Warm Butternut Squash Farro Salad
This Warm Butternut Squash Farro Salad is a hearty, flavorful grain salad that's perfect for lunch or as a side dish!
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked farro
- 1 lb cubed uncooked butternut squash, (cut into ½” cubes)
- 5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- ¾ teaspoon salt, divided (plus more for sprinkling to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground thyme, divided
- ⅓ cup chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ cup sweetened dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, (or your favorite mustard)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 cup fresh arugula leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Cook the cup of farro according to package directions. For mine, I combined it with 2 cups of water and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan and brought it to a boil, then reduced the heat to low and let it simmer covered for 30-35 minutes.
- Once the farro is started, place the cubed squash in a mixing bowl and drizzle with two teaspoons of the olive oil. Stir to coat. Then add ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of ground thyme and stir to coat. Transfer the squash to the prepared baking sheet and spread across the surface. Place in the oven to roast at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
- When about 10 minutes remain on the squash and farro, drizzle two teaspoons of the olive oil into a skillet or sauté pan and bring over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and stir to coat. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the minced garlic, sliced almonds, and dried cranberries and stir to combine. Sprinkle with a little salt and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally until the almonds look a bit golden and the cranberries are plump.
- In a mixing bowl (it can be the same one you used for the squash – save yourself some dishes), add the apple cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, remaining teaspoon of olive oil, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of ground thyme. Whisk together until combined.
- Transfer the cooked farro to a serving bowl and fluff with a fork. Add the roasted butternut squash and the onion/cranberry mix along with the cup of fresh arugula and the tablespoon of fresh parsley. Stir together to mix. Drizzle the maple mustard dressing you made in step 5 over the top of the other ingredients and then stir/toss to combine with the dressing. Serve warm.
Notes
WW Points per (rounded ¾ cup cup) serving: 5 (Points calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)
To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
Nutrition Information per (rounded ¾ cup) serving:
210 calories, 35 g carbs, 8 g sugars, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 6 g protein, 3 g fiber, 80 mg sodium (from myfitnesspal.com) Weight Watchers Points Plus:
6 per (rounded ¾ cup) serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition info below) adapted from Joyful Healthy Eats
210 calories, 35 g carbs, 8 g sugars, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 6 g protein, 3 g fiber, 80 mg sodium (from myfitnesspal.com) Weight Watchers Points Plus:
6 per (rounded ¾ cup) serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition info below) adapted from Joyful Healthy Eats