By Melissa Clark
Updated Oct. 17, 2023
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- 5(1,683)
- Notes
- Read community notes
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.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 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)
- 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
For the Squash
For the Farro
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.
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Preparation
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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out of 5
1,683
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Cooking Notes
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.)
courtney
It is good, but needs a little more. Like a bit of chili and definitely some crunch factor. Toasted pine nuts or walnuts.
janell
Delicata squash is a great substitute for the squashes recommended here and the peel is edible and very tasty.
Brooke
Could leave out most, if not all, of the salt. The cider vinegar and feta provide enough tang and even after reducing what's called for in, the dish came out too salty.
The recipte should be more clear about the kind of farro to use. I used a whole grain, emmer farro, which even after an hour of simmering was very, very chewy. Next time I would use a semi-pearled (has part of the bran) or soak the whole grain overnight, or maybe split whole grain.
DCDG
I cooked this today and it came out great! 2 comments: The farro had good flavor from the apple cider and did not really need the dressing, so you could skip that step, and I would have peeled the squash. Even after a good long roast (and yes the kitchen smells like you are making apple pie!) the skin was a little tough. Will definitely make this again!
Seattle Paul
I used half delicata and half some unusual winter squash and both were good with skins on. Added extra cayenne and some smoked paprika, and was glad I did.
I know from past experience that Melissa likes more dressing than I do so I reserved half the dressing from the farro and it was just right. Always easy to add later if desired.
I wasn't sure about combining arugula and mint, but I used a LOT of each and it was great. Next time I'll add some nuts or pumpkin seeds.
Blake
Juliet Jones was kind enough to write in a gently explain that I had messed up this terrific recipe by cooking the grain in water and apple cider Vinegar... not apple cider!
Well.... that would explain why it was so tart!
I guess part of slow cooking is slowing down and reading the recipe correctly.
Thanks Juliet!
Sally McKee
Another great one from Melissa. The only caution I would offer has to do with the liquid. Not sure why, but I had to drain the farro after 35 mins. Too much liquid and it was on the verge of becoming mushy. Next time, I'll do 1 cup cider to one cup water and see how that goes. It might be still a touch too much. Terrific combination of flavors, with bell-clear high notes.
joanhc
I loved this for dinner last night and it was still superb for lunch today. I didn't have any apple cider, so I threw half a finely chopped apple into the farro cooking water. I used up part of a butternut squash--peeled--and part of a kabocha squash--unpeeled. One advantage to leaving the peel on is that slices hold up better if you they were cut too thin and cook a bit too fast. I liked the bit of sweetness from the sugar.
Juliet Jones
Blake, I'm wondering if you misread the recipe. You cook the farro in apple cider, not apple cider vinegar - so rinsing it after cooking would not reduce the vinegar taste. I'm guessing you cooked it in vinegar?
Stu
If I'm not mistaken, I believe Kabocha is the Japanese word for squash. Also, Kabocha should be allowed to ripen. It gains sweetness with age after picking.
Jess
Did not add sugar to butternut squash. Did not use apple cider for cooking wheat berries, (what is this madness?) Used only 3 tbsp oil for dressing, was still too much for even double the wheat berries in recipe, BUT I love this simple dressing so much. Topped with feta and fresh mint. I really love the way this came out. Easy and will def make again. Packed for lunch at work too and was still wonderful for a couple days.
Kevin Osinski
The recipe calls for 1.5 cups of apple cider and only 2 tbsp of cider vinegar. Big difference.
Rebs
Amazing recipe and great to satisfy kids with various tastes. We assembled at the table so everyone could get their own ratios of goodies. Just cooked the Farro in salted water, served with lots of mint and arugula- a great combo of flavors! Added crispy chickpeas (roasted in oven with squash) for protein and because my kids adore them.
David
I completely forgot to add the oil to the dressing for the farro, having whisked the vinegar, garlic and pepper together in advance. Even so, or perhaps because of this mistake, the dish got rave reviews from my dinner guests!
David
I should add that I made this dish in France, using cidre brut (hard apple cider) for the farro.
Jill
Too much cider vinegar and the sugar on the squash burned in the hot oven. This recipe gets 5 stars but in the notes many people change most ingredients. Next time I'll use stock or bouillon vs vinegar. I did also add lemon juice, mustard, and sugar to the dressing and and that helped cut the vinegar. And I used parsley instead of mint.
Juliean
I used salt, pepper, and cardamom to roast the squash. I also added spinach, shredded rotisserie chicken, extra mint, and roasted sweet onions for a one dish meal. It was fabulous. I used some already cooked farro leftover from something else and did not use apple cider.
Tory
We love this dish, have made it several times, but have made some modifications through trial and error. We like other herbs in addition to or instead of the mint. Dill is nice, so is tarragon, or chives, along with parsley. And it does seem to want a little crunch and we go with some toasted walnuts over the whole thing.
jody
Cook farro (2c) in veg broth (4c)& 1 shredded apple. For dressing use 3-4T olive oil, 1-2 T lemon juice and 1 T lemon zest (w app cider vinegar & garlic).add more spice for tiny kick- chipoltle or cayenne or = to squash oil- Delicato was great about 5 lb from store. caramelized well approx 12 min per sideuse big bunch arugula - chopped & mixed w mint bite size put dressing on greens and farro.add sprouted pumpkin seeds (roasted - salted)used about 3/4 c feta
Marsha L
Love this hearty salad. I used delicata squash slices cut to about 3/8" thick. To my dismay, I found that I was out of farro and had no apple juice, and of course I wanted to make this now and not tomorrow! I substituted brown rice for the farro. I did what one another person had mentioned and cut an apple into chunks and cooked it with the rice. And I had no mint, but did add some pomegranate arils. I served it with Salmon Roasted in Butter from this site. It was a delicious meal.
Nana
Added roasted chickpeas(with garlic and cayenne)to add more protein, skipped apple cider in farro to reduce sugar. Might add some diced apple next time. Very yummy
Anne
I made it with a bit less olive oil, pine nuts, and roasted peppers and butternut squash, mushrooms I had left over and cooked first. It's a good base recipe like polenta or fried rice that can absorb a lot of random things, as long as you have the feta, mint and squash base.
squash and faro
This recipe is great. I had to make a few substitutions: For apple cider I used chicken brothFor feta I used Romano cheese. Looked as good as it tasted.
Carey
Made this to accompany lamb shanks. SO GOOD. The vinegar in the cooking liquid made the farro way too sour so I would definitely use less in the future (like way less than a cup). This time I added a little sugar to balance, and although it was still sour it cut the fat of the lamb really well. Would serve this with a meat or something fatty.
mt
Adding sugar to squash is not necessary. Added 3/4 teaspoon chili powder.
Pam
This was extra delicious with a sprinkling of pepitas and served on a nice bed of arugula!
Sam
This was really really good and easy. But the dressing was way too garlicky. I would recommend one garlic clove, or making on the side and adding to taste.
Karen
This looked like a great recipe, but was inedible due to all the vinegar. Cooking farro in vinegar is not a good idea.
Pam
You cook it in apple cider (there is a small amount of vinegar in the dressing)
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