This Butternut Squash Stew with Sausage is a one-pot meal filled with hearty ingredients like farro and kale in a rich, flavorful broth. Taking help from the grocery store makes this recipe an easy weeknight dinner that the entire family will love.
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) extra virgin olive oil
1large (2 cups or 230 grams) yellow onionpeeled and diced
2large (1 1/2 cups or 185 grams)carrotspeeled and diced
2 large stalks (1 1/2 cups or 125 grams)celerytrimmed and diced
3cloves (1 1/2 tablespoons or 25 grams)garlicpeeled and minced
1 cup (155 grams)farro
1medium (6 cups or 1 kilogram)butternut squashpeeled, seeded, and cut into 1" cubes
2 1/2quarts (2 1/3 litres) chicken stock
2 stemsfresh rosemary (or 1 tbsp dried rosemary)
1 1/2teaspoons (9 grams)kosher salt plus more to taste
1/2teaspoon ground black pepperplus more to taste
8cups (150 grams)kalechopped, woody stems removed
2tablespoons (30 milliliters) balsamic vinegar
To Garnish
shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
Form the Meatballs
Score the Italian sausage with a spatula or knife into 1-inch cubes. Remove a cube of sausage and roll it into a ball. Continue rolling the sausages until all your meatballs are formed.
Sear the Meatballs
Heat the olive oil in the bottom of a 7 1/2-quart dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on both sides for 3 1/2 minutes per side or until they are dark brown in color. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meatballs from the pot to a platter or dish.
Sauté the Vegetables and Farro
Add the carrots, celery, garlic, and onion to the pot and sauté these ingredients over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, frequently stirring.
Add the farro to the pot with the vegetables, tossing the grains in with the other ingredients to coat them in the oil and toast the grains slightly.
Next, add the chunks of butternut squash and meatballs to the pot with the rest of the ingredients.
Simmer the Butternut Squash Stew
Pour the chicken stock into the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and add the rosemary, salt, and pepper. Bring the liquid in the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low.
Cover the pot with its lid and simmer the butternut squash stew for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes of cooking, add the kale and the balsamic vinegar to the pot. Carefully stir these two in because the pot will be quite full.
Cover the pot and cook the stew for 10 more minutes on low heat.
Serve and Garnish with Cheese
Ladle the butternut squash stew into bowls and serve the stew plain or garnish them with shredded parmesan or pecorino cheese.
Notes
Swaps and Substitutions:
You can replace the Italian pork sausage with Italian turkey beef, lamb, and or chicken sausage.
You can also use your favorite flavored sausage instead of Italian or use frozen meatballs for even more convenience.
Omit the Italian sausage or replace it with your favorite plant-based sausage to turn this into a vegetarian butternut squash stew.
Replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock as well.
You can replace the farro with bulgur, spelt berries, or wheat berries.
For a gluten-free stew, omit the farro in this recipe and replace it with brown rice, sorghum, or steel-cut oats.
You can replace the butternut squash with acorn, Hubbard squash, or pumpkin.
Tips and Techniques:
When shopping for butternut squash for this recipe, select a squash with an unblemished peel and one with some weight. You can also cheat and purchase pre-peeled and cut butternut squash to cut down on prep time.
Buying your Italian sausage in the tray helps making forming the meatballs easier.
Cutting the squash into 1-inch chunks ensures they cook at the same time.
Storage Instructions:
Store leftover butternut squash stew in an air-tight food storage container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat butternut squash stew:
Portion out what you plan to eat and reheat it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes on high.
Stir the stew halfway through heating to ensure it heats evenly.
Also, you can reheat butternut squash stew on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through.
Freezing Instructions:
Freeze butternut squash stew in a freezer-safe container for 3 months after cooling it completely.
Allow the frozen stew to thaw in the fridge and reheat it as instructed above.