With the first chill of fall in the air, my mind goes to comfort dishes; especially those warm soups and creamy risottos made with seasonal ingredients. Today I am sharing with you a wonderful and simple recipe which is perfect for this time of the year: a delicious risotto with roasted butternut squash.
Some of the natural companion flavors for any winter squash are sage and rosemary, olive oil and butter, sharp cheeses and toasted nuts. In this classic Italian dish I combine creamy Arborio rice, caramelized butternut squash, crispy sage, Parmesan cheese, and toasted pine nuts for a hearty and satisfying vegetarian main dish, or, a side dish to a larger dinner.
Ingredients for the Delicious Risotto with Roasted Butternut Squash
- Butternut squash
- Olive oil and Butter
- Arborio rice
- Vegetable broth
- White wine
- Leeks and Shallots
- Fresh Thyme
- Fresh Sage
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt and Pepper
For this recipe, I roasted the squash to concentrate the flavors and to get those delicious caramelized brown edges that add so much flavor to the dish. If you are short on time, however, you can cook the squash in a large skillet instead of using your oven. I often roast some extra squash to use at another time (to make soup, for example). If you do make extra, butternut squash freezes well.
The leek and shallots add a sweet undertone to this dish, and, the method of cooking the rice by adding the hot stock a little at a time adds a lot of creaminess and body to the dish.
How to Make a Delicious Risotto with Roasted Butternut Squash in 5 easy steps
- 1. Prepare the vegetables: Cut the squash into scant 1/2-inch pieces, slice the leeks and chop the shallot.
2. Roast the cubed butternut squash: This can be done one day ahead of time.
After 25 minutes in a hot oven, it will look like this:
- 3. Sauté the leeks and shallots.
- 4. Then, add the Arborio rice to leeks and shallots and cook, adding hot stock a little at a time.
- 5. Once done, fold in the roasted butternut squash and the Parmesan. Top with the crispy sage and the pine nuts.
Variations and Substitutions
- If you do not have butternut squash, you can substitute with another winter squash.
- Instead of vegetable stock, you can use some chicken stock instead.
- You can always use more stock, if you do not want to use wine.
- If you do not have a leek, you can use an onion
- To make this dish vegan, omit the butter and the cheese and purée the butternut squash after roasting to add more creaminess.
Print or save the recipe for this perfect Fall dish
- For the Roasted Butternut Squash:
- 1 small Butternut squash (about 1.5 lbs.)
- 3 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- -- -- fresh ground pepper
- For the risotto:
- 2 TBSP. olive oil
- 6 leaves fresh sage
- 2 TBSP. butter
- 1 med. leek, chopped
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice
- ½ cup white wine
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4-5 cups vegetable stock (or, low-sodium chicken stock)
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 TBSP. butter
- --- ---- salt and pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- Preheat the oven to 425º F.
- Peel the squash, then dice it into ½ -inch cubes. This should yield about 4 cups of diced squash. Add the squash to a baking dish. Season it with the salt and pepper and drizzle it with the olive oil. Spread the cubes evenly and roast the squash for about 25 minutes or until the edges have started to caramelize, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven and set aside. Because it shrinks during roasting, you should have about 2 cups roasted squash.
- While the squash is in the oven, prepare the other vegetables. Trim the leek, discarding most of the green part, but saving about two inches. Cut the leek lengthwise, wash it very well, then slice it into ¼-inch pieces. Cut the shallots from top to bottom, chop it into ribbons, and then into small ¼-inch pieces. Set them both aside.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a simmer, cover, and keep warm.
- While the vegetable stock is simmering, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed, wide, and shallow pan or skillet. Add the sage leaves and fry them for a minute or two, until crispy. Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper-lined dish.
- To the same skillet or pot, add the butter over medium heat and, once it is melted, add the leeks and the shallots, season with ½ tsp. of salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Stir in the rice. Toast the rice stirring well for about 2 minutes, or, until the grains begin to become translucent around the edges.
- Next, add the wine and the thyme, and cook slowly until the wine is nearly all absorbed; about 2 minutes.
- Add one ladle of the hot stock to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed. Add another ladle of stock and stir frequently until the liquid is absorbed again. Repeat this process until almost all the stock has been used and the rice is cooked, but still al dente. Remove the thyme leaves and discard. This process should take about 20 minutes.
- Once the rice is the desired texture, stir in the Parmesan cheese and the last tablespoon of butter. Fold in the roasted butternut squash. Taste the risotto to adjust for seasoning (this will depend on how salty your stock is). If the risotto is too thick, add a bit more hot stock, or, hot water. The consistency of a perfectly cooked risotto should not be thick and heavy, nor should it be “soupy”. It should be “saucy”, like a pudding, and it should slowly spread on the plate when you serve it in.
- To serve, spoon the risotto onto warmed plates, top with the toasted pine nuts, and serve immediately with extra Parmesan cheese on the side.
Coming up on the blog
Here is what you can expect on the blog in the coming weeks: after this week’s comforting risotto, an easy weeknight dish with chicken is coming up next, a hearty stew-like vegetable medley – perfect for the cold months, a savory puff-pastry recipe just in time for Thanksgiving, and a wonderful dessert too. I cannot wait to share them all with you, so stay tuned!
∗ Leave a comment and rate this recipe! ∗
Leave a Reply