Creamy Butternut Squash Farro

I made a shortcut version of this creamy butternut squash farro for my Trader Joe’s video, and immediately I had people asking for a homemade version. So of course, I had to deliver 😉

This creamy butternut squash farro recipe is vegan (but you can always add cheese!), topped with crispy sage and perfect for fall. It’s rich but not too rich, satisfying and filled with vegetables. To me, this farro bowl is the epitome of feel-good-food in the fall.

A little bit about the butternut squash

I am obsessed with butternut squash. I can confirm it is my favorite vegetable, mostly because it is so versatile. In this recipe the squash is the main source of both flavor and creaminess.

Since squash is a starchy, dense vegetable, it is absolutely perfect to make into soups and purées. You might think this recipe is just a thick butternut squash soup on farro, and in a way, it is! But it comes out tasting like creamy, dairy free butternut squash risotto, and that’s all thanks to this magical veg.

Ingredients you will need for this farro bowl

For the flavor you get, this recipe uses a remarkably small amount of ingredients. Here is everything you need:

• 12 ounces butternut squash, about one bulbous end of a small squash
• 1 small yellow onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• Generous amount of salt and pepper
• 1 & 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 cup warm water
• 10 ounces quick-cooking farro
• 2-3 stalks fresh sage

How to prepare the farro and butternut squash

The longest part of this recipe is the roasting. After that, everything comes together relatively quickly for this butternut squash farro. Here’s how I break everything down with timing:

• Preheat the oven to 425F.
• Remove the seeds from the squash, peel the garlic cloves and slice the onion into large pieces. Place all the vegetables on a piece of foil large enough to wrap around them.
• Cover the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper and loosely wrap the foil around the top. Roast at 425F for about 30-35 minutes or until the garlic is soft and the squash is fully cooked.
• While the vegetables are roasting, cook the farro per package instructions, drain and set to the side.
• When the vegetables are done roasting, let them cool for 5 minutes then move them to a blender. Make sure to remove the peel from the squash.
• Add the red pepper flakes and cup of water and blend until a smooth purée forms. Feel free to add more water as needed.
• Pour the purée onto the farro and mix to combine. Season with more salt, pepper and red pepper flakes if desired.
• To make the crispy sage, roughly chop the sage leaves and toss in a small coating of olive oil. Spread it on a baking sheet and broil on high for 3 minutes or until the sage is crispy.
• Top the farro with the sage and optional parmesan, and serve!

Looking for other fall recipes?

Fall is my favorite food season, so here are some other recipes to try outside of this farro bowl!

And that’s it for this butternut squash farro! I can’t wait to see if you like it.

If you do make this, please tag me on Instagram or Pinterest, I would love to see! PS if you make it and love it, it would mean the world to me if you left a review below, it helps the website more than you know <3

And of course leave a comment if you have any questions! You all know this is the best place to reach me.