Herby Farro With Butternut Squash and Sour Cream

By Ali Slagle

Updated February 25, 2020

  • Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Susan Spungen.
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Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(581)
Comments
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The herb and chile paste that seasons rice in arroz verde is also a great match to nutty farro and sweet butternut squash. As everything bakes in the oven, the garlic and onion lightly steam, the herbs wilt, and the farro tenderizes while maintaining its signature chew. Fresh lime zest and juice perk everything up. This dish is great with salmon, pork or chicken — or, skip the sour cream and this becomes a hearty, vegan main that partners well with black beans.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 ½ cups chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnish

  • 1 cup chopped parsley leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnish

  • ½ large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled

  • ½ jalapeño, seeded (if desired) and coarsely chopped

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 ½ cups farro

  • 1 pound peeled butternut squash, cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 3 cups)

  • ½ cup sour cream

  • 1 teaspoon lime zest plus 2 tablespoons juice (from 1 lime)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

65 grams carbs; 17 milligrams cholesterol; 380 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 11 grams fiber; 598 milligrams sodium; 12 grams protein; 9 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 the oven to 375 degrees. In a blender, combine the cilantro, parsley, onion, garlic, jalapeño, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper on low speed until a wet, coarse paste forms, stirring and scraping the sides of the blender as needed.

  2. Step 2

    In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high, then add the farro, season with 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring, until the farro smells toasty, about 2 minutes. Add the herb paste and 3 cups water. (Pour the water into the blender to get every last bit of herb paste, then pour the water into the pot.) Bring to a simmer.

  3. Step 3

    Scatter the squash on top, cover, and bake until the farro and squash are tender, 35 to 40 minutes. (All the water may not be absorbed).

  4. Step 4

    Meanwhile, stir together the sour cream, lime zest and 1 tablespoon lime juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

  5. Step 5

    Let the farro sit 5 minutes, season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the remaining tablespoon of lime juice. Serve the farro with a drizzle of sour cream and top with fresh parsley and cilantro leaves.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
581 user ratings
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Comments

Jules W

Now this might sound like one of those, “made it the same, but TOTALLY different,” comments, and it is, but it’s also a note of encouragement! I only had butternut squash, some garlic and an onion, but I DID have tomato paste and anchovy paste, plus some dried parsley, orzo, and brown rice, so I ran with it. Sure, it didn’t taste anything like the original recipe intended, but the technique was the same. Don’t worry if you don’t have everything! Take some risks and give it a try and who knows?

Vaibz

Could probably do with a half cup less of water.

Margaux Laskey, Senior Staff Editor, NYT Cooking

Hi All! We've reviewed your notes about the amount of water, and updated the amount of water in the recipe to 3 cups instead of 3 1/2. If you want it a bit brothier, leave it at 3 1/2.

Quentin M.

Delicious and easily adaptable recipe that I made for the first time last night. I swapped plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream and also used Frontier Co-Op Herbs De Provence herbs, increased the jalapeños to 2 and also added cucumber at the end which made for a nice crunch.

Marta

This is a very satisfying veggie meal, I love the use of farro! I didn’t have sour cream so I subbed Greek yogurt. I was also lazy and didn’t take the skin off my squash and it was totally fine.

Elisa

Mediocre. The herbs lose a lot of color and flavor in the bake. The dish is saved by the freshness of the lime sauce. If I were to do this again, I would roast squash separately, cook the farro with the onions, turn the greens and garlic into a pesto, and assemble the four components nicely in a bowl.

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