Butternut Squash Risotto

Creamy risotto is total comfort food and this warming and hearty Butternut Squash Risotto is budget friendly and easy to adapt. Roasted chunks of butternut squash, creme fraiche and Parmesan all stirred in to rice for a delicious meal the whole family will love.

Risotto is a bit of a labour of love, as slow and low is the way forward for this dish - but it is totally worth it. It still only takes 40 minutes to make, and that means you get crispy chunks of butternut squash stirred in to that creamy risotto. Top it with plenty of Parmesan and fresh herbs and you have your self a bowl of comfort food!

Jump to:

• Why should you try it?
• Step by step
• What vegetables to add
• Preparing a butternut squash
• Make it vegan
• What to serve it with
• FAQs
• Extra tips
• More Italian recipes
• Recipe card

Why should you try it?

Step by step

One: Cut the butternut squash into cubes.

What vegetables to add

Roasted butternut squash really is the star of this dish, but that doesn't mean that you cant add plenty of other vegetables too. You could roast courgette, aubergine and bell pepper at the same time as the butternut squash and still it all in to the rice.

If you want to give this dish a green veggie boost, then stir in some spinach a few minutes before serving.

We sprinkled some fresh chopped basil on top, however I would recommend using sage if you can get it because it goes so well with butternut squash. You can fry it in butter first to really intensify the flavour.

Preparing a butternut squash

I know they look a bit intimidating, especially if you have not chopped one up before, but it is actually pretty easy. First you want to chop off the top and bottom ends of the squash, so that both ends are flat.

Slice it in half around the middle and using a heavy duty peeler or knife, peel off the skin in downwards strokes. You want to peel until you see orange flesh (no green lines left).

Once you have peeled both halves, slice the flatter half in two to reveal the seeds. Take a spoon and scoop out the seeds (keep them to roast too – great as a snack). Chop the butternut squash in to cubes.

We have a full guide on How To Peel And Cut A Butternut Squash which takes you through the process step by step.

Make it vegan

It is super easy to make this risotto vegan. Just use a vegan alternative to creme fraiche (we love Oatly) and use your favourite vegan Italian hard cheese alternative. Butternut squash is great in vegan dishes, as it is so creamy already.

You could even just add some olive oil instead of creme fraiche and use nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavour too. Or make it extra creamy by pureeing some of the roasted butternut squash and stirring that in.

What to serve it with

This is a really filling and hearty dish as it is, so you don't need to add much more too it. However, if you are serving it up to a few people that you could serve it with some homemade garlic bread and a big green salad.

FAQs

Extra tips

• You could swap the arborio rice for brown rice for extra nutrition, however it would change the cooking time.
• You could roast some aubergine, pepper and courgette along with the butternut squash.
• Give this dish a veggie boost by stirring in some spinach before serving.
• Make this vegan by using a vegan creme fraiche alternative and a vegan Italian hard cheese.
• Add extra creaminess by blending some of the roasted butternut squash and stirring it in.
• We wouldn't recommend freezing risotto.
• You can swap the basil for sage.

More Italian recipes

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Recipe card