Roast Acorn Squash wth Farro, Pomegranate Seeds, Radish, and Goat Cheese
The inspiration for this recipe originally came during a weekly fridge foraging. It unfortunately didn’t win (it was up against a chicken pot pie so it never stood a chance) but as I was thinking about it, it is actually a really great light side dish for Thanksgiving. So here it is, I am adding it to my Thanksgiving recipe guide.
Couple notes:
The below recipe feeds about 4 people but don’t be afraid to double it if you have more than 4 people coming for Thanksgiving.
You can make the farro and the pumpkin seed vinaigrette a couple days in advance and store in the fridge.
The easiest way to cut an acorn squash is to (carefully!) cut horizontally through the stem, remove the seeds, then place one half of the squash cut side down on a cutting board and cut vertically starting at the bottom.
Lastly, if you can’t find acorn squash any other winter squash (delicata, butternut, pumpkin) would work too.
Roast Acorn Squash wth Farro, Pomegranate Seeds, Radish, and Goat Cheese
2 medium acorn squash, cut into 1” thick pieces
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 cup dried farro
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped
3 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup. chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup sliced radish
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Place acorn squash slices in a even layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil.
In a small bowl combine a large pinch of salt and pepper, as well as the cinnamon and smoked paprika. Sprinkle mixture evenly over squash then roast for 20 to 24 minutes or until fork tender.
In a large pot of bowl water, cook the farro until al dente about 10 minutes. Strain and let cool.
While the acorn squash is roasting make the pumpkin seed vinaigrette by combining the pumpkin seeds, red wine vinegar, olive oil, parsley, and large pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Assemble the dish by laying the squash on a serving dish. Top with farro, pomegranate seeds, radish, goat cheese, and a drizzle of the vinaigrette.
Serve warm or at room temperate.
