Okay, I’m doing two things with this post — introducing a “new flora” food and making my first Hawaii trip-inspired meal!
The new food is farro. I’ve had farro a handful of times before, but had never cooked it myself. And I don’t think very many people are familiar with it, so I wanted to make sure to give it a little extra attention!
Farro is a delicious grain – very chewy and nutty. You can find it in bulk bins at most health food stores, or in packages with other packaged grains.
According to drweil.com, farro is a type of wheat – but one that’s higher in fiber (lots of fiber in this meal!), protein, magnesium, and B vitamins (score!)
Now the last time that I had farro was in my recent trip to Hawaii (*sigh*) – I had a delicious garlicky farro salad with roasted vegetables on the side.
But that farro salad had a decidedly summer-y feel to it. Since it’s actually wintery and raining right now, I thought I’d make a similar farro salad for stuffing for a delicious winter squash.
And it turned out soooooo well. This is an incredibly guilt-free meal. Just a small portion of this fun new grain, loads of veggies, and the flavoring all comes from fairly guilt-free marinara sauce. And it’s really filling. Yum-my!
Farro-Stuffed Acorn Squash:
serves 2
1 acorn squash (or any other kind of squash, or bell peppers)
1/4 C farro
3/4 C vegetable stock (plus a pinch of salt if your stock isn’t very salty)
3/4 C frozen mixed vegetables (I’m using a combination of edamame, corn, peas, carrots, and pearl onions – to emulate my Hawaii salad)
3/4 C marinara sauce of your choice (this is the main flavoring for this dish, so make sure you pick one you love with lots of flavor – or make your own!)
First you’ll want to start with your squash. Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, and place cut side down in about half an inch of water in a baking dish. Roast at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, until very tender. When you poke the outside of the squash with your finger, it should feel pretty squishy.
Meanwhile, cook your farro. Put farro and stock in a saucepan and bring to a boil (note: I’m using just a little bit more stock than necessary here because I’m going to defrost my frozen vegetables in the same pot. If you’re using fresh veggies, you can skip this step and use 1/4 C less stock; just stir the veggies in when the farro’s done cooking.) Then knock back to a simmer, and cook about 30 minutes. After about 25 minutes, mix in frozen vegetables so they can defrost while the farro finishes cooking.
When farro and veggies are ready, mix in marinara sauce.
Then when the squash is done, just fill the cavities with the stuffing!
You can add a little bit of meltable vegan cheese to the top and pop the squash back in the stove for a couple minutes if you want. I planned on doing this, but was starving and impatient when everything else was ready. I mean . . . it’s healthier without. 🙂
Nutrition facts per serving: Calories: 270; Calories from Fat: 21; Total Fat: 2.3g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 422mg; Total Carbohydrates: 55.2g; Dietary Fiber: 9.4g; Sugars: 7.3g; Protein: 8.8g
For a printable version, click here.
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