Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto is a deliciously creamy risotto. Roasting the butternut squash gives it lovely tender caramalized edges which really bring out the sweetness.

In Italy, risotto is considered a real kid friendly dish and this one is handy as it requires minimal effort. You can cook a risotto on the hob or stove top or you can cook it in the oven. An oven baked risotto gives a slightly different texture to one that is constantly stirred on the hob, but you still get a nice creaminess to it. I've opted to cook this one in the oven as we need to roast the butternut squash anyway and it's more energy efficient if we cook everything together.

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Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto

It's very simple to make this risotto suitable for vegan diets. Instead of frying the onion in butter, substitute for olive oil instead. There are lots of vegan alternatives to parmesan cheese available and rather than leaving it out, I would choose one of these as the cheese really helps makes it more creamy and helps bind it together.

Recipe Tips and Variations

The best rice to use for a risotto is Arborio rice or Carnaroli, which are both short grain starchy varieties with a slightly nutty flavour. The starchiness gives the risotto its creamy texture. If you don't have these, you could use other medium or short grain rice but avoid basmati or jasmine rice as it won't give the creaminess you need. Also, don't rinse the rice before cooking it as you will loose some of that starchiness.

I've used thyme in this recipe, but you could also use sage as that goes well with butternut squash.

The parmesan cheese in a risotto helps to bind everything together and gives it that creamy consistency. It's best if you can grate it yourself as pre-grated packs tend to lack flavour and can be quite dry. If you can't get parmesan cheese, a slightly cheaper version is Grano Padano. It has a similar nutty flavour but is a bit softer and works well in a risotto.

How to make it

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6
2. Place the butternut squash in a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle the thyme leaves over the top. Fresh thyme leaves are better, but you can used dried. Place in the oven for 30 minutes.
3. Add the butter to an oven proof casserole dish and over a medium heat fry the onion for 5 minutes until soft.
4. Add the rice and garlic and fry for 1 minute, keep stirring
5. Pour in the white wine and stir until it is all absorbed.
6. Stir in the hot stock and season with salt and black pepper
7. Cover with a tight fitting lid or several layer of tin foil and cook in the oven for around 20 minutes until the liquid is all absorbed and the rice is tender.
8. Remove the risotto and butternut squash from the oven and stir in the parmesan cheese and leave to stand for 5 minutes, which allows it to go all creamy.
9. Serve with a little extra parmesan and fresh thyme leaves sprinkled over the top.

Sustainability

Butternut Squash is in season in autumn and winter and is widely grown so you should be able to find a local source. Buying locally produced food will reduce the carbon footprint of your meal. Whole squash should be stored in a cool dark place, but not a fridge. If stored correctly, it can last a few months which means it is less likely to go to waste.

Storage

A risotto is always best eaten fresh, but you can store it in the fridge for 1 - 2 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. The rice will continue to absorb the liquid so when you come to reheat it, you will need to add some more stock to loosen it. I find the best way to do this is in a pan whilst stirring it, rather than a microwave. You won't get the same results re-heating risotto as when it was freshly cooked, but it's much better than letting it go to waste and will still taste good.

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