Farro Risotto with Squash and Kale
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To me, this farro risotto with butternut squash and kale is fall comfort food at its best! I recently updated the recipe, too, to simplify it. This risotto requires neither stock — I use water alone now — nor constant monitoring: I add all of the water at once. It comes together in just over an hour and couldn’t be more delicious.
Risotto is something I feel moved to make about once a season — it’s delicious, everyone loves it, and when it’s made with whole grains and lots of vegetables, it’s healthy. too.
But it takes FOREVER to cook. In an effort to cut down the cooking time, I recently made this farro risotto, an old favorite, with a few modifications:
- In place of making a homemade vegetable stock, I used water alone.
- In place of slowly adding the liquid 1/2 cup at a time, I added the whole quart of water at once.
- In place of puréeing the roasted squash with stock, I puréed it alone.
It came together surprisingly quickly: while the farro simmered and the squash roasted, I grated the parmesan and prepped the kale. In just over an hour, the whole dish was done.
To me, this is fall comfort food at its finest, best gobbled up sitting by a roaring fire, blankets wrapped around shoulders, toes tucked into slippers.
Farro Risotto Notes:
- The squash can be roasted (and puréed) a day (or two or three) in advance.
- I find water alone to be flavorful enough here, but if you prefer stock here are two options: homemade vegetable stock | homemade chicken stock.
- Different grains will take different lengths of time to cook. If you use arborio rice or something similar, you may want to add the water slowly to ensure a creamy end product.
- Use any squash in place of the butternut. One roasted butternut squash will leave you with lots of extra purée — freeze it or make soup with it or make this risotto again.
- Any dark, leafy green can be substituted for the kale.
- If you leave out the cheese, this dish becomes vegan, and while I love the cheese, the puréed butternut squash adds a creaminess and richness. I suspect if the cheese were not there, I wouldn’t miss it.
First, minced onion and garlic sweat in a little butter, then farro enters the pan:
Meanwhile, roast the butternut squash:
Then purée it until it’s silky smooth:
After about 45 minutes, the farro will start looking creamy:
After you add some of the puréed squash to the farro, toss in a handful of slivered kale:
Finally, stir in freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano:
PrintFarro Risotto with Squash and Kale
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Farro recipe inspired by this recipe on Serious Eats.
November 3, 2020 Update: I have simplified this recipe. View the Serious Eats recipe if you’re looking for something more like the original.
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 onion, finely diced to yield about a cup
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup pearled farro
- 1 bay leaf
- a few sprigs thyme
- ½ cup dry white wine or Sherry
- 1 quart water, plus more as needed
- kale, a small bunch (4 ounces or so), thinly sliced
- grated Parmigiano Reggiano to taste (1 to 2 ounces or so)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425ºF. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds (and save or compost). Rub flesh of squash lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on parchment-lined baking sheet, and roast until tender, 30 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the squash. Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, in a large, wide sauté pan, warm 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it’s translucent, about five minutes. Season with a pinch of salt. Add the garlic, and cook for another minute. Add the farro and cook stirring constantly for another minute.
- Add the wine, bay leaf, and thyme, and cook until the wine is nearly gone.
- Add the 1 quart of water along with a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium or low — you want the liquid to be gently simmering. Simmer for 45 minutes or until the farro grains have expanded and are al dente.
- Meanwhile, pull the skin off the squash — it should remove easily. Purée the flesh in a food processor or blender until it’s silky smooth.
- Meanwhile, prepare the kale: remove the stems and ribs from the leaves. Make stacks of the leaves, roll them into cylinders, and cut them into very thin ribbons. Wash and dry the kale if necessary.
- Extract the thyme sprigs and bay leaf from the risotto and discard (or compost). Stir one cup of the squash purée into the risotto. Season with pepper to taste. Add a handful of the thinly sliced kale strips and a handful of parmesan. Stir until the kale is slightly wilted and incorporated. Add more kale to taste. Stir, taste, adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, or parmesan. Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American, Italian
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85 Comments on “Farro Risotto with Squash and Kale”
NPR Pod casts are the bomb. All things considered, Fresh Air, Snap Judgement, Wait, wait don’t tell me, This American Life…so many to choose from.
https://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php
Thank you, Lisa! I just downloaded stitcher so that I can listen to all of these — I was on the train to NYC this weekend and couldn’t get anything 🙁 So sad, but I fixed it for the ride home…it was blissful.
