pin it!pin it!
This time of year can be hard on a lot of us. The increased volume of social engagements, the pressure to buy a bunch of stuff, the seeming lack of quiet in public spaces, the disappearing daylight, and the tendency to slip into less healthy modes of living because everything and everyone is just so busy. Add to that the overabundance of questions after the events of last week. As we dive into the season of parties, the fastest of paces, and outright exhaustion in some cases, I want to empower some of you to say no or to pull back and really think about how a certain convention or line of thought makes you feel. I don’t want you to think that I dread this time of year or anything. I just think that almost anyone, at any level of mindfulness/wellbeing, could do with a bit more introspection these days–even if it’s just for 5 minutes. View full post »
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I just wanted to thank you for a lovely blog. I have always enjoyed your recipes but most importantly I love, love how you include links to local companies. We need more of this. Thanks so much.
Love the pictures and the meal.
This is beautiful, Laura! I so wish I could eat farro as rice gets so boring in risottos every now and then. But I’ll have to come up with a gf alternative so that I can try this creamy deliciousness :)
I prefer farrotto to risotto too! But my husband has a more traditional taste, and he hates pumpkin and squash :( I really need to invite a friend to prepare all the plates he doesn’t like :P This looks too good!!
This looks so good! I’ve been craving a risotto, but I’ve been avoiding white rice lately. I cannot wait to try this. Maybe tonight!! Thank you. Lovely photos too and your thoughts on calm resonate so well with me. xo
Thank you for this recipe and discount! I have been meaning to order from Grain for a while and you pushed me over the edge… in addition to the farro (I just have to make your farroto!)I bought some of their blue barley and kabuli chickpeas.
I’m always looking for new ways to use farro Laura and this dish looks delicious! Pinning for later reference x
this looks so good! I’ve been meaning to try farro for ages, looks like I’ve found the perfect recipe :) beautiful photos too.
[…] butternut squash and farro dish, you make me […]
I absolutely love this recipe! I’ve just used my roasted squash to make a soup but I bet this would taste waaay better. Must find farro somewhere near me! :) Great great recipe!
Oh my goodness, a MUST try! Thank you!
I used to steer clear of risotto dishes when dining out because they were always so gummy, goopy, and flavorless. This recipe, however, looks absolutely delicious. I’m officially obsessed with pairing miso and nutritional yeast. Thank you for sharing!
-Renee
We went to a potluck the other night and the vegetarian option was a butternut squash risotto. It was seriously delicious and I wish I could have taken credit for it. I probably should have because I think I ate more than half of it. The so full yet not full feeling just kept me going for another spoonful (also, a few glasses of red wine send my appetite through the roof!). It’s a vicious circle. Anyways, all this to say that when we it’s our time to host this farrotto will be on the table. Beautiful, as always, Laura. x
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Ooh, cool! This is brilliant. One of the recent issues of Bon Appetit also featured this cracking technique for making porridge.
And I looooove these photos! Well done as always :)
We made this the other night, and WOW. I felt super guilty eating it because it tastes so decadent, but it’s all plant based!
Just made this tonight, but substituted organic arborio rice for the farro (for a GF version). I used much less water than called for because of the rice. This sauce is AMAZING!!! This is the perfect cozy winter dish. Thank you thank you :)
Is it just me or when do you add that other cup of water? I assume you add (as per usual with risotto) as you stir during one of the 20 min intervals?
Oh gosh, you’re totally right. The remaining water gets pureed with the butternut squash and cashews. I’ve adjusted the recipe ;)
-L
As luck would have it, that’s exactly what I did with it. So far so good – sauce tastes delicious :)
Made this last night and loved it! Thank you so much for posting. I would never have thought to make this amazing combination of flavors and to use farro!
As usual, I altered based on what I had on hand: soaked pumpkin seeds and almond slivers instead of cashews; added sautéed chopped mushrooms; added turmeric and New Mexican chile powder with the seasonings and replaced the thyme with dried rosemary; and used microwaved honey nut squash instead of butternut.
Served over black beans with roasted cabbage wedges and steamed cauliflower alongside. Yum!! Thank you for your inspiration.
Can I use a food processor instead of blender for the farro? I have a pretty weak/old blender.
I think you could use a food processor, but it may not get the cashews and squash to a totally creamy consistency. If you have it around (and not everyone does), you could sub the cashews for the same amount of raw cashew butter so that you can guarantee smoother results. But if you aren’t bothered by a bit of texture, you should be fine with the recipe as is!
-L
I just discovered your instagram/website last week and I’m SO glad I did! Beautiful photography and mouth watering-recipes… I love it all. I made this recipe yesterday night, and it was a huge hit! My boyfriend loved it, and so did I. The texture was wonderful, creamy with the slight crunch of farro. Lovely combination. It’s a very nice alternative to arborio rice. I will make this again! Thank you Laura, your website is a wonderful inspiration to eat healthy and to try new flavors!
Hi Laura,
I made this last night and I have a couple of questions:
1. I could only find “quick-cook farro”. What does pearled- semi-pearled refer to and is “quick-cook” farro either of those two?!
2. Can I freeze this recipe?
The reasons I ask this are that the outcome of my efforts is rather larger in volume than I was expecting. Also, the texture looks more homogenous and gloopy than that pictured above. This has made me unsure that the water quantities were right for the type and quantity of farro that we used and for the cooking method. Lastly, how would I adjust this for risotto rice please? I might have to try this if I can’t find whole farro here in Devon, UK!
Hi Charlotte,
I know that various types of farro are labeled differently depending on the country you live in. Pearled and semi-pearled versions have some of the outer husk buffed off to make for a faster cooking time and a lighter flavour/texture. It sounds like you used pearled farro from your description of the final outcome. The Smitten Kitchen site has a great breakdown of different farro types near the bottom of this recipe: https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/07/one-pan-farro-with-tomatoes/
Also, yes this recipe can be frozen and reheated beautifully.
And on your last question, I honestly have no idea how to convert this particular recipe to make it work for risotto rice. I use the squash puree with the farro here because farro lacks the natural starchy-ness that risotto/arborio rice has. I’d have to do some Googling/testing myself to see how it would actually work with the right amount of liquid. Sorry I can’t offer a more definitive answer. On the upside, there are quite a few butternut squash risotto recipes online, so I’m sure one of them would be workable.
-Laura
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