Farro With Roasted Squash, Feta and Mint

By Melissa Clark

Updated Oct. 17, 2023

Farro With Roasted Squash, Feta and Mint
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(1,867)
Comments
Read comments

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

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe

  • Print Options

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

    For the Squash

    • 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 2teaspoons sugar
    • ¾teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¾teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed
    • ¼teaspoon black pepper
    • ⅛teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
    • 3pounds 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

    • 1½cups apple cider
    • 2½teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
    • 1½cups farro
    • 2tablespoons apple cider vinegar, more to taste
    • 2garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or minced
    • ½teaspoon black pepper
    • 7tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
    • 3ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about ¾ cup)
    • Fresh mint or arugula leaves, or both
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

511 calories; 28 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 60 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 888 milligrams sodium

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.

Powered by
Cooking Newsletter illustration

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

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.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,867 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

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!

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.

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.)

Ellen

I completely forgot about step 4! Still it was delicious with just the farro, acorn squash, mint, and feta and a drizzle of olive oil! Nice mix of sweet and salty. I also roasted the squash seeds with a bit of olive oil and salt. They are so yummy. At some point I'll have to make this again with the sauce in step 4.

SH

I happened to have 2 ripe red peppers that I was roasting at the same time, since I had the oven on for the squash, so I cut them up and used them to top the dish. Provided moisture and sweetness, (along with thinned and heated apple sauce I drizzled over the farro before piling everything up to serve). I also sprinkled The Good Bean Crunchy Chickpeas over it as a topping just before the olive oil. I can’t eat mint—basil was a subtle delight. Keeper!

Me

Water isn't listed in ingredients!! for those of us who have no access to apple cider, the farro needs a lot more liquid than stated

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.