Pumpkin Risotto
Pumpkin Risotto is one of our favoirte savory pumpkin recipes. Creamy and comforting risotto with a hint of sweetness from the pumpkin.
Ingredients
Risotto
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pumpkin peeled, cored and diced into 1 inch or less cubes. About 3 cups.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and peper
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 2 1/2 cups stock chicken or vegetable, you may need 1/4c-1/2 cup extra
- 1 cup milk
Garnish
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 1 tabelspoon butter
- 4 teaspons thyme leaves fresh, or use sage
- 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes optional
Instructions
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In a 5 quart pot, ad the butter and onions and sautee the onions until they're soft and slightly golden. This can take between 8-10 minutes. Don't rush this step.
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Next add int he garlic and sautee for just 1 minutes until it turns opaque.
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Add in the cubed pumpkins and cook in the onion mixture to slightly caramlize--about 3-4 minutes.
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Add in 1 cup of the stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Now cover the post and let the pumpkin cook on medium low heat until softened. This takes about 15 minutes.
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Use a potato masher and mash the cooked tender pumpkin into a puree.
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Now add in the rice and mix well.
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Add in the stock and bring to a boil. Then drop the heat to low and cover the pot. make sure to check on the rice ever 10 minutes, adding more stock as needed to preserve the sauce, while stirring continuously.
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After 20 minutes, add in the milk and cover the post and continue cooking until the rice has softened entirely. Make sure to stir every 5-8 minutes.
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When the risotto is ready, it will look like this. Creamy saucy with tender rice cooked in the sauce.
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Now garnish with your favorite items. Serve and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
Risotto Recipe Tips and FAQ
- Use fresh pumpkin when seasonal for a deeper flavor to your risotto recipe.
- When adding the stock to the recipe, make sure you add in hot stock to cook the rice well.
- The type of rice ideally is arborio or short grain rice used here. This is because of the high starch content.
- You can add cream instead of milk for a richer risotto, however milk is really enough to add a creamy rich taste.
- Try other types of squash in this recipe--they work great. Try Honeynut Squash, Butternut Squash or Acorn Squash.
- Make sure to keep an eye on the pot and stir frequently, adding extra stock if needed.
- Remember the risotto is not a fluffy rice dish, you need sauce.
- The recipe is ready when the rice is tender to the touch.
- Storing Risotto: You can store leftovers for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- How to reheat risotto? You can microwave or heat it in the pan. Both ways you'll need to add 3-4 tablespoons of liquid (water, stock or milk) to the rice and a tablespoon of butter. You'll also need constant stirring while reheating.
- Can you Freeze Risotto? While you can, we feel that the texture changes dramatically so we don't recommend that.
What Pumpkin is best to use?
When choosing the pumpkin, make sure to avoid the large pumpkins which are used for jack-o-lanters as they lack flavor. Smaller pumpkin pie pumpkins are ideal. Even squash make a great alternative. Honeynut Squash, Acorn Squash or Butternut Squash are great.
What rice is best for risotto?
Arborio or short grain rice is the best to make any risotto recipe. It has a higher starch content and hence contributes to a creamier sauce and softer rice texture.
How to make risotto creamy?
The texture of risotto is truly what makes it comforting and unique, and you actually don't need cream for it. You start with arborio rice, and adding a higher amount of liquid than needed for fluffy rice, along with constant stirring of the rice. You can add some milk along with the stock as we did for a richer tasting dish, and you may even finish it with a knob of butter.
Can you make risotto without wine?
We made it today without the wine. That's because it's all about the amount of liquid versus amount of rice, so yes you can.