Farro Salad with Butternut Squash, Radicchio, and Blue Cheese

November 17, 2021

This Farro Salad with Butternut Squash, Radicchio, and Blue Cheese is a beautiful and delicious grain salad that would be perfect for make-ahead lunches or as a side dish at your next gathering. This recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen’s newest cookbook, The Complete Autumn & Winter Cookbook (please note this book was gifted to me but all opinions are my own).

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serving bowl of Farro Salad with Butternut Squash, Radicchio, and Blue Cheese

Is it unusual that I love a salad in the winter more than in the summer? I think it’s because winter salads tend to be heartier (roasted veggies! grains! heartier greens!) so they taste more substantial and often times will stay for a few days versus a fresh dressed summer salad that needs to be enjoyed right away or else the tender greens will wilt. All of this is to say that I LOVE a winter grain salad full of hearty veggies and winter greens and this farro salad is exactly what I’m craving this time of year.

This Farro Salad with Butternut Squash comes from America’s Test Kitchen’s newest cookbook, The Complete Autumn & Winter cookbook which was sent to me last month. I’ll admit that this isn’t the kind of cookbook I would normally be drawn to at first glance – I would have assumed the recipes were too simple for me. However, I found myself bookmarking recipe after recipe when I sat down with the book. A lot of the recipes are approachable and heavily tested so I found myself drawn to them for weeknight meals when I need a recipe that is going to come out the first time without error and is also simple enough that I’ll have all the ingredients on hand. There are also a lot of holiday recipes that I’m excited to make for my family – the recipes are traditional enough that I think they’ll really appreciate them while not feeling too basic for me to get bored cooking. A few recipes I’ve already made include Unstuffed Shells with Butternut Squash & Leeks (Wyatt loved this dish!) and a blue cheese log that was rolled in pistachio dukkah. I also just bought all the ingredients for cider glazed root vegetables with tarragon that I’m so excited to make this week. This book definitely will become a standard in my collection that I reach for planning out my weekly grocery list for easy dinners.

The Complete Autumn & Winter Cookbook from America's Test Kitchen

I made this salad for a cookbook club Friendsgiving this past weekend and everyone commented on how colorful and beautiful it looked on the table. The Complete Autumn & Winter cookbook recommends, if making ahead, to make all the components and then toss them together the next day right before serving but I put it all together and let it sit in the fridge overnight which I found helped the flavors develop and the dressing soak into the farro. Next time I think I’ll probably make and assemble everything except adding in the shredded raddichio and parsley the day before and then add those two components right before serving. In addition to this making a beautiful addition to the holiday table, I could also see myself whipping this salad up on a Sunday to enjoy for lunches throughout the week.

Farro Salad with Butternut Squash, Radicchio, and Blue Cheese

This Farro Salad with Butternut Squash, Radicchio, and Blue Cheese is a beautiful and delicious salad that would be perfect for make-ahead lunches or as a side dish at your next gathering. This recipe is from America's Test Kitchen's newest cookbook, The Complete Autumn & Winter Cookbook.

Course: Salad

Ingredients

2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (3 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
3/4 tsp salad, divided + more for salting the farro water
1 1/2 cups farro, rinsed
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp minced shallot (from 1 small shallot)
1 tsp Dijon mustard
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup chopped radicchio
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 oz blue cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.
Toss the squash with 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt and spread into an even layer onto prepared baking sheet. Roast until tender, 20 to 22 minutes.
While the squash roasts, bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large suacepan. Stir in farro and 1 Tbsp salt. Return to a boil and cook until the farro is tender with a slight chew, 15 to 30 minutes (timing will vary depending on the type of farro). Drain and transfer to the baking sheet with the cooling squash. Spread it out on the sheet with the squash so they can both cool for 15 minutes.
In a large serving bowl, whisk together the vinegar, shallots, mustard, cayenne, remaining 3 Tbsp olive oil, and remaining 1/4 tsp salt.
When the squash and farro are at room temperature, add them, along with the radicchio, parsley, and blue cheese to the serving bowl with the dressing. Toss to combine and season with more salt or pepper (if needed). Serve right away or store in the fridge, covered, overnight if making ahead.