Warm Farro Salad with Roast Pumpkin & Mushrooms
Have you ever had a cosy salad? This nutty, almost sweet, perfectly cooked farro paired with sweet cinnamon spiced pumpkin and roasted onions, butter fried mushrooms, toasted pine nuts and garlic, crispy sage and shavings of parmesan is what this warm farro salad is all about. Can I get a heck yes!?
Warm Farro Salad with Roast Pumpkin & Mushrooms
Warm Farro Salad with Roast Pumpkin & Mushrooms
Warm Farro Salad with Roast Pumpkin & Mushrooms
In the world of holiday side dishes, this warm farro salad with roast pumpkin & mushrooms is top tier. It’s hearty, comforting and full of flavour complexity. The farro is tender yet with a satisfying chewiness to it that makes it a joy to eat and the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
What’s to love about this recipe?
There’s so much to love about a warm pumpkin salad, it’s a classic for holiday table spreads, and when you add a grain like farro, it becomes so much more substantial, it’s a perfect light lunch in and of itself.
It’s so easy to prepare and yes, you can make it in advance!
This warm farro salad pairs perfectly with any protein like chicken, lamb or pork, so no matter who is bringing what to your holiday gathering, this salad will go perfectly with it all, and may even steal the show!
What even is farro?
Farro is an ancient wheat whole-grain, which means it’s super old. Actually it means it’s classified as a grain that has remained relatively unchanged for several hundreds years - and it’s super old! That’s kinda cool. Farro is also known as emmer in some regions.
Is farro good for you? Like other ancient grains, it’s really nutritious, containing fibre, protein and other nutrients, especially when compared to modern refined grains.
How to use farro: Use it in salads (like this one), soups, stews, risottos, in grain bowls instead of quinoa, or hurl it at a bride and groom instead of rice - kidding! Best not do that.
Choosing the variety of farro
There’s typically three different types of farro you can buy: Whole, semi-pearled and pearled, which is just how much of the outer husky layer of bran has been left on. Whole being the entire bran is still intact, semi-pearled some has been removed, and pearled - you guessed it, has it all removed.
It’s important to know which type you have because it impacts the cooking time. Farro that has the bran removed will cook faster than the whole type. Just make sure you read the pack and look at the cooking time.
Cooking tips for making a warm farro salad
- How to cook farro: First wash and drain to remove any loose husky bits. Then giving it a little toast in a pot with olive oil will give it a deeper nuttier flavour. Then you can add your cooking liquid.
- Cooking time for farro: My experience of cooking farro is actually not to follow an exact cooking time, check the pack instructions, but I like to check for doneness after the 15-20 minute mark, then keep checking in 5 minute intervals. If you undercook it, you get hard grains with too much bite, overcook it, and it’s mushy land.
- Drain your farro: It’s time to drain the main grain. Depending on your cook time you may have some liquid left. Just pour the farro through a sieve and drain out the liquid. Return the farro back to the pot for seasoning.
- Roasting your pumpkin: Similar to farro, the size of your pumpkin will change the cook time. You can cut it into crescents like I have, or dice it instead. So always check for doneness, it should have nice caramelisation and be completely tender.
- Cooking your mushrooms: It’s best to cook your mushrooms in batches so that they have a good amount of caramelisation and don’t end up just steaming together. Cooking in butter is also highly recommended for deliciousness. Season at the end, not at the start. If using a mushroom like shiitake, I suggest removing the stem to allow good caramelisation on both flat sides of the mushroom.
Storage
- Store leftover salad in the fridge for 4-5 days. It can be enjoyed warm or chilled.
- This salad can be made ahead of time! Serve onto and oven proof platter leaving off the fresh herbs and parmesan and cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve. Place in the oven at 170 C / 340 F for around 10-15 minutes to warm up.
Other salads to try
Looking to really bring it home with the holiday salad recipes? My Pear and Prosciutto Salad is a perfect light accompaniment to any Christmas or Thanksgiving spread. This Apple, Kale and Mint Salad is wonderfully autumnal and full of flavour. Or my Roast Potato Salad really needs no explanation, I mean, aren’t we all looking for more ways to eat roast potatoes?
No, it’s a wheat grain so it contains gluten.
Farro makes a nice sub for brown rice or wild rice. The cooking time will differ however.
Ingredients and substitutions
How to make it - step by step!
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Place pumpkin wedges on a lined roasting pan, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, then add cinnamon and nutmeg, along with a pinch of salt and pepper, toss to combine. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the pumpkin pieces over and bake for another 15-20 minutes until tender and caramelised. Keep warm.
At the same time, place the onion pieces on another lined roasting tray, drizzle with 1/2 tbsp of malt vinegar and 1 tbsp of olive oil along with a pinch of salt and pepper, then bake for 30-35 minutes until caramelised. Keep warm.
Meanwhile, rinse farro under a tap through a sieve, let the water drain out, then add to a saucepan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook for 2 minutes (This will add a nutty flavour).
