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!
Why should you try it?
✔ A delicious way to enjoy butternut squash
✔ Budget friendly
✔ Easy to adapt
✔ Less than 500 calories per portion
How To Make Butternut Squash Risotto – step by step:
One: Cut the butternut squash into cubes.
What Rice To Use
If you want that creamy, classic risotto taste then you should use arborio rice, and that is what our method and cooking time is for. However, if you wanted to give this dish a nutrient boost, then you could swap it for brown rice. Please note that cooking times and nutritional values will vary though.
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.
How To Peel and Chop 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.
How To 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.
How To Store
Risotto is always best made fresh, however if you do have some leftover then you can store it covered in the fridge for up to two days. We wouldn’t recommend freezing risotto, because the rice becomes really hard when frozen and the texture just isn’t right when it is defrosted and reheated.
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.
Want to try some other Italian recipes? How about these:
Easy Italian Chicken
Meatball Pasta Bake
Healthy Carbonara
Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce
Slow Cooker Bolognese
Tomato Basil Pasta
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DON’T FORGET TO RATE THE RECIPE ↓
Butternut Squash Risotto
Ingredients
- 270 g arborio rice
- 1 butternut squash cubed and roasted
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 shallots diced
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1000 ml vegetable stock
- 150 ml white wine
- 4 tbsp creme fraiche
- 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped (plus some extra for serving)
- 50 g parmesan grated
- sea salt and black pepper for seasoning
- pine nuts to serving
Instructions
- Cut the butternut squash into cubes.
- Mix the squash with 1 tbsp oil and roast at 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 for 40 minutes
- Heat the remaining oil in a large pan and cook shallots and garlic and gently cook for around 5 minutes, until soft.
- Add the rice and cook for 2-3 minutes, coating the rice in the oil.
- Add the wine and cook until most (but not all) has reduced.
- Add a ladle of stock and cook on simmer. Once most of the stock has reduced, add another ladle of stock. Keep repeating this a ladle at a time. This will take about 20-25 minutes and the rice should be cooked by then.
- Stir in the butternut squash, creme fraiche, Parmesan and basil and season.
- Mix well.
- Top with more basil and pine nuts.
Notes
- 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.
Anita says
This dish is a great use of butternut squash, and the risotto is filling enough without having the need to prepare other dishes. :)
Tawnie Kroll says
We had frozen butternut squash on hand so I used that and it worked perfectly ! Thank you!
Danielle says
It’s been a while since I made risotto for myself and I was determined to try a new recipe anyway. So glad I’ve stumbled upon yours now – perfect timing!
Deanne says
Perfections! I had butternut squash in the freezer and needed a way to put it to use! This risotto is awesome!
Rebecca says
Risotto is the perfect dinner right now, it forces us to slow down and can be really relaxing! Love this recipe
Jordin says
This looks like an amazing comfort food that my family and I will love! I can’t wait to try it out!
Carrie Robinson says
Risotto is one of my favorite comfort foods! This is gorgeous. :)
Katie says
Looks super good! Can’t wait to try it.
Cindy says
I made this for an early lunch today and it was delish! We LOVE butternut squash!!
Erika says
This looks like such a warm and comforting meal.