Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

By Kate Riley September 21, 2011

Fall foods are my absolute favorite, so the other day I had a hankerin’ to fill my kitchen with a few of their flavors. I made pork chops with caramelized onions and pan sautéed pears (oh yeah), then followed it up the next day with roasted butternut squash risotto. It had to be done. 

Today, I share with you my favorite butternut squash risotto recipe.  It has cream.  It has wine. It has butternut squash. And it is so good.

roasted butternut squash risotto

 

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash cubed (approx. 4 to 5 cups raw)

½ medium yellow onion, finely diced

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

16 oz. arborio rice

8 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup + 2 tbsp half & half or cream

½ tsp dried sage

8-10 fresh sage leaves

salt & pepper to taste

3 oz. shaved or grated parmesan

 

 

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Peel and dice your butternut squash (or you can substitute store bought diced butternut squash to save time).  In a bowl, coat squash in 1 tbsp olive oil and dried sage then layer on baking sheet. 

cubed butternut squash raw

Roast squash in the oven for 50 minutes (tossing once halfway through cooking time) until fully cooked.  Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

2.  In a large pot, soften diced onion on medium heat in 2 tbsp olive oil for 3 minutes, then add rice and chicken/vegetable broth and bring to a low boil.  Continue cooking on low heat, stirring frequently for 15 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, rough chop your fresh sage leaves and pan fry (yes, pan fry) them in 1 tbsp of butter for 1 minute then drain on paper towel.  You must experience in your lifetime the deliciousness of a sage leaf fried in butter, then you truly have lived. 

4.  Before you are tempted to gobble it all down with your bare hands, puree your roasted butternut squash with 2 tbsp of half & half (or cream) in a food processor.  

pureed butternut squash

 

5.  After risotto has cooked for 15 minutes, add white wine, half & half (or cream), and the pureed butternut squash to your rice and continue stirring for 5 minutes, or until rice is al dente and all flavors are absorbed. 

creamy roasted butternut squash risotto

 

6.  If necessary add more broth until rice is fully cooked.  Add salt and/or pepper to taste.  Top with fried sage leaves and serve warm with grated or shaved parmesan.  Serves six.

roasted butternut squash risotto on plate

 

That’s a salad plate serving, but you have my permission to fill your dinner plate instead.  (Printable recipe here, click on second link).  Happy nom nom!

What’s your favorite fall food recipe? 

 

.

27 comments

  1. Ah! This looks so good! I had something very similar at a restaurant in Memphis that had sunflower seeds in it. It was delish :) I actually just whipped up something similar using pumpkin and pine nuts here (Pumpkin Sage Risotto). I love the idea of substituting a fruit/veggie for meat every once in a while :)

    Thanks for sharing! Beautiful photo!
    -Carly @ Createlive

  2. Oh my so delish! I have 4 of these squash on my counter right now, and now I know what to do with one! Gorgeous picture!
    Jo-Anna

  3. I think that it looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Butternut Squash soup and Zuppa Toscana soup!

  4. So excited…just bought the Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Issue….can’t wait to get a cup of coffee and enjoy!!! :)

  5. That recipe sounds AMAZING! I’ll have to give it a try. I have a butternut squash soup that I’m wild about…such an easy recipe that yields not only a good pot of soup, but lots of rave reviews!

  6. Oh my, this looks absolutely delish! Can’t wait to try! It’s hard to pick a favorite fall recipe… I’d say it’s a close tie between our family-recipe chili (with homemade chili powder) and my mom’s pumpkin spice bundt cake (it’s tradition!) I know chili isn’t especially “fallish,” but after a hot and humid Iowa summer, I’m always so excited for the arrival of “soup weather.” The season’s first batch of chili seems a little like football — an official fall milestone, you know? Football weather, soup weather… potato, potahto :)

  7. I made this for dinner tonight. I needed to include some meat for my husband, so I pan fried pork chops in the butter leftover from frying the sage. Everything was delicious, and my 2 year old gobbled it up. Thanks!

  8. This is really a great recipe – love the addition of cream (bless you for the cream). I made it exactly, except added 1 tbsp of chilies in adobo sauce (I get a can of these and freeze it in Tbsp. quantities). I have had a similar risotto and love the use of sage and cream. But the addition of chilies really deepens the flavor. Be sure to chop the chilies before adding, then add them before the sage and cheese, and cook just long enough to cook into the squash and rice mixture.

    PS, Thanks for the cream.

    • Oh wow Helen great tip! I love the idea of a little spice, next time chilies it is!
      xo
      Kate

Leave a comment!

Keep the conversation going! Your email address will not be published.*

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Lately on Instagram (@centsationalstyle)