This is a comforting and hearty vegetarian recipe. There’s so much flavour in this Butternut Squash Risotto, which is complemented perfectly with the addition of a hint of sage, giving the whole dinner a rich depth.
The best thing? It really is simple too, all cooked in the oven, no stirring. There are plenty of high maintenance risotto recipes out there, but this is NOT one of them!
I vary my approach to cooking risottos, from a big stir-fest in my Smoked Haddock Risotto to the shove-in-oven kind for my Bacon and Cheese Risotto. Really it comes down to the ingredients and what flavours lend themselves to the necessary effort.
This risotto recipe is somewhere in the middle, with a bit of stirring and then in the oven to do with work. While it’s still very low effort considering it’s a really impressive and delicious dish, this recipe does benefit from roasting the butternut squash beforehand for that depth of flavour.
Why you’ll love this recipe
⭐️ Gluten-free, vegetarian, nutritious
⭐️ Hearty and satisfying
⭐️ Low cost and simple to make
About this Butternut Squash Risotto
Risotto is known for being rather tricky to get right and so it might be tempting to steer clear from attempting one. My message is – please give it a go! This is a hearty, creamy and comforting dish that the whole family will love.
It’s also vegetarian for non-meat eaters or if you’re reducing your meat intake, the ingredients are incredibly good value and easy to get hold of, and it’s naturally gluten-free too (although please double check all packs to make sure).
What you’ll need
- Rice – Arborio or carnaroli are both available in most supermarkets, with arborio the most common. Any marked ‘risotto rice’ is fine.
- Butternut squash – You can use a few cheat options rather than fresh if you prefer (see Top Tips)
- Olive oil
- Garlic – Use a head for roasting
- Salt and pepper
- Onion – Use fresh or pre-prepared frozen
- Fresh sage
- Vegetable stock
- Grated parmesan
- Butter
How to make it
- Put butternut squash chunks onto a roasting tin with a garlic bulb for 40 minutes.
2. After 10 minutes, cook the onion, sage and rice, stirring for about 5 minutes. Add the stock, stir and put in the oven for 20 minutes.
3. When roasted, blend half of the butternut squash and garlic and add into risotto.
4. Take out of the oven and add the rest of the squash, along with butter and cheese and stir well.
Hint:
Substitutions
- Cheese – If you’re vegetarian or vegan, omit the cheese or use vegetarian/vegan cheese (always check the pack to be sure)
Leftovers
In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days. You can reheat the risotto in the microwave or on the hob, but it might be a bit gloopy, so add a splash of water to loosen it up. I’d say, not at its best but I’d certainly still eat it!
In the freezer Freezing can be the same. It still tastes nice but can be a little stodgy. So OK for leftovers but probably don’t batch cook with the intention of freezing, if you know what I mean?
Top tips for Butternut Squash Risotto
Butternut squash cheats
You can use fresh butternut squash and peel and cut it up, OR if you want to save time, you can go for a pre-prepared fresh version that you buy in bags. You could also try pre-prepared frozen bags if you can find them. For reference, the weight in the recipe is for prepared cubes.
FAQ
Yes! We’re going for simplicity here, so it’s totally OK for an easy midweek meal. Keep an eye on it and if the liquid has all been absorbed, add a little more stock. Then serve it before ALL of the liquid has been absorbed so it still has a little sauce.
You could, but that creaminess and sauce texture won’t be the same. You may also need to adjust the cooking time a little.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of this recipe. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Butternut Squash Risotto {Oven Baked – No Stirring!}
Ingredients
To roast:
- 1 kg Butternut squash Peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
- 2 tsp Olive oil
- 1 Head of garlic
- Salt and pepper
For the rice:
- 2 tsp Olive oil
- 1 Onion Peeled and finely chopped
- 20 g Fresh sage Finely chopped
- 300 g Risotto rice
- 1.5 litre Vegetable stock
To serve:
- 75 g Grated parmesan
- 50 g Butter
- 2 tsp Olive oil Optional | See notes
- 5 g Fresh sage Optional | See notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C.
- Put the butternut squash onto a lined roasting tin, nestle the whole unpeeled garlic bulb in the middle of the tray and drizzle over the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Pop into the oven and set the timer to 40 minutes.
- After the butternut squash has been in the oven for 10 minutes, start to cook the rice. Put a large ovenproof pan with a lid onto the hob and heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onion.
- Fry gently for 5 minutes until softened. Add the sage and the risotto rice and cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes until the rice is well coated in the oil.
- Add the stock, stir well, put the lid on and put into the oven to cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove the butternut squash from the oven, put HALF of it into a small blender, along with the cooked garlic (squish it out of the papery skin and discard the skin). Blend until smooth and add into the cooked risotto.
- Add the rest of the cooked cubes of butternut squash, the cheese and butter and stir well. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Optional
- An option (which I do love) fry off the additional fresh sage leaves in some hot oil for about 30 seconds on each side until crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and then sprinkle over the finished risotto.
Notes
Nutrition
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