Roasted Squash Risotto with Crispy Sage

This roasted squash risotto is an easy way to use leftover squash and results in an incredibly creamy and rich risotto. A fantastic seasonal ingredient, squash (or pumpkin) can be used in so many different ways. In this recipe, we roast the squash (skin on) to intensify the flavours, purée it and then work it into a flavour packed risotto. Read more to learn how to make this amazing dish!

How to Make Roasted Squash Risotto

Squash, or pumpkin, is a fantastic winter ingredient and is really good in soups, as a purée and in stews. It can be a bit of a pain to prepare thanks to its incredibly thick skin and this is why roasting it whole works so well for a risotto.

Whole squash (or chunks) can be put into an oven for 45 minutes with a little olive oil and salt and roasted until tender. Then you just need to scoop out the flesh – it’ll come right off the skin! Next you just need to purée it with a stick blender.

Making the risotto is simple and just like any other. You just need to add the purée near the end and you’ll end up with an incredibly creamy risotto! Frying some sage leaves (which work really well with squash) adds a bit of texture and colour to the plate.

What You’ll Need

To make roasted squash risotto you’ll need:

Squash: You can use any variety of squash or pumpkin that you like. Butternut squash is one of the most common varieties but you can use Delicate or Kabocha.

Arborio Rice: I use arborio rice for risotto but you can also use Carnaroli rice.

Shallot & Garlic:* Shallots and garlic build the the aromatic base of the dish. You can substitute the shallot for half a small white onion.

White Wine: White wine adds even more flavour and a beautiful acidity to cut through the richness. You can omit if you don’t drink and replace with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice.

Stock: I use chicken stock for this but you can use vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian. Home made stock is best but of course use store bought if you haven’t got it to hand.

Butter: Butter adds even more richness. Use as little or as much as you want – there’s no rule!

Parmesan: You have to have parmesan for a risotto! It adds seasoning and a beautiful meaty, umami taste. You can substitute it with Grana Padano or omit if you haven’t got it.

Roasted Squash Risotto with Crispy Sage

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This roasted squash risotto is an easy way to use leftover squash and results in an incredibly creamy and rich risotto. 

• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 2 portions 1x

Ingredients

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• 200g arborio rice
• 1/2 butternut squash, seeds removed
• 1 large shallot, finely minced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or crushed
• 500ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 50ml white wine
• 2 knobs unsalted butter
• Handful of grated parmesan
• Sage leaves
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for frying

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Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180c/356f.
2. Prepare the butternut squash. Cut in half and remove the seeds. Place onto a baking sheet and season with salt and a bit of olive oil. Place into the oven roast for 45 minutes. Check with a cake tester to see if it’s tender. If not, place back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
3. Once completely softened, let the squash cool down a bit. Using a spoon scrape the flesh out and place into a pitcher. Blend until smooth using an immersion/stick blender.
4. For the risotto, place a sauté pan on a medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. When shimmering, add the shallot and soften – 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for further 1 minute.
5. Add the rice and toast for 2-3 minutes stirring frequently.
6. Add the white wine to deglaze and stir until the wine as almost evaporated. Add a ladle of hot stock and whilst constantly stirring until there’s little to no liquid left.
7. Repeat this until the rice has plumped up and is al dente and has its chalkiness. Add the roast squash purée and stir.
8. Keep adding stock (or water if you run out) until the rice is cooked to your liking. It should be wet so don’t be afraid to add more or stock or water to adjust the consistency.
9. Finally stir in the butter and parmesan and season to taste.
10. For the crispy sage. Preheat oil to 180c/356f and drop the sage leaves in. Immediately cover with a lid as it will splatter. Once it’s stopped splattering, remove and blot on kitchen paper.
11. Serve the risotto and add a final sprinkling of grated parmesan and the crispy sage leaves.

• Author: Richard
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Mains
• Cuisine: Italian