Print
Make-ahead salad with farro, squash and arugula wins lunch!

Lunch Prep Acorn Squash Farro Salad

A satisfying salad that won't leave you hungry, with instructions on how to prep this for lunches you can bring to work without any leaking or sogginess!

Course Lunch
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • sea salt
  • 1 acorn squash, seeded and cut into 1/3" slices
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup cooked farro, cooled
  • 6 oz arugula leaves, or arugula baby spinach mix
  • 6 oz aged goat cheese, sliced
  • 1/4 cup fresh apple cider
  • 2 tbsp cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300°. Toss seeds with lemon juice, cayenne and sea salt to taste. Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Flip/stir the pumpkin seeds and bake another 10 minutes, until golden and crisp. Remove from oven and cool.

  2. Increase oven temperature to 400°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and add acorn squash slices. Spray with a light coating of olive oil (if you don't have olive oil spray, toss with approx 1 tbsp olive oil) and season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden at the edges and soft when pierced with a knife. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

  3. Cook Farro according to package directions, and allow to cool.

  4. Make dressing: combine apple cider, cider vinegar, Dijon, salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil until blended. 

  5. Once the farro is cool enough, divide it among four lunch containers spreading the grains to fill the bottom. Spoon the dressing over the farro and stir to combine. Add acorn squash in a layer on top, dividing between the four containers. Finally top with arugula and goat cheese slices. Seal and store in the fridge up to four days.

  6. Wrap four bundles of roasted pumpkin seeds in plastic wrap to take with the packaged lunch containers. To serve, either stir up in the container and top with pumpkin seeds right before eating, or invert onto a plate, stir, toss pumpkin seeds on top and enjoy!