This Farro Risotto With Butternut Squash gives you both savory and sweet flavors in one delightful dish! Make this risotto easily in your Instant Pot with minimal effort!
Why You Need Make This Farro Risotto With Butternut Squash
- Texture. Has amazing creaminess from the butternut squash with the surprising chewiness of perfectly cooked farro.
- Comforting. Warm, delicious comfort food flavors.
- Vegetarian. The perfect choice for a meatless meal.
- Fast. Done in under 30 minutes.
- Easy. Basically a pour and cook Instant Pot recipe that nearly anyone can make.
If you've never enjoyed a Farro Risotto before, let this dish be the one to introduce you to it. It truly is a delight, with a flavor and texture that leaves you craving more.
But the farro isn't the only star of this dish. The nuttiness of the farro is perfectly complimented by the sweetness and nuttiness of the butternut squash.
The squash also adds a wonderful creaminess and mushiness to the dish that only butternut squash could do.
What Is Farro?
Farro is a whole-grain type of ancient wheat that's high in both protein and fiber. It has a lot of similarities to barley, including both its appearance and its texture. It has a very chewy consistency when it is cooked, which adds a fantastic texture to this Farro Risotto recipe.
Farro has a very nutty flavor profile, similar to that of brown rice. It is often used as an alternative to rice and pasta and it is rich in nutrients such as vitamins A, B, C, E, and magnesium.
Is Farro Better For You Than Rice?
Farro actually beats out rice nutritionally in many ways. For one, farro has more protein than brown rice, which makes it a great way to increase your protein intake when using it in place of rice.
Farro also has more fiber than brown rice, which is great for GI health and lowers your cholesterol level, which is greatly beneficial to your heart.
Is Farro Gluten Free?
No. Farro is a form of wheat. So, it naturally contains gluten. If you eat a gluten-free diet, this recipe might not be for you.
However, you will enjoy my Butternut Squash soup just as much. And it is gluten-free.
How To Cook Farro | Instant Pot Instructions For Cooking Farro Risotto
- Soak the farro in 2 cups of hot water while you get the other ingredients together.
- Press Sauté on the Instant Pot and when it is hot, add butter and garlic and let it sizzle for 5-10 seconds. Add onions and stir. Press CANCEL to turn off the Instant Pot.
- Add butternut squash, farro, water, salt, pepper, thyme, and water.
- Close the lid and press PRESSURE COOK. Cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. Then, allow the pot to rest undisturbed for 10 minutes and then release all remaining pressure.
- Open the pot. If you like, you can remove some of the butternut squash pieces now for decoration since you're about to pulverize them.
- Add parmesan and butter. Stir all of it to smush some of the farro and butternut. Garnish with chopped green onions if using, and serve hot.
Tips And Tricks For Making Farro Risotto With Butternut Squash
- To make this recipe vegan, simply vegetable oil instead of butter and omit the parmesan cheese.
- Remove some of the butternut squash before mixing the risotto if you'd like to leave some of it intact as mixing the finished risotto will mush all of the squash.
- Not sure how to pick a squash? A ripe squash should a full, firm stem, be dark beige in color, and should have a matte, hard surface.
Have Some Left Over Butternut Squash? Use It In These Delicious Recipes!
- Vegan Butternut Ginger Soup - Perfect for days when you don't feel like cooking anything elaborate!
- Spiced Butternut Squash recipe - It's vegan-friendly and it's made easily in an air fryer.
- Creamy Butternut Squash Soup with Apple and Bacon - Likely one of the easiest recipes you've ever made.
- Spiced Butternut Squash - and easy air fryer recipe and side dish.
So the next time you're craving something comforting and delicious, make some of this delicious Farro Risotto with Butternut Squash. Make sure to share this recipe with your friends on Pinterest and Facebook so they can enjoy it as well!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Butter, or oil
- 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1 cup Chopped Green Scallions, diced, both green and white parts
- 1 cup Pearled Farro, soaked in hot water for 15-20 minutes
- 1.5 cups Water
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 2 cups butternut squash, diced, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
For Finishing
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1/2-3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup Chopped Green Scallions, chopped
Instructions
- Soak the farro in 2 cups of hot water while you get the other ingredients together.
- Press Sauté on the Instant Pot and when it is hot, add butter and garlic and let it sizzle for 5-10 seconds. Add onions and stir. Press CANCEL to turn off the Instant Pot.
- Add butternut squash, farro, water, salt, pepper, thyme, and water.
- Close the lid and press PRESSURE COOK. Cook on HIGH pressure for 10 minutes. Then, allow the pot to rest undisturbed for 10 minutes and then release all remaining pressure.
- Open the pot. If you like, you can remove some of the butternut squash pieces now for decoration since you're about to pulverize them.
- Add parmesan and butter. Stir all of it to smush some of the farro and butternut. Garnish with chopped green onions if using, and serve hot.
- To make this recipe vegan, simply vegetable oil instead of butter and omit the parmesan cheese.
- Remove some of the butternut squash before mixing the risotto if you'd like to leave some of it intact as mixing the finished risotto will mush all of the squash.
- Not sure how to pick a squash? A ripe squash should a full, firm stem, be dark beige in color, and should have a matte, hard surface.
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Nutrition
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Maureen Larson
How to cook this recipe without a instant pot.
Maureen Larson
How do you make the recipe without a instant pot,
Wendy
Excellent! I used frozen butternut squash and finally diced sweet onions instead of green onions. A fabulous recipe and will be a new go to!
Only thing I would suggest is to update the recipe to be sure users remember to drain the farro before cooking. I just assumed as I know it needs to be ‘cleaned’ first.
Rory
Hey! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to ive
a quick shout out andd say I truly enjoy reading thrrough your articles.
Appreciate it!
Carol
Simple and delicious! I followed the instructions exactly, except I also stirred in some fresh baby spinach at the end. This is a keeper.
Stacy
This was so good! Perfect fall comfort food. I served pan-sautéed scallops over top. Definitely going on repeat.
Rita
I need help. This is my 3rd time and I've ended up with too much water still in the pot each time. The first time I used all the water the farro soaked in plus 1.5 cups. Second time I did 2 cups (enough for the farro in the pot to be submerged). This time I used 1.5 cups (and not totally sure the farro cooked all the way). Lots of water left over each time. It's super delicious, but I'm having to find creative ways to drain the water once everything is cooked. What am I doing wrong?
URVASHI PITRE
Okay so. Drain the farro and then cook in 1.5 cups. That extra water should be gone once you vigorously stir the farro. You want the farro to break and leach some of its starch. That’s what will thicken the mixture and melt into the remaining water.
Rita
Ok. Maybe I'm not stirring vigorously enough. I'll try that next time. Thanks!
Dina Scappatura
Delicious!
URVASHI PITRE
Thank you!
Jayme
Yummy, and most importantly, healthy AND easy recipe. To up the nutritional value, I stirred in 4 big handfuls of baby spinach after taking the lid off, then garnished with 1/4 cup parsley instead of green onions, which brightened up the flavor nicely.
Gerry
SO GOOD!!!!! I decreased the salt by half (because I have to be careful) and if you do freshly ground pepper you may need a little less than you expect. I didn't have pearled barley and it still came out great! I used squash that I had already roasted, so you may need a little less than 2 cups but I love butternut squash so it was fine. Thank you Urvashi for another easy delicious recipe.