Farro Stuffed Butternut Squash with Cranberries & Chickpeas

Stuffed with hearty farro, cranberries, chickpeas, and orange zest, this whole roasted butternut squash is a delicious vegetarian dish perfect for fall.

Inspired by Well Plated.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword butternut squash, chickpeas, cranberries, Fall, farro, harvest, Thanksgiving

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 392kcal

Ingredients

Roasted Squash

3 whole butternut squash medium sized
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Farro Harvest Medley

3 cups farro cooked
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup celery diced
½ cup carrots diced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon sage diced
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
1 can 14.5 ounce chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup dried cranberries
Zest & juice of 1 blood orange

Instructions

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Halve the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds and discard. Arrange on a baking sheet, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and bake in the oven cut side up for 45 minutes.
As the butternut squash bakes, make the farro medley. Cook your farro according to package instructions until al dente (see note). Set aside.
In a large heavy bottom pot, heat 1 tablespoon butter. Add the carrots, celery, salt, and pepper. Sauté until softened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the sage and thyme and cook another 5 minutes. Add the chickpeas, cranberries, and zest and juice of the blood orange. Stir and cook for another 5-8 minutes, until the chickpeas are cooked through. Stir in three cups of cooked farro and toss until well combined. Taste and add more salt or pepper, if desired. Remove the pot from heat.
When the butternut squash is done roasting, remove the tray from the oven and reduce the heat to 375 degrees F. Once the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out some of the flesh, leaving at least ¾ inch on the sides and bottom. You can reserve this flesh for another use, or mix some in with your rice.
Spoon the rice mixture into the cavities of the butternut squash and press down to compact it. Bake the stuffed squash for about 10 minutes, until cooked through. Serve sprinkled with fresh herbs.

Notes

Cooking Farro: Because of the various types and its heartier nature, farro can be a little trickier to cook than rice. I like using The Pasta Method to cook farro, which basically treats it like dry pasta: Using a ratio of 2 cups water to 1 cup grain, bring the water to a boil and then stir in the farro. Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring and checking occasionally, until the farro is al-dente. Then, is there is any liquid left in the pot, drain before use.

Serving Sizes: Each stuffed butternut squash should be enough to feed 2 people as a main dish, or 3 as a side dish, depending on the size of the squash.

Nutrition