I am obsessed with serial!!! It’s so good. Also a reg this American life listener. But those are my main two. So fun to listen to podcast while cooking!! This risotto looks ridiculous. I will have to try with arborio! Xo
It is SO fun to listen to podcasts while cooking. Why has it taken me so long? Arborio will be delicious.
I am *so* addicted to Serial (I’m also into fellow This American Life alum Alex Blumberg’s Start Up podcast).
This looks so warming and perfect for the cold weather. Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for the tip on the Alex Blumberg podcast! Will check it out soon. This is so fun 🙂
I LOVED the first episode of Serial I heard on This American Life, and I love how everyone is talking about it! But now I need to catch up! You are so cute, “I can’t think!” I will have to dive into it asap 🙂 (In podcast-world, I also love the Dinner Party Download…. not particularly food-centric, but I love the history, the current events/books/movies/music, and they always have great guests! Molly Wizenberg’s blog is SO my jam but I have not really fallen in love with her podcast, Spilled Milk. And when I want to learn things, How Stuff Works is my fave!)
I am loving this risotto, it’s been forever since I made any. Greens, whole grains, parmesan, squash? You’re speaking my language 🙂 My friend gifted me a whole bunch of squashes from her dad’s garden: kabocha, acorn, butternut. We’ve been making your squash-cider soup on repeat, but now I want this! I wonder if semi-pearled barley would cook any more quickly than farro? hmmmm…
I made it with semi-pearled barley (that’s all my store had) and it only took about 40 minutes // 6 cups of stock. It was delicious!
Sophie you are the greatest! I am so excited to have a few more podcasts lined up — dinner party download sounds perfect!
And pearled barley is a great idea! I just made barley for the first time in ages, and I have forgotten how delicious it is — it has such a nice chew.
It does have a great chewiness! Love that. This weekend I cooked up a batch of plain pearl barely so we could enjoy your “leftover grains” teriyaki bowl all week. I probably should be entering this comment on that post 🙂 We are loving it! I did chicken for Nathan’s and eggs for mine….. I have had success with keeping runny-yolked soft-boiled eggs in the fridge at work and then gently reheating. (As long as they are peeled and cut in half first! I heated them whole once and it exploded in the microwave!)
Hey Ali, I made this exact dish last Sunday! So good. You should pick up the book its really great.
Thanks, Chris! Will do…can never have too many cookbooks, right?
Without fail, do not miss “the Moth” podcast storytelling at its finest, the very best food for your mind and soul. I was hooked on Serial, too. You’ll love it or I’ll eat my shorts, man.
Haha, you are amazing. I will absolutely listen to The Moth podcast. VERY excited about it.
Hi, this looks extremely delicious. I’m wondering what I could substitute for the wine, or if I could just skip that part? Thanks!
Hi! Sorry for the delay here! I would just skip it. Or if you had some apple cider or juice or grape juice, you could do something like that, but otherwise, don’t sweat it!
I second the Moth and I also recommend Death Sex and Money, https://www.wnyc.org/shows/deathsexmoney/, Anna Sale is an incredible interviewer.
Also meant to mention that Slate has podcast dedicated to going over every Serial episode
[link no longer active]
Lacey, thank you! I need that Slate podcast desperately — I got a little lost around episode 4/5. Not sure I’m totally understanding the timelines/contradicting stories. So excited for this!
Hi Alexandra! I’m not sure if it was already mentioned or not, but The Splendid Table is an AMAZING blog for food lovers. Each episode transports you into the world and culture of food in a myriad of different ways- one episode might feature making buffalo mozzarella, wine making in Italy, home made ice cream, anything! The host is exteremly knowledgable and has a great personality as well. You will love it! And I will check out seriel! Thanks for sharing. https://www.splendidtable.org/
So fun…this is right up my alley! Thank you.
Goodness I can see I am missing something extraordinary in regard to these podcasts. I better get with the program.
What a twist on risotto. I like it.
