This Baked Farro with Butternut Squash, Kale, and Pancetta stands as a testament to healthy comfort food, brimming with robust flavors. As the chill of winter approaches, this dish offers warmth and satisfaction without compromise.
Baked Farro with Butternut Squash, Kale, and Pancetta: Your Ultimate Winter Comfort
Amidst the tempting flurry of holiday baking and festive treats, it’s easy to forget about nourishing meals that support a balanced lifestyle. But before you find yourself reaching for an extra size in your stretchy pants, allow us to introduce a dish that perfectly bridges the gap between indulgent comfort and wholesome goodness: Baked Farro with Butternut Squash, Kale, and Pancetta. This isn’t just another healthy option; it’s a truly delicious and deeply satisfying meal designed for the colder months.
We understand the irresistible call of cookie season, and we embrace it too. However, even during the most celebratory times, our bodies crave well-rounded, flavorful sustenance. This baked farro dish offers exactly that – a vibrant medley of seasonal ingredients transformed into a hearty, warming meal that feels like a hug from the inside out. It’s the kind of dish that nourishes your soul while keeping your waistline in mind, proving that healthy eating can be incredibly exciting and fulfilling.
Discover the Ancient Grain: Why Farro Deserves a Place in Your Kitchen
For those familiar with our culinary adventures, our affection for farro is no secret. This ancient grain, celebrated for centuries across the Mediterranean, is a nutritional powerhouse. Farro boasts a chewy texture, a delightfully nutty flavor, and a remarkable profile of health benefits that make it an exceptional addition to any diet. Rich in fiber, it aids digestion and promotes a feeling of fullness, helping to manage hunger. Moreover, it’s an excellent source of plant-based protein, making it a fantastic choice for vegetarians, vegans, and anyone looking to incorporate more wholesome grains into their meals.
Throughout the summer, we often turn to our refreshing Farro, Corn, and Tomato Salad, a light yet incredibly satisfying dish bursting with the freshness of Jersey corn and ripe tomatoes. That recipe thrives on peak-season produce. As the seasons shift and colder weather sets in, the need for a heartier, more comforting farro recipe becomes apparent. This baked farro creation is our answer to that need, designed to capture the essence of autumn and winter flavors while maintaining farro’s inherent goodness. It promises to be just as delicious and gratifying as its summer counterpart, but with a profile perfectly suited for cooler days.
A Symphony of Seasonal Flavors: Butternut Squash, Kale, and Pancetta
This dish masterfully combines the natural sweetness of butternut squash with the earthy bitterness of kale, the savory crispness of pancetta, and the aromatic depth of onion and fresh sage. The result is a truly comforting and flavorful experience that will quickly become a staple in your fall and winter cooking repertoire. Each ingredient plays a crucial role in creating a harmonious blend of textures and tastes.
Let’s delve deeper into what makes these components so special:
- Butternut Squash: A quintessential fall vegetable, butternut squash offers a subtly sweet, creamy flavor that balances the other more robust ingredients. It’s packed with vitamins A and C, along with essential minerals, contributing both flavor and a significant nutritional boost. For convenience, you can often find pre-cubed butternut squash in your local market, saving you prep time without sacrificing quality. If you prefer to cut your own, look for a squash that feels heavy for its size and has a firm, unblemished skin.
- Kale: This leafy green superfood brings a touch of vibrant color and a wealth of nutrients, including vitamins K, A, and C, as well as antioxidants. Its slight peppery notes beautifully contrast the sweetness of the squash and the richness of the pancetta. When added to the hot dish, the kale wilts down perfectly, softening its texture while retaining its nutritional integrity. Any variety of kale, such as curly or Lacinato (dinosaur) kale, will work wonderfully here. Just be sure to remove the tough stems before chopping.
- Pancetta: The Italian equivalent of bacon, pancetta is cured pork belly that adds a rich, salty, and incredibly savory depth to the dish. Unlike smoked bacon, pancetta is typically unsmoked, allowing its natural pork flavor to shine through, contributing a more delicate yet equally impactful umami. When rendered crispy, it provides a delightful textural contrast against the soft farro and squash.
