Warm Farro Salad with Butternut Squash and Gorgonzola

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A warm farro salad served with roasted butternut squash, zucchini and red onion, tossed with a simple and delicious dressing and topped with gorgonzola cheese and chopped hazelnuts. It’s the perfect salad for Fall.

An overhead shot of a warm farro salad with butternut squash, spinach and gorgonzola.
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Farro is a delicious ancient grain that’s used a lot in Italy. It’s very similar to barley which makes a great substitute if you can’t find farro.

Autumn and Winter are months when we eat a lot of hearty and indulgent comfort food so I love to make dishes that give me comfort on a chilly day but is healthy and delicious.

Farro is something we love to eat at this time of year and it can be used in so many ways. Use it instead of rice to make ‘risotto’ or ‘farrotto’, add it to soups or like in this case, salads.

This warm farro salad is bursting with flavour, we’ve got roasted squash, zucchini and red onion, a simple and fresh zingy dressing, baby spinach and it’s then topped with creamy Gorgonzola piccante and chopped hazelnuts.

Ingredients

An overhead shot of all the ingredients needed to make a warm farro salad with butternut squash.

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Ingredient notes and substitutions

  • Farro – we use Gallo Farro which cooks in about 18-20 minutes. If you can’t find farro you could use barley instead.
  • Butternut squash – you can use any squash or pumpkin you like.
  • Zucchini – you can use eggplant/aubergine instead.
  • Baby spinach – I like to use spinach but you could also use arugula or mixed salad leaves.
  • Red onion – you could also use brown or white onion.
  • Gorgonzola Piccante – There are two types of Gorgonzola, Piccante which is firm and crumbly and Dolce which is soft, oozy and creamy. Although you could use either in this salad I prefer to use Piccante for its sharpness and crumbly texture.
  • Hazelnuts – I don’t toast them but you can if you like, you could also use walnuts or even pine nuts.
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Visual walk-through of the recipe

  1. Prep the veg – cut the butternut squash and zucchini into medium-sized cubes (about 1/2 inch) and cut the onion into thick slices. Add them to a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt (photo 1).
  2. Roast – roast the veg in the oven (200C/400F) for 35-40 minutes until cooked through and tender (photo 2).
Four photos in a collage showing how to roast vegetables and make a salad dressing.
  1. Cook the farro – bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Cook the farro according to packet instructions (about 18-20 minutes) then drain and let it cool.
  2. Make the dressing – Whisk together the red wine vinegar, honey, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper (photos 3 and 4).
Two photos in a collage showing how to mix a farro salad.
  1. Toss together – add the roasted veg, farro and spinach to a large mixing bowl and toss together. Pour over the dressing and toss. Serve in bowls topped with gorgonzola and hazelnuts (photos 5 and 6).

Recipe Tips

  • Prepping the veg – try to cut the zucchini and squash to a similar size but cut the onion slightly larger as it cooks quicker.
  • Prep in advance – you can make the salad in advance, let it cool completely and store in the fridge. You can choose to top with gorgonzola and hazelnuts or mix them through.
  • How long does it last? – the salad will keep well for up to 3 days in the fridge.
A close up of a farro salad on a plate with butternut squash, spinach and gorgonzoal.

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Farro and Butternut Squash Salad

5 from 1 vote

By Emily

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 4 servings
A warm farro salad served with roasted butternut squash, zucchini and red onion, tossed with a simple and delicious dressing and topped with gorgonzola cheese and chopped hazelnuts. It's the perfect salad for Fall.
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Ingredients

  • 1 and 1/4 cup (210g) farro, (can also use barley)
  • 1/2 medium butternut squash, (500g)
  • 2 zucchini
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 large handfuls baby spinach
  • Gorgonzola Picante, for topping
  • Hazelnuts, roughly chopped (for topping)
  • olive oil
  • Salt

Dressing

  • 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 squeeze lemon juice
  • salt and pepper

Instructions 

  • Pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F)
  • Peel and cut the butternut squash into ½ inch-sized cubes and place on a baking tray. Cut the zucchini to a similar size and the onion into thick slices. Place on the baking tray with the squash. Drizzle over a little olive oil and toss the veg until well coated and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes until tender and cooked through.
  • Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Cook the farro according to packet instructions (ours took 18-20 minutes).
  • Drain the farro and let it cool.
  • To make the dressing, whisk together 4 tablespoons olive oil, 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper until well combined.
  • When the veg is done put it in a large mixing bowl with the farro and spinach and toss to combine. Add the dressing and toss the salad again until.
  • Serve the salad in bowls topped with pieces of gorgonzola picante and chopped hazelnuts.

Notes

  • Prepping the veg – try to cut the zucchini and squash to a similar size but cut the onion slightly larger as it cooks quicker.
  • Prep in advance – you can make the salad in advance, let it cool completely and store in the fridge. You can choose to top with gorgonzola and hazelnuts or mix them through.
  • How long does it last? – the salad will keep well for up to 3 days in the fridge.
 

Helpful Info for All Recipes

  • I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
  • When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
  • All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
  • All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
  • Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
  • Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
  • You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 653mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 10267IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 108mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 1 vote

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1 Comment

  1. Gary Wainwright says:

    Emily this is delicious! I brought a bag of Farro back from Ravenna earlier last year and had a huge butternut squash that I was looking for ways to use. Very straightforward to prep and cook. Combination of flavours with the Gorgonzola and Butternut is great, then add in the crunch of the Hazelnuts and texture of the Farro makes it a joy to eat. Thank You5 stars