Haha, Carol, it’s ok…I’m late to the game as well 🙂
Hi Ali!!! I had to pop in to tell you that I started this podcast today on your recommendation and I am HOOKED! Thanks so much for putting it on my radar–I listened to 4 episodes while I was at work today! As for what’s normally on my queue–Splendid Table, Fresh Air, Nerdist and On Being. I was really loving the AltonBrownCast but I think he either went on hiatus or stopped permanently–it was a good one while it lasted though! Miss you lots and we have to catch up again soon!
So happy, Tracey!! And thank you for the other ideas, too. So fun having so many shows lined up. And I know, it has been too long!
Alexandra,
Lea Thau’s “Strangers” podcast is just wonderful. It’s wonderful to see all those previous recommendations; they’re all solid and I great way to spend my free-time.
Awesome, thanks so much, Vivienne!
I wait impatiently every week for Thursday so I can get my “Serial” fix! I love so many of the podcasts already listed, but felt the need to type “Radio Lab” at radiolab.org because I am so fond of it! It falls within the scope of NPR podcasts listed at the top – so it wasn’t exactly left of the list. It is always interesting.
Thank you, Amy! So happy you shared the Radio Lab idea — I am seriously out to lunch when it comes to podcasts. I feel like my world is about to open with all of these ideas 🙂
Oh I cannot wait to make this!! Just as I was getting depressed about the very, very short days you bring the perfect long-winter-evening-activity. In terms of podcasts to go with the cooking, a definite “I know, right?!?!” on Serial and a “hear hear!” on This American Life. I also love the Freakonomics podcast, it’s an always fresh and usually interesting perspective on an enormous variety of topics. My other weekly fix that I can never quite wait for is The New Yorker, which is not free (the equivalent of about $40 a year on Audible.com), but which has contributed enormously to my scope as a human being (it includes between five and ten full-length articles from each week’s issue, and when do we ever have time to read five to ten full-length articles from each issue?).
Thank you, Kathrin! And thank you for all of these great ideas. The New Yorker podcast sounds amazing and well worth the $. It is a real triumph when I make it through one New Yorker article a month. So excited for these!
I just binged on 7 episodes of Serial so I can completely understand your addiction. I’ve been meaning to try farro for ages and I just recently bought some and its sitting in my rice bin for a couple of weeks. The extra long cooking time is a bit of a kicker, I recently made a brown rice bake that turned out to be very risotto like and very delicious so I might try precooking the farro and baking in stock for a similar effect.
Oh yum! Do you feel like sharing your brown rice bake? Sounds delicious, especially this time of year. I think precooking the farro is a great idea.
Looks great, I think that I will try it tonight as I have all the ingredients surprisingly. One thing to note however is that with the addition of Parmigiano Regiano, this is no longer a vegetarian dish as the cheese is made using calf rennet (as with Grana Padano and Gorgonzola).
I have never subscribed to a food blog and definitely never comment but I had to in this case. This recipe was AMAZING! So, so good! I’ve never had squash or farro (just realized how many nevers I’ve just typed!), but now I’m hooked.
It was definitely time-consuming, my farro also took about an hour and roasting and pureeing the squash almost deterred me, but I’m so glad I persevered. It was so creamy and delicious that it’s hard to believer there is no cream. Thank you, thank you for this awesome recipe, can’t wait to tray some of your others!
Oh yay! I’m so happy to hear this! It is a pain, right? I was annoyed by how long the farro was taking to cook. You can roast and purée the squash a day or two in advance (just fyi, in case you feel like roasting and puréeing a bunch at a time), and I still haven’t figured out how to cut back on the farro cooking time — I’m wondering if boiling it for a few minutes would harm it in any way? I’ll let you know if I make any discoveries. Thanks so much for writing in!
I have Trader-Joe’s 10 minute farro on hand, and I was curious if you’ve ever tried this product. I’m wondering if it will help speed things up but somehow be able to still get a good consistency.
I am sure it will speed things up. I think you will just have to eye it — add stock until it gets creamy, then add the squash purée and kale. I have never tried it, but I think it will work just fine. Let me know how it turns out.
