Roasted Squash, Kale, and Farro Salad with Baked Tofu
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This beautiful Roasted Squash, Kale, and Farro Salad with Baked Tofu has me swooning and coming back for more each week!
Well, it’s official. I’m in love with this recipe. I’ve realized that it’s not just the flavors that I’m in love with, it’s also how the colors come together that leave me staring in awe at this beautiful salad. Perhaps that sounds dramatic, but I am so passionate about food that it can easily have this effect on me, as a piece of art might on someone else. The deliciousness, wholesomeness, and beauty of this salad have prompted me to make this recipe over and over.
Most recently, I made this Roasted Squash, Kale, and Farro Salad with Baked Tofu while my husband was out of town. Most of the time, my husband, Drew, entertains my son while I cook dinner. I’m very lucky in that way. Without my husband around, it seemed that the easiest way to cook dinner while managing my two-year-old was to employ the little guy’s help. In case you were wondering what it is like to cook with a two-year-old, it is magical, adorable, and very messy.
This is what our cooking adventure looked like:
What we did: Ty and I carefully brought all of the tools and ingredients to the ground so that Ty could access them.
What I did: Modeled how to delicately coat the tofu with the marinade.
What Ty did: Threw the tofu into the marinade bowl, splattering the marinade everywhere, and breaking the tofu.
What I did: Started wiping up the mess.
What Ty did: Shook his hands repeatedly to get the marinade off of them, like a dog when they get wet. Now the marinade was all over our fridge, cupboards, and the ground.
What I did: Ignored the mess and modeled spreading the delicata squash slices and chickpeas onto the tray carefully.
What Ty did: Dumped the delicata squash and chickpeas into a big pile and consoled them by patting them nicely, as he does with our family dog.
What I did: Showed him how to drizzle olive oil over the ingredients.
What Ty did: Shook the olive oil bottle like it was champagne so no oil actually ended up on the ingredients.
What I did: Had Ty help me pour the farro into a measuring cup, while saying, “Okay, pour it slowly. Carefully.”
What Ty did: In one quick motion, he dumped the farro towards the measuring cup, not in it. Most of the farro ended up on the counter and the ground. Ty then proceeded to try to eat it.
I highly recommend cooking with your kids. This was the highlight of my solo time with Ty while my husband was out of town. Those little hands, with dimples for knuckles, trying so eagerly to help his mama, while his beautiful toddler brain remained joyful, fascinated, and unphased by all of his cooking mishaps – it was absolutely priceless.
Let’s all adopt that attitude towards cooking and life!
Busy Mom Tip
Make the farro ahead of time, on a Sunday for example, to eliminate a step and save you time come dinner time. While you’re at it, wash and chop the kale and delicata squash, too. This makes the actual recipe prep SO easy and quick!
A Note on Tofu
I added the baked tofu on a whim and it turned out so lovely that I craved it the next time I made this dish. I am not a huge tofu fan, but felt that the flavors with this baked tofu complemented the recipe well. Feel free to omit the tofu of course, as you are still getting protein from the roasted chickpeas!
More Cozy Meals!
Vegan Cauliflower, Potato, and Chickpea Curry
Easy Vegetarian Chili {Cook-Off Winner!}
Creamy Asparagus White Bean Soup
Roasted Squash, Kale, and Farro Salad with Baked Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 cup farro uncooked
- 1 small delicata squash, cut into 1/8 inch rounds
- 1-15.5 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 8 ounces firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups kale, destemed
- ½ cup feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Tofu Marinade
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook farro according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread out rinsed chickpeas and delicata squash and top with olive oil and garlic powder. Leave room for the tofu.
- Slice tofu into 5-6 rectangular pieces.
- In a small bowl, mix tofu marinade ingredients.
- Dip tofu into marinade, flipping the tofu on both sides to cover with the marinade.
- Lay tofu on the parchment paper. *Optional: pour the rest of the marinade over the tray ingredients for added flavor.
- Cook in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and flipping the tofu halfway through.
- Combine tray ingredients, farro, feta, kale, and lemon juice in a large bowl and toss.
Notes