These Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Miso Butter Farro are the loaded baked potato that you never knew you needed. Oven-roasted sweet potatoes are lightly smashed inside their skins, then loaded up with salty sweet miso butter infused farro, spinach, and Italian chicken sausage. Yum!
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Step 1: Cook the Farro
Since the farro takes the longest to cook, we will start there.
Begin by rinsing the farro. Make sure to check for any small pebbles or debris while rinsing. This step is necessary, as farro has a dry, powdery coating that needs to be removed before cooking since it can affect the taste and texture of the cooked farro.
Next, combine the farro and vegetable broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cooked covered at a simmer for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, or until the farro is tender.
While the farro cooks, combine the butter and miso in a small bowl and mash together, until combined.
Once the farro is cooked, drain any remaining liquid and transfer to a large bowl. Mix in the miso butter. Stir well to distribute the butter as it melts. Season with pepper.
Fold in about half of the spinach. The heat from the farro will wilt the spinach slightly. Set aside.
Picking the Right Farro Variety and Form
Farro, simply put, is an ancient variety of wheat commonly grown in the Mediterranean. It’s high in protein and fiber, has a chewy texture, and tastes nutty.
There are three commonly found varieties of farro: spelt (farro grande), emmer (farro medio), and einkron (farro piccolo).
Additionally, each variety comes in one of three common forms: whole grain, semi-pearled, and pearled.
Semi-pearled and pearled farro are the “quick cook” variety of farro and take about 25 to 30 minutes to cook. The trade off is that they have less nutritional value as the process of pearling removes the hull surrounding the grain, as well as part (semi-pearled) or all (pearled) of the germ and bran. Pearled farro is the most common variety sold in grocery stores.
Conversely, whole grain farro still contains the germ and bran, making it more nutrient dense. The downside being that whole grain farro often requires a soaking time as well as 60 minutes or longer to cook.
The Spruce Eats gives a lovely breakdown of everything you need to know about farro, from cook times and storage methods to nutritional benefits. And Bon Appetit gives some great cooking tips, like adding aromatics for greater flavor or toasting farro to bring out the nuttiness.
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Step 2: Roast Potatoes
Once the farro has begun cooking, preheat the oven to 425F.
Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise. Rub the cut halves with a total of 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes cut side down on a baking sheet. This gives the potatoes a nice crisp exterior.
Roast the potatoes about 22 to 27 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
I like to do the “squeeze” test, where I literally squeeze the width of the potato and see if the potato feels soft and squishes when I apply pressure, or if the potato is still hard. If the potato is still hard, I cook them another 5 to 7 minutes and then check again.
Remove the potatoes from the oven.
Step 3: Pan Sear the Sausage
Once the farro and potatoes are cooking, cut the chicken sausage links into pieces.
Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Mist lightly with cooking spray.
Add the sausage pieces to the pan and cook about 5 to 7 minutes, or until seared on both sides. Make sure to stir regularly, to prevent burning and to ensure an even searing.
Remove from heat.
Step 4: Serve Potatoes
Transfer one potato half to each plate. Mash the potatoes lightly in their skins. Sprinkle with remaining spinach. Top with a generous spoonful of farro (about ½ cup). Divide the sausage between the four plates. Garnish with green onions. Enjoy!
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Looking for more dinner inspiration? Check out these recipes:
- Bruschetta Breaded Chicken
- Miso Brown Butter Gnocchi
- Butternut Squash and Black Bean Burgers
- Coconut Shrimp and Brown Rice Bowls
- Sausage Pizza Zucchini Boats
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Miso Butter Farro
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes, halved
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 c farro, uncooked
- 4 c low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp white miso paste
- 2 Tbsp vegan butter
- 2 c spinach or kale, chopped
- 4 chicken sausage links (Italian), sliced
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- salt, to taste
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Rub cut side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on baking sheet. Cook 22 to 27 minutes, or until soft. Set aside.
- While the potatoes roast, combine farro and broth in a medium sauce pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook 20 to 25 minutes, or until farro is tender. Drain any excess liquid. Remove from heat.
- Combine miso paste and butter in a small dish. Mash to combine. Fold into cooked farro. Mix until distributed. Mix in half of the spinach. It should wilt slightly in the hot farro and reduce in size.
- When the potatoes are about 10 minutes from finishing, heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Mist with cooking spray. Add the sliced chicken sausage. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, until sausage slices are browned on both sides. Remove from heat.
- Transfer each sweet potato half to a plate. Mash potatoes inside their skins. Top with remaining spinach. Spoon a generous amount of miso butter farro onto the potatoes (about 1/2 cup each). Top with ¼ of the sausage. Garnish with green onions and serve.
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