Butternut Squash Risotto
Creamy and rich, this homemade Butternut Squash Risotto comes together easily with only a few simple steps.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 495kcal
Equipment
- Large skillet
- Ladle
Ingredients
- 8 cups vegetable broth (1920mL)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ½ small yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
- 1 small butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 1/2-pounds)
- 1 teaspoon chopped sage plus additional leaves to garnish
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper divided
- 2 cups arborio rice (440g)
- ½ cup dry white wine (120mL)
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese plus additional for garnish (80g)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Heat the broth in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming.
- In a large, high-sided skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, butternut squash, sage, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and tender, about 6 minutes.
- Add the rice, and cook, stirring often, until the edges of the rice are translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine, and stir until completely absorbed, about 1 minute.
- Add one ladle (about ½ cup) of warm broth to the rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until the broth is almost completely absorbed. Repeat the process, adding one ladle of broth at a time, until the rice is thickened, tender, and creamy, about 25 to 30 minutes total.
- Remove from the heat, and stir in the parmesan, butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper until smooth. Garnish with additional sage leaves and additional parmesan, if desired.
Notes
- The broth cannot be cold, so do not skip warming it up at the beginning. Adding cold broth to the pan will disrupt the cooking process of the arborio rice, and it may cook unevenly.
- Risotto is not a dish you can walk away from as you cook. The risotto will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn if you do not stir the dish throughout the cooking process.
- Avoid keeping the risotto on the stove while adding the cheese, as it can lead to an overly thick and dry risotto.
- Do not rush the process by adding all the broth into the pan at once. Waiting for the rice to absorb the broth before adding more is what leads to the creamy texture.
- Dicing the butternut squash to the same size will allow it to cook evenly throughout. The easiest way to dice the squash is by cutting off the top and bottom ends, peeling it, then cutting it into quarters. Then, you can quickly dice the squash as it’s a more manageable size.
Nutrition
Calories: 495kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 1904mg | Potassium: 545mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 14275IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 257mg | Iron: 4mg