Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto
They say it’s an autumn dish but I say its an all year round dish since you can get butternut squash any time of the year. This is one of my comfort foods as it’s warm, creamy and tastes so rich alongside the cheese.
Some say the stirring part is a pain but I find it quite therapeutic along with a nice glass of white wine with good company and music.
Serve it with some veggies – a light and refreshing salad or some roasted veggies (which could go in the oven at the same time as the butternut squash) or add some protein – grilled seafood or some chicken goes well!
I like to make big batches and keep them in airtight containers so I could have them for the next 2-3 days – to reheat it, you would need to top up with some stock and heat it in the saucepan. Toss some cheese on top if you want. It's ideally best when it's fresh but I LOVEEEEE it regardless of this.
Per Serving
Calories: 530 kcal | Protein: 12 g
Ingredients
1 small butternut squash or frozen butternut squash cubes
200g arborio rice
1 white onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (diced)
1L chicken stock or vegetable stock
75g grated parmesan cheese
4 tbsp or 60g butter
100ml white wine
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp of salt
To serve: Topped with roasted butternut squash and sprinkle with parmesan cheese
Serves: 4
Method
Heat the oven to 200C.
Prepare the butternut squash by peeling the skin, slicing in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and dice them into 1-inch cubes. Place them onto a baking tray and cover with olive oil before placing the tray into the oven. Set a timer for 30 minutes.
Whilst the squash is cooking, prepare the chicken stock in a saucepan and keep it on low heat while cooking the rice.
Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a big pot over medium heat. Sauteed the onion and garlic until translucent on medium heat for 3 minutes.
Add in the arborio rice, salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly for 3 minutes until the edges of the rice look translucent.
Add the white wine to the pot and cook until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid. Remember to stir frequently.
Add 150ml of the chicken stock into the pot, stirring frequently until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid.
Repeat the previous step until the rice is al dente which would take around 30 minutes. Taste it each time before adding the stock – the rice should not be mushy nor too hard!
Remove ¾ of the butternut squash from the oven and mash them up. Turn off the oven and leave the rest of the butternut squash in the oven to let it remain warm.
Pour in the mashed up squash into the big pot with the rice. Stir thoroughly.
Add about 50g of the parmesan cheese and 2 tbsp of butter to the pot and stir thoroughly.
Taste and add salt if necessary.
Divide the risotto into bowls and serve with cheese and the rest of the butternut squash from the oven!
