Butternut Squash Risotto

Hubby and I love butternut squash. I’ve never actually cooked with it until this year, but I’ve been having a lot of fun with it. I saw this recipe come up in my Google Reader and added a star to the post so that I would try it sometime soon.

I doubled the recipe because I wasn’t sure how much it would make (it would have been fine to not double it) but I forgot to put the Parmesan cheese in. I did sprinkle some on top and it is very good with the cheese. I would recommend using freshly grated Parmesan cheese, but I’m lactose intolerant, so I used the dairy-free Parmesan-cheese-in-a-green-tube.

I used frozen cubed butternut squash. This was definitely the way to go. Cooking and cubing a squash is not fun (or so I’ve heard – I always buy frozen or pre-cut). By doubling the recipe, I used exactly 1 bag of frozen squash. The recipe below is not doubled. I’d say it makes about 6 servings. Hubby and I were eating this stuff for a couple days and we both loved it!

Butternut Squash Risotto – from Bean’s Bistro
2 Tbsp. Butter or Olive Oil
1 or 2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. Onion, finely chopped
1 C. Arborio (Risotto) Rice
1 C. White Wine
3+ C. Chicken Broth, warmed
1 C. Butternut Squash, cooked and cubed
2-3 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, grated

In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the garlic and onion and saute until delicious smelling!

Stir in rice and coat with oil/ butter and let heat up, about 1 minute.

Pour in white wine and stir, continuing over medium heat. The wine should start to bubble and soak into the rice. If you do not want to use wine, you may just use the equivalent amount of chicken broth.

Add in 1/2 C. (or so) of chicken broth and stir. The broth should simmer and slowly soak into the rice. Stir every couple of minutes to make sure the rice is not burning and sticking on the bottom and to make sure there is enough liquid. Once most of the liquid is absorbed, add in another 1/2 C. and repeat the process.

With around 1 C. of broth remaining, stir in the squash. As the rice finishes cooking, the squash should cook further, getting softer and breaking into tiny pieces with the rice. You will get a lovely orange color and the rice will almost be coated with the squash.

Continue adding in the broth until the rice is thoroughly cooked through. If you need more broth to get a tender, al dente texture, add more in.

Just before serving, stir in Parmesan cheese until melted. (I sprinkled it on after serving it).