- Fresh Sage: The addition of fresh sage is paramount. Its warm, aromatic, and slightly peppery flavor profile is a classic pairing with squash and pork, elevating the entire dish with a distinct autumnal essence. Using fresh herbs makes a significant difference in the overall brightness and complexity of the flavors.
- Aromatics and Spices: Chopped yellow onion and minced garlic form the foundational aromatic base, while kosher salt, ground black pepper, and a hint of red pepper flakes provide seasoning and a subtle warmth, making each bite incredibly satisfying.
Effortless Preparation for a Gourmet Experience
What makes this dish even more appealing is its incredible ease of preparation. You’ll be delighted by how quickly and simply these wholesome ingredients come together to form such a sophisticated and flavorful meal. The process involves a few straightforward steps:
- **Cooking the Farro:** Begin by simmering the farro in chicken stock until tender. This step infuses the grain with savory flavor right from the start.
- **Sautéing the Foundation:** In a Dutch oven or a large oven-safe pot, render the diced pancetta until crispy. Then, add a touch of olive oil, onion, and butternut squash, sautéing until they begin to soften.
- **Building Layers of Flavor:** Introduce the minced garlic, fresh sage, and spices to the pot, cooking for a couple more minutes until fragrant.
- **Combining and Baking:** Finally, stir in the cooked farro, fresh kale, and a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. A quick bake in the oven allows the flavors to meld beautifully and the squash to become perfectly tender.
This dish is remarkably versatile. It stands strong as a fulfilling main course, providing a complete and balanced meal. Alternatively, it serves as an elegant and robust side dish that would complement roasted chicken, pork loin, or even a simple grilled fish. Its ability to serve multiple purposes makes it an excellent choice for weeknight dinners and special gatherings alike.
Embrace Healthy Comfort Food: A Dish for Every Occasion
This Baked Farro with Butternut Squash, Kale, and Pancetta truly redefines comfort food. It proves that you don’t have to sacrifice flavor or satisfaction to eat healthily. It’s a dish that warms you from the inside out, offering a perfect balance of savory, sweet, and earthy notes, all while delivering a powerful nutritional punch. Your waistline, and your taste buds, will thank you for stepping away from the cookie tray—just for a little while—and indulging in something truly nourishing and delicious.
For those looking to expand their plant-based repertoire, this recipe can also be adapted. Simply omit the pancetta and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock for a flavorful vegetarian or vegan alternative. The combination of butternut squash, kale, farro, and sage is robust enough to shine on its own.
This recipe is also fantastic for meal prepping. It holds up well in the refrigerator for several days, making it an ideal candidate for healthy lunches or quick dinners throughout the week. Reheat gently in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding a splash of broth if needed to restore moisture.
So go ahead, treat yourself and your loved ones to this healthy, comforting, and utterly delicious creation. Enjoy, friends!
Baked Farro with Butternut Squash, Kale and Pancetta
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup farro (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 4 oz. pancetta (diced)
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 Tbsp. fresh sage leaves (roughly chopped)
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 2 1/2 cups butternut squash (peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
- 3 cups kale (stemmed and roughly chopped)
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese plus 2 Tbsp. extra for sprinkling
Instructions
- Rinse 1 cup farro. Place in a pot and add 3 cups chicken stock (ensure the stock covers the farro). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
- In an 8 or 9-inch Dutch oven or oven-safe pot, sauté diced pancetta over medium heat for about 5 minutes until crispy. Remove pancetta and set aside, leaving rendered fat in the pot. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to the pot, then add chopped onion and butternut squash. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring often, until the squash starts to soften. Stir in minced garlic, fresh sage, kosher salt, ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes, cooking for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the cooked farro, chopped kale, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and the crispy pancetta back into the Dutch oven. Mix gently until all ingredients are well combined. Sprinkle with the extra Parmesan cheese and bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until the butternut squash is tender and the dish is heated through. Serve warm.