well, adding more oil or salt, or both, if needed.

  5. Step 5

    To serve, spoon the farro on a platter and top with the squash, feta, mint or arugula, or both, and a drizzle of olive oil.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,036 user ratings
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Comments

Ess

Pls don't risk injury by forcing sharp knife down on kabocha. Instead, soften by piercing skin in a few spots + cooking 4-5 mins in microwave (or 15-20 mins in 425 oven or in a shallow steambath in a stove-top pot). Cool and cut...with greater ease. Worth the extra step.

re: the squash marinade, i avoid sugar, preferring a modified version of Melissa's prep for roasted delicata salad. Mix 1 Tbs agave or maple syrup with 2 Tbs olive oil + 1/2 tsp salt + 1/4 tsp chipotle powder. Delish!

Ess

Just to clarify: my modified pre-roasting marinade/coating for the squash is:
1 Tablespoon (Tbs) Agave or Maple Syrup
2 Tablespoons (Tbs) Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Sea Salt
1/4 teaspoon (tsp) smoky Chipotle Chile Powder

Delish!

(Re: Someone else's comment about omitting any added sweetness, the squash isn't really sweet enough without it -- and the combo of sweet syrup with oil in a hot oven result in a slightly chewy-edged carmelization that you wouldn't get otherwise.)

Sharon Dale

Any reason to add sugar to already sweet squash? Pair this with David Leonhardt's article about reducing added sugar in his diet, lol.

Slee

I followed the recipe but the amount of cider vinegar to farro made it inedible in my opinion!

SMcG

This is definitely a riff on the Charlie Bird farro salad. I used goat cheese instead of feta as I thought it would fit the flavors better and added some roasted hazelnuts. Very solid dinner, though definitely not 4-6 main servings.

Katie

I want to bring this as a side to Christmas dinner. The farro would be easy enough to reheat, but does anyone have advice for prepping and reheating the squash?

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