I actually managed to pull this of for a quick dinner with a few shortcuts. I bought the butternut squash peeled and cut in the produce section of my grocery store, I used boxed organic stock and pearled barley – which I make as risotto frequently. It was to die for! Perfect comfort food. And with the leftover pureed squash I repeated the recipe with rotelle pasta and it tasted just like mac and cheese. This is a keeper! Thanks Ali!!
So happy to hear this, Lindsay! I am going to have to try the barley. I love barley, and it definitely cooks faster than farro, and it does get nice and creamy — yum! Great ideas.
Please tell me that you are listening to undisclosed! It is about serial & they ask questions & update us on whats going on now. Definitely worth a listen. *warning…it is as addictive as serial!!
Oh no, I’m not?! Ut oh… do I need to start ASAP?
This looks fantastic. I want to give it a try. I was wondering how much it produced? How many would you say it serves as a side or main dish? Thanks!!
I would say it serves at least 4 as a side dish, and 2 to 3 as a main course. My mom and I ate most of it for dinner one night, but it was all we ate, so I think if you have a salad, it would definitely serve 3 as a main. Hope that helps. Sorry just seeing this!
Hi from France! I made this meal for lunch today using risetti pasta instead of farro. It was excellent, thank you for the recipe.
I made this during our first real snowfall of the winter–so perfect and such a great dish–flavorful, but subtle, and so healthy, arguably healthier than plain risotto. I used chicken stock because I had it frozen, and it was delicious, but this would be a great dish for vegetarians with your vegetable stock (another excellent recipe that I appreciate having in the repertoire). It’s a pretty dish, too, with the green and amber colors. I used semi-pearled farro, and it took about 40 minutes. I think the cooking time just depends on the batch!
So happy to hear this, Liz! And glad to hear it didn’t take quite as long to cook as mine … that’s always a deterrent for me with this recipe.
I’ve made this so many times and it’s one of my favorite dishes ever. I have a lot of spinach sitting around so tonight I might try to use spinach instead of kale. Thanks again for seriously the best recipe ever!
So happy to hear this, Samantha!! You’re making me crave this. I love this one, too.
Hi! I made this tonight and it turned out so well – my husband and I were both obsessed. Two questions about the recipe: 1) In step #3, it says “Meanwhile, in a large, wide sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat,” so I used all 4 tbsp here which I realized was incorrect when I got to step #6 where it said to add the remaining 2 tbsp. I know the ingredient list says “4 tbsp (divided)” but you may want to update step #3 to specify how much of the butter to use there. 2) The first sentence of step #3 says medium heat, but a few sentences later it says to turn down the heat to medium. Not sure if it’s supposed to start on higher heat and then turn to medium, or start on medium and then turn to lower heat? You may want to clarify. Thank you!
We just had this tonight and it was awesome. The only change i made was using arborio rice instead of the farro. The slight bitterness of the kale was perfectly balanced by the sweetness of the pureed butternut squash which also made it so creamy and delightful to eat. I only ended up needing 1 quart of the broth so i have enough with the extra butternut squash to do it all over again soon.
So nice to hear this, Annier! I bet arborio rice is even better … love how creamy it gets. Thanks for writing!
This was easy and delicious! I made the recipe exactly as written although I probably used a little more onion (a heaping cup) and parm (almost 3 oz) than called for. Serves 3 (my husband and I ate it all but regretted that decision LOL).
I’m totally editing the serving amount now as my husband and I (regretfully) did the same thing last night 🙂 🙂 🙂 So nice to hear this!
This was completely delicious. I used water and didn’t add cheese. Hearty and totally yum.
So nice to hear this, Michele. I love this kind of food this time of year. Thanks for writing 🙂
I’m going to make this for my family tomorrow. If I don’t have wine, can I use chicken broth? Thanks!
Yes, definitely! Or simply omit it. A splash of vinegar might offer a hint of acidity, but again, probably unnecessary.
I have made this probably five times (at least!) in the past two months. It is nourishing, incredibly delicious and so easy to put together. The filling, crunchy farro makes it, for us, a main course along with a simple salad and bread. The crunchy farro I am going to make my way through your other squash recipes as it’s our favorite cool weather veggie. Trying the kobacha with chilies and garlic tonight!
So great to hear this, Karen! That is my ideal meal: farro risotto + salad + bread. Hope you love the kabocha squash recipe. Thanks for writing!