By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 20 minutes
- Rating
- 4(277)
- Notes
- Read community notes
A delicious, and simple, winter squash gratin. This tastes like the filling of many Greek winter squash pies I have made, but it is a simpler dish. The squash is roasted, which gives it great depth of flavor. I love the sweetness of the squash against the salty feta, and the chewy farro against the tender squash. Most of the elements for this gratin can be prepared ahead if you want to go about this piecemeal – farro freezes well and keeps for a few days in the refrigerator; roasted squash keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days as well.
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 6
- 2pounds winter squash, peeled and cut in small dice (about ½ inch)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1pound leeks (2 large), white and light green parts only, cleaned and chopped
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 3 to 4tablespoons chopped fresh mint, or 1 to 2 tablespoons dried mint (to taste)
- 3eggs
- 3ounces feta, crumbled
- ¾cup cooked faro
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
325 calories; 15 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 41 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 688 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish or gratin. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Place squash on baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss squash until evenly coated with oil. Place in oven and roast until tender and lightly colored, about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Turn heat down to 375 degrees.
Step
2
Heat another tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add leeks. Cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and continue to cook, stirring often, until tender, another 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add squash and mint to pan and toss together. Remove from heat.
Step
3
In a large bowl beat eggs. Add salt to taste (remembering that feta is very salty) and feta, and beat together until feta has broken up into eggs. Stir in squash and leek mixture and farro. Scrape into oiled baking dish. Drizzle remaining oil over top.
Step
4
Bake 35 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from heat. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.
Tip
- Advance preparation: You can roast the squash up to 2 days ahead of making the gratin. Cooked farro will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator and freezes well. The gratin will keep for 4 or 5 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen for a month. Thaw in medium oven or at room temperature.
Ratings
4
out of 5
277
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Cooking Notes
Sfrupe
If you roast a winter squash for about 10 minutes in the oven (at 375-400) you can then cut it open and peel away the outer skin!
South Ender
Since we were eating this as a main course, I doubled the farro and added 1 Tbsp of harissa paste into the leeks, along with the garlic. I think it could have benefited from one more egg (to help hold the extra farro together), but MAN was this delicious! It just seemed like it would have been a little 2-dimensional without the harissa...
Kevin Osinski
Would also be nice with fresh dill instead of mint.I saved some effort by roasting the leeks and garlic in the same pan as the squash. I added the leeks after the squash had been roasting for 10 minutes, and added the garlic 5 minutes after that.
JKG
I used goat cheese instead of feta but otherwise followed the recipe as written. This was more egg-y than I expected and my didn't look nearly as green as the photo even though I added extra mint. I also wish there was more farro in it. Wasn't wowed by this recipe and will not be rushing to make again.
Ji
I used sweet potatoes instead of squash. It’s still really sweet and delicious. The best recipe.
Allison
This is delicious! Save yourself some time and buy already cut, peeled squash. If none is available, buy a smooth squash like a butternut that's easy to peel. I used acorn squash and peeling it was a pain in the butt. The vegetable peeler does not get in the grooves of the squash. Also I used 3T. of mint and it needed all 4. I will make this again very soon.
kelly
the flavors are good but mine ended up so dry. def needs a sauce!
Alice
Great vegetarian side dish for the holidays. Used butternut squash and omitted the mint. Easy to make ahead and reheat.
Nondairy In Vancouver
I can't eat dairy, but worried the umami factor would suffer when I omitted the feta. So: I added ~1/3 c. nutritional yeast a bit more olive oil to the eggs. Also included some kale fresh sage (what I had on hand) to the leek sauté. Tossed the whole with a good douse of Italian condimento blanco, then sprinkled with paprika slivered almonds. Voilà: transformed to a dairy-free delight.
Phyllis
Can someone clarify if that is 3/4 cups of dried faro that is prepared/cooked or 3/4 c already cooked faro, meaning about 3/8th of a cup dry faro. If 3/4 cup cooked faro, I would double it adds a nice textrue to the dish. Lovely flavor as written.
We'll Cook It again
The only one we made different is to cook the leek 10 min. Then its perfekt.
cat
YUUMM. I made a lot of substitutions and additions, but this is a great template recipe. Used fresh fennel instead of mint, herbed goat cheese instead of feta, and red quinoa instead of farro. Added red pepper flakes and diced duck fennel sausage. Not eggy at all—just creamy and delicious.
sarah murphy
I think this recipe would be a great way to sue up leftover squash and farro, but not sure I’d make it again from scratch.
Russell
Use lots of parmesan for topping along with the flaky salt. It makes a large amount, so good for holiday occasion
Ji
I used sweet potatoes instead of squash. It’s still really sweet and delicious. The best recipe.
South Ender
Since we were eating this as a main course, I doubled the farro and added 1 Tbsp of harissa paste into the leeks, along with the garlic. I think it could have benefited from one more egg (to help hold the extra farro together), but MAN was this delicious! It just seemed like it would have been a little 2-dimensional without the harissa...
Kevin Osinski
Would also be nice with fresh dill instead of mint.I saved some effort by roasting the leeks and garlic in the same pan as the squash. I added the leeks after the squash had been roasting for 10 minutes, and added the garlic 5 minutes after that.
Blythe D
Absolutely delicious! Roasted the squash with 2-3 tbsp of white miso and served the gratin with harissa but otherwise followed the recipe. I thought it was great; healthy and flavourful.
JKG
I used goat cheese instead of feta but otherwise followed the recipe as written. This was more egg-y than I expected and my didn't look nearly as green as the photo even though I added extra mint. I also wish there was more farro in it. Wasn't wowed by this recipe and will not be rushing to make again.
Cher504
Delicious! I subbed kamut for the faro- very good. I bet wheat or spelt berries would work just as well. Added some extra spice, white pepper and a sprinkle of oregano. I left off the last addition of oil, and didn't miss it. I baked it covered for the first 25 min. and uncovered for the last 10.
Stacy VB
Cooked as instructed and it tastes as you would expect based on the ingredients list. Would make a nice, light supper or a good side dish to fish for entertaining. It tastes good served at room temperature and thus would serve at a brunch buffet as well, prepped in advance.
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