This is a giant bowl of everything delicious.
- Nutty farro
- Sweet and tender caramelized red onions
- Creamy butternut squash
- Sweet-tart cranberries
- Salty pepitas and sunflower seeds
- Shaved brussels sprouts, cabbage, and kale
- All tossed with a decadent brown butter sage sauce
Heck. Yes.
It takes the salty-sweet-creamy-savory thing to a whole other level.
Side Note: I sort of cheated with this recipe.
I was perusing Trader Joes, throwing random ingredients into my cart, when this recipe came together in my head.
So, I took some short cuts that I could only find at Trader Joes.
Rather than using regular dried farro, which takes about an hour to cook, I picked up Trader Joe's quick-cooking farro that's done in 12 minutes.
Instead of shredding my own brussels sprouts, kale, and cabbage, I picked up a bag of Trader Joe's Cruciferous Crunch Collection.
And it made my life a whole lot easier.
No regrets!
All I really had to do was roast the squash and onions, quickly boil and drain the farro, brown the butter and sage (it takes like 3 minutes), and toss everything together!
Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
But anyways, this recipe is bomb. Each bite is so darn flavorful I can't even stand it.
The brown butter sauce with little crispy pieces of fried sage... gah... so yum.
I didn't have any fresh parmesan on hand, but I bet adding some fresh shaves of parm over the top would make it even better.
This would make a great side for Thanksgiving or another family gathering.
It makes A LOT! So feel free to freeze the leftovers for a rainy day.
You could totally top a bowl of this with a fried egg and call it a day. Perfect for brunch or dinner.
Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ large butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes (about 4 cups)
- 3 small red onions, peeled, halved, and cut into ¾ inch slices
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Kosher salt & cracked black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups quick-cooking farro (or regular farro)
- ⅓ cup roasted & salted sunflower seeds
- ⅓ cup roasted & salted pepitas
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 (10 oz) bag Trader Joe’s Cruciferous Crunch Collection (or 10 oz blend of shaved brussels sprouts, kale, green, and purple cabbage)
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter
- 20 fresh sage leaves
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Optional: 1 cup fresh shavings of Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the cubed butternut squash on one large baking sheet, and the sliced red onions on another. Drizzle both with olive oil & season with a generous sprinkle of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Use your hands to toss the veggies to evenly coat with oil and seasonings.
- When the oven is done preheating, add the tray of butternut squash and the tray of onions to the oven. Cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally for even browning. The squash is done when it is fork-tender and lightly browned, and the onions are done when they are nicely caramelized and tender.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the farro & cook according to package instructions (either 12 minutes for quick cooking, or about 1 hour for regular farro).
- When the farro is tender, drain & place in a large serving bowl.
- When the squash and onions are done cooking, transfer to the large bowl with the farro. Toss to combine. Add the sunflower seeds, pepitas, cranberries, and cruciferous veggies, and toss again to combine.
- In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook, stirring continuously, until the melted butter is golden brown (but not burned). Turn off the heat & add the juice of 1 lemon. Stir, then pour over the farro salad. Toss to combine and serve right away, topped with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese if you want!
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