Farro and Kale Stuffed Delicata Squash
Serves 4-8 - This will serve four people as a main course or 8 people as a side dish.
Calories: 233, fat: 6 g (saturated: 2 g, unsaturated: 5 g), sodium: 283 mg, carbohydrates: 39 g, protein: 6 g, fiber: 3 g, sugar: 11 g
Farro comes whole (un-pearled), semi-pearled, and pearled; pearling describes how much of the exterior bran is removed, but packages are not always labeled. If your package says it will cook in less than 15 minutes, it’s probably pearled; if it takes around 30 minutes, it’s probably semi-pearled. And if it takes 60 to 80 minutes, it is whole or un-pearled. [To make it even more confusing. This recipe was developed using pearled Farro, but all three versions will work.
if your package gives you a different cooking time than the 25 minutes suggested below, default to it instead.
Make Ahead: After filling the squash, transfer to a baking dish and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Before serving, remove plastic, preheat oven to 325 and cook until warmed through, about 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
2 delicata squash (about 1 pound each), scrubbed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 cup pearled Farro
1 cup apple cider
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
6 ounces kale, stemmed and chopped coarsely
1 small crisp/tart apple, cored and diced (1 cup) Northern Spy, Granny Smith or Empire
2 ounces grated Sharp Cheddar or Gruyere cheese (½ cup)
Directions:
Adjust oven rack to upper third position and preheat to Preheat the oven to 425°F. If your squash has a stem attached, remove it, but do not cut the ends of your squash off. Cut the delicata in half, lengthwise, and remove the inner pulp and seeds (reserve for roasting if desired). Season inside of squash with salt and pepper. Spray rimmed baking sheet with vegetable spray and arrange squash cut side down. Roast until a fork can be inserted easily into skin and flesh of the squash, about 15-20 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the squash over and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and change oven to the broil setting.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until onion is softened about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sage and continue to cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add farro to skillet and cook until you hear them crackle, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and cider and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Layer kale on top of the farro and continue to cook, occasionally stirring, until the kale and farro are almost perfectly tender, about 10 more minutes. Stir in the apples, cover, and cook until farro and kale are tender, 5-10 more minutes. If the mixture looks a little runny, increase heat to medium-high and simmer uncovered until the farro has absorbed all the liquid and the mixture looks creamy (a bit like risotto).
Divide the farro mixture among the cooked squashes (about 1 cup per squash). Top with the cheese. Return to oven and broil until top is lightly browned, 1-3 minutes.
