Stuffed Acorn Squash with Farro and Mushrooms

Acorn squash season usually starts in early October and lasts till December, but I was lucky to find it a little early in September! This recipe pairs so beautifully with roasted chicken recipes, pork chops, or even roasted duck! I intend to serve this with cozy French onion soup, roasted duck, and garlic-rosemary fingerlings at my next Autumn dinner party! 

Something to keep in mind, you’ll find the cook time of roasted acorn squash varies A LOT on the internet. I’ve seen it range from just 25 minutes to 45.

Personally, I found roasting at 400 F. (200 C.) for 40 minutes was perfect. But I would simply turn the light on in your oven and check after 30 minutes for when you see a tiny bit of browning around the tops. Just a little. You don’t want the squash to be overdone, and I’ve found the little bit of browning is a great indicator of perfectly roasted acorn squash.

The Simple Process

First, we’ll slice the acorn squash, brush it with olive oil, season with a little salt and pepper and get it roasting.

Next, We’ll put the farro on to simmer in vegetable broth, slice, dice and mince the veggies and grate a little parmesan.

Then, we’ll sauté the veggies and mix them into the finished farro with parmesan.

Finally, we’ll add a little butter to the roasted squash, and stuff them with our farro filling.

Ingredient Notes

acorn squash – Be careful when cutting in half. I find the best way is to take a big knife, push it down into the squash only a little, carefully rock it a bit, then slice. Don’t try to slice it all in one go.

red onion – You can also use white onion, but I find the red onion gives the filling such a nice autumn color.

vegetable broth – you can substitute with chicken broth for a more bold flavor, and even add a little apple cider if you want to give it a more “fall” essence.

farro – You can substitute with wild rice or even barley if you can’t find farro.

parmesan – Feel free to also use Gruyere, Manchego, sharp white cheddar or even a creamy cheese like brie!

kale – You can substitute with fresh spinach or even Swiss chard.

mushrooms – I used baby bella mushrooms in this recipe but you can also use wild mushrooms, chopped shiitakes or trumpet mushrooms.

soy sauce – Might sound a little strange to use soy sauce in a recipe like this, but it gives the filling a richer flavor. Acorn squash is a very mild squash, so you need a little something to give the filling some oomph to offset the mildness.

How to Make This Recipe – Step by Step

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. (200 C.). Carefully slice 3 acorn squash in half and remove the seeds.

2. Slice a tiny bit off the bottoms so that they lay flat.

3. Lay each half on a foil-lined baking sheet, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little honey (optional if you’d like a sweeter squash). Roast acorn squash for 30-40 minutes, until the tops are slightly brown.

4. First check to be sure your brand of farro has the same broth amount and cook time. While squash roasts, add 1 cup vegetable broth to a pot. Bring to a boil, and add ½ cup farro. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it finishes before your veggies are done, simply give it a stir and place a lid on top until they’re ready. 

5. While squash roasts and farro simmers, dice 1 cup red onion, chop 2 cups kale and slice 1½ cups baby bella mushrooms. To get a perfect size, slice the caps into thirds, then each slice in half. Include stems.

6. Coarsely mince 2 heaping tbsp. garlic and remove leaves from 1 tbsp. thyme.

7. Grate ½ cup parmesan.

8. Add 1½ tbsp. olive oil to a sauté pan and sauté sliced mushrooms until brown – about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle with garlic powder and sauté for 1 minute more and set aside. If you have a large pan, you can sauté onions, garlic and mushrooms at the same time. Just keep them separate, as they have different cook times.

9. Sauté diced onions in 1½ tbsp. olive oil until lightly brown, then add 1 tsp. more olive oil and sauté minced garlic and thyme, no longer than 1-2 minutes. Set aside – you can combine with mushrooms.

10. Sauté chopped kale with 2 tbsp. olive oil for 3-5 minutes until wilted. Sprinkle with garlic powder and fresh pepper, give it one more push around with a spatula and remove into container with mushrooms onions and garlic.

11. Once farro finishes, add 1 tbsp. soy sauce and grated parmesan and stir. Fold in sautéd vegetables.

12. When acorn squash is done roasting, brush with melted butter, spoon farro into each squash and serve.

A Few Tips

1. As mentioned at top, please be careful cutting your squash. I find the safest way is to take a big knife, push the knife down a little, then carefully rock it a bit to get it firmly in place, then slice. Don’t try to slice it all in one go.

2. The honey is optional because you may enjoy the slight sweetness of acorn squash as is, but I kind of like it a little sweeter. It’s a preference. You can also add a teeny tiny (I mean REALLY teeny tiny) sprinkle of cinnamon to the squash before roasting to give it more of a “fall” flavor.

A Few Tasty Recipe Pairings