This is just a slight variation of a much-loved salad of ours from Food52. Like the best recipes out there, Food52’s dish can act as a road map. Sub roasted squash for the sweet potato like we did here, sub dried dates in for the pomegranate seeds; take it the Mexican route by leaving out the dried fruit, subbing in scallion for the roasted red onion, pepitas for the walnuts, and cilantro for the mint…you get the idea.

Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, and cubed (yes, you can use the pre-peeled and cubed option for simplicities sake!)
1 red onion, peeled and sliced 1-inch wedges
1-2 cups farro (more if you want it farro-dense, less if you want it farro-light)
drizzle of balsamic, use good quality if you can
1 bunch curly kale, de-stemmed and torn into bite size pieces
2 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ cup pomegranate arils
generous handful torn mint
½ cup+ toasted walnuts
4 oz crumbled goat cheese (optional)
olive oil
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
zest of 1 lemon

Method
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss butternut squash cubes and red onion wedges with 2-4 glugs of olive oil, then season generously with salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Place on two rimmed sheet pans (lined with parchment paper for easier clean up) and roast for 30-45 minutes, flipping halfway through, until squash and red onion are well caramelized. Cool on sheet pan for 10 minutes for veggies to firm.
 
Meanwhile, cook farro. Bring a large saucepan of water to boil just as if you were cooking pasta. Salt the water generously, add farro, and boil until al dente (about 20-25 minutes for most farro). Drain and toss with a little olive oil and a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
 
Next, cook the kale. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add a glug of oil, thinly sliced garlic, and a small pinch of red pepper flakes. After about 30 seconds, add in the kale and sauté for 3-5 minutes until wilted. Don’t take it too far. The kale should maintain some structure and crunch. Season with salt to taste.
 
To finish, layer squash and roasted red onions, farro, garlicky kale, mint, pomegranate seeds, toasted walnuts and crumbled goat cheese in a wide, shallow bowl. Finish with the zest of one lemon and a pinch of Maldon salt if you have it. Enjoy!
 
Feeds 4-6.