Add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of chicken stock with a pinch of salt to the farro. Bring to a boil, then cook to packet instructions, however checking for done-ness after 20 minutes, cooking until the farro is chewy but still has a bit of bite to it.
If the pot still has water in it, drain the farro through a sieve, then add back to the pot. Add 1 tbsp of malt vinegar and a squeeze of lemon, taste and season with a pinch of salt then fluff the farro with a fork. Cover to keep warm.
When the pumpkin, onions and farro are just about done, add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil to a frying pan on medium heat, working in batches, add your mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden, then season and remove to a plate.
Add the garlic, cook for about 1-2 minutes then add the pine nuts and sage, season everything with salt and pepper, cook until pine nuts and garlic are golden brown.
Add the mushrooms and 1 tbsp of butter back to the pan, let everything sizzle together and the sage to crisp up for a minute, remove from heat.
On a large platter, add most of the farro, then layer pumpkin, onions, mushroom mixture, then remaining farro, parmesan shavings, sage and oregano leaves. Give everything a light drizzle with olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and serve warm.
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Place pumpkin wedges on a lined roasting pan, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, then add cinnamon and nutmeg, along with a pinch of salt and pepper, toss to combine. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the pumpkin pieces over and bake for another 15-20 minutes until tender and caramelised. Keep warm.
At the same time, place the onion pieces on another lined roasting tray, drizzle with 1/2 tbsp of malt vinegar and 1 tbsp of olive oil along with a pinch of salt and pepper, then bake for 30-35 minutes until caramelised. Keep warm.
Meanwhile, rinse farro under a tap through a sieve, let the water drain out, then add to a saucepan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook for 2 minutes (This will add a nutty flavour).
Add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of chicken stock with a pinch of salt to the farro. Bring to a boil, then cook to packet instructions, however checking for done-ness after 20 minutes, cooking until the farro is chewy but still has a bit of bite to it.
If the pot still has water in it, drain the farro through a sieve, then add back to the pot. Add 1 tbsp of malt vinegar and a squeeze of lemon, taste and season with a pinch of salt then fluff the farro with a fork. Cover to keep warm.
When the pumpkin, onions and farro are just about done, add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil to a frying pan on medium heat, working in batches, add your mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden, then season and remove to a plate.
Add the garlic, cook for about 1-2 minutes then add the pine nuts and sage, season everything with salt and pepper, cook until pine nuts and garlic are golden brown.
Add the mushrooms and 1 tbsp of butter back to the pan, let everything sizzle together and the sage to crisp up for a minute, remove from heat.
On a large platter, add most of the farro, then layer pumpkin, onions, mushroom mixture, then remaining farro, parmesan shavings, sage and oregano leaves. Give everything a light drizzle with olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and serve warm.
Watch the how to video
Watch the how to video
Warm Farro Salad with Roast Pumpkin & Mushrooms
- 1 cup pearled farro
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 800g small pumpkin
- 1 red onion
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 400g mushrooms
- 30g salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic
- 6 sage leaves
- 1/2 cup oregano leaves
- 80g pine nuts
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon
- 2 tbsp malt vinegar
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Place pumpkin wedges on a lined roasting pan, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, then add cinnamon and nutmeg, along with a pinch of salt and pepper, toss to combine. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the pumpkin pieces over and bake for another 15-20 minutes until tender and caramelised. Keep warm.
- At the same time, place the onion pieces on another lined roasting tray, drizzle with 1/2 tbsp of malt vinegar and 1 tbsp of olive oil along with a pinch of salt and pepper, then bake for 30-35 minutes until caramelised. Keep warm.
- Meanwhile, rinse farro under a tap through a sieve, let the water drain out, then add to a saucepan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook for 2 minutes (This will add a nutty flavour).
- Add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of chicken stock with a pinch of salt to the farro. Bring to a boil, then cook to packet instructions, however checking for done-ness after 20 minutes, cooking until the farro is chewy but still has a bit of bite to it.
- If the pot still has water in it, drain the farro through a sieve, then add back to the pot. Add 1 tbsp of malt vinegar and a squeeze of lemon, taste and season with a pinch of salt then fluff the farro with a fork. Cover to keep warm.
- When the pumpkin, onions and farro are just about done, add 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil to a frying pan on medium heat, working in batches, add your mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden, then season and remove to a plate.
- Add the garlic, cook for about 1-2 minutes then add the pine nuts and sage, season everything with salt and pepper, cook until pine nuts and garlic are golden brown.
- Add the mushrooms and 1 tbsp of butter back to the pan, let everything sizzle together and the sage to crisp up for a minute, remove from heat.
- On a large platter, add most of the farro, then layer pumpkin, onions, mushroom mixture, then remaining farro, parmesan shavings, sage and oregano leaves. Give everything a light drizzle with olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and serve warm.