My creamy roasted butternut squash risotto recipe is a fall risotto dinner meal idea.
The risotto is prepared in one pot with roasted butternut squash and it includes wine as well.
I show you further below how to prepare this dish from scratch in my video and with the help of my process shots.
Risotto is a classic meal from northern Italy, made of rice and in today's case butternut squash.
I based the quick risotto recipe on my 3 mushroom risotto and I use arborio rice in this recipe.
Please make sure to read through the instructions and tips below to learn how to make risotto from scratch.
Your supper will be up to your taste expectations!
Ingredients
My butternut squash rice recipe is made of a couple of ingredients.
These are my recommendations to make the best quality butternut squash risotto.
Butternut Squash
I like to use roasted butternut squash cubes in this recipe because roasted squash has more flavor.
The sweet juices in the squash get to develop in the heat of the oven and that's why roasted butternut squash is the best choice here.
You can use squash prepared in the pan or boiled but the result is not the same.
No matter what, the squash needs to be cooked before it is added to the risotto rice or else it would not get enough time to cook through.
Rice
The homemade Risotto is made with Arborio rice, which is an Italian short-grain rice variety.
Arborio is starchy, which is released into your risotto and that's why your risotto turns out so creamy.
You could use another rice variety for your risotto.
I like to stick to Arborio right now because it's widely available.
Liquids
Two liquids make this risotto amazing.
One is wine and the other a full-bodied stock.
Use a quality white wine to enrich your risotto. I like to use a rose too in this risotto with butternut squash.
Homemade stock with chicken or vegetables is always preferred but a store-bought one will do as well.
Seasoning
I add the following to my risotto to turn this dish into an irresistible meal experience:
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Thyme - dried or fresh
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
Cheese
There is only one cheese that you ever need to add to a risotto, the Parmigiano Reggiano Parmesan.
Parmigiano Reggiano is also known just as Parmesan in Europe and Asia and it's a hard aged granular cheese.
Parmesan in the US and Canada is not always quality parmigiano reggiano, but rather some processed cheese, so be aware!
Parmigiano makes this risotto, so don't skip it! (Just don't, please...)
How to make it?
Follow the complete process on how to cook risotto rice properly from A to Z.
Discover the recipe card with all the ingredients listed and instructions at the bottom of this post.
Step 1
Heat up a pot with butter and add your roasted butternut squash.
Add your dry rice as well and stir cook for a minute
Deglaze with white wine or rose and pour in some of the stock.
Mix everything over medium heat.
Step 2
Season with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme and combine.
Pour some more stock in and allow the risotto to cook.
Repeat pouring in smaller quantities of stock to build your risotto.
The rice will cook and expand and the risotto will get creamy.
Step 3
Add in your parmesan cheese and the remaining stock and combine.
Cook until rice is al dente or more done and you are left with a velvety comforting risotto.
Serving
I love this squash rice dish with a green salad and vinaigrette and some wholewheat bread such as my spelt bread.
I also love this arugula feta salad with my risotto.
You can prepare some seared shrimp, scallops or squids to serve with your risotto too.
Or how about you add some pesto to your butternut risotto?
I like a tablespoon or so of cashew pesto dropped into my risotto.
Sauteed mushrooms and vegetables are a great side dish addition as well.
FAQs
Risotto is a creamy Italian rice dish prepared with short-grain rice. Wine or a broth are added to build up the dish. Parmigiano cheese is another must in a good risotto.
Cooked risotto rice can taste a bit plain so other ingredients are usually added for flavor such as mushrooms. That is why risotto can be prepared with various ingredients.
The best risotto is creamy with the rice cooked slightly al dente. And the dish ought to be flavorful complex.
No, never wash your risotto rice. The rice has a layer of starch on it and you need that to add creaminess to your risotto. Washing your rice would get rid of the starch and your risotto won't turn out irresistibly creamy.
You could use regular white rice but to be honest I don't recommend it because it would change the flavor and texture of the dish. In fact, you would have to call such a dish a rice pot or similar because it won't be a risotto. So I think the risotto rice type is important (check ingredients in post for rice varieties to use)
Yes, you can. Prepare smaller batches, place into a freezer-friendly container and freeze. To thaw keep in the fridge overnight and heat up again to eat.
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📖 Recipe
Butternut Squash Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 cup Roasted Butternut Squash
- 1 cup Arborio Rice
- ½ cup Wine white wine or rose
- 3 cups Stock veg or chicken
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Thyme dried or fresh
- ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a pot and add in your roasted butternut squash and rice. Stir cook over medium heat for a minute.
- Deglaze with the wine by pouring the wine over the rice and squash in the pot. Mix a bit and keep over medium heat.
- Pour some of the stock (not all at once) over the rice and squash and mix.
- Season with salt, black pepper, thyme, garlic, and onion powder and combine.
- Allow the rice to cook and add more stock every few minutes. That way the risotto will get creamy, cook and expand. Repeat the process and use up all your stock.
- Add the grated Parmigiano parmesan into your risotto and combine.
- Serve hot with some grated parmesan.
Notes
- Don't over mix your risotto because over mixing it can make your risotto less creamy. And don't over cook it. Risotto is usualy cooked al dente, but I like mine a bit more done.
Is that 80% correct on the sodium? Seems very high. Wanting to try it as I've never had anything like it.
Hi Terri, Thanks, for pointing this out, I let the system recalculate it and chose low sodium stock instead. So, as you can see, the sodium content is lower now but yes, it's still high. So if you are on a low-sodium diet, you can decide to use water instead of stock or use homemade stock (commercial stock is full of sodium) and you might want to skip on adding salt or reduce it because that also increases the sodium content. I hope this helps.
I love this recipe - a perfect fall & winter comfort food! Whenever I make it I always make 2 batches in separate pots, but have you ever tried doubling the recipe in 1 pot? Planning on making some for thanksgiving & wondering if I can take up 1 less burner. Thanks!
Yeah for sure, you can double the recipe to make more. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Super tasty and easy
glad you liked it 🙂
This was really good. I used rice as I didn't have risotto and my squash had already been blended. Excellent side dish and for sure a keeper recipe. thank you
Thanks for sharing Diana 🙂