Acorn Squash Risotto

Remember when I shared my Butternut Squash Risotto with you last month? I thought that was the best stuff ever since sliced bread! I mean, whoever thought of sliced bread was a genius! Who thinks of this stuff?

Sorry to say, I was wrong about my Butternut Squash Risotto. Well, not entirely wrong, because it really IS all that creamy and more. But I think I'm loving this Acorn Squash Risotto even more!

Plus, I made this batch vegan with a vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

It's a simple recipe with only Arborio rice, onion, olive oil, vegetable broth, wine, acorn squash, Parmesan, and salt and pepper for flavoring. Nothing else. No fancy spices, meats, or herbs. Just the basics.

Do you ever notice that some of the best recipes are the simple ones with basic ingredients?

I think this risotto is even creamier than my Butternut Squash risotto, if that's even possible. 
 

YES!

I like to compare risotto to macaroni and cheese because it's so creamy with a deliciously mild flavor.

This is my new ultimate comfort food!

Acorn Squash Risotto

Recipe by Julie @ Sweet and Spicy Monkey

A deliciously creamy acorn squash risotto served in baked acorn squash halves.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour and 25 minutes (includes baking of acorn squash)
Total time: 1 hour and 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings with acorn squash halves, 10-12 servings risotto
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Extra virgin Olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 2 quarts vegetable broth
• 3 acorn squash, roasted
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 and 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Sea salt & pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
2. Cut acorn squashes in half, top and bottom halves. Remove stem off top half by scraping with your finger or fingernail. They come right off very easily.
3. Remove seeds with a spoon. You can toss the seeds in the trash or bake them like pumpkin seeds to snack on for later.
4. Brush olive oil over fleshy half of squash.
5. Place in a baking dish, fleshy half up. Add about 1/4" of water to bottom of baking dish so squashes don't dry out or burn while cooking.
6. Bake for 1 hour or until squash flesh is soft and lightly browned.
7. Remove from oven.
8. Once cooled, puree the flesh of 1 acorn squash for risotto. Set aside.
9. Pour vegetable broth into a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil, turn off heat, and cover. Set aside.
10. In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add in onions once oil is heated and sauté onions until they are clear.
11. Stir in rice and sauté until rice is a light brown color.
12. Add wine with 1 cup of vegetable broth, stirring until liquid is absorbed.
13. Gradually add in broth, 2 cups at a time, stirring well until almost all the liquid is absorbed in with the rice.
14. Repeat adding broth, 2 cups at a time, until all of it has been added to rice and risotto is creamy.
15. Stir in acorn squash puree.
16. Remove pan from heat and add in parmesan cheese, stirring well so all cheese is mixed thoroughly.
17. Salt & pepper to taste.
18. Spoon risotto into baked acorn squash halves and serve with grated parmesan cheese over the tops.

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Butternut Squash Risotto

I think my Baking Fairy has taken the holidays off. I don't blame her at all, the holidays are stressful for all of us.

Cooking, baking, shopping, on top of all the daily stuff we do everyday. It can get to you. But I really wish she would have left someone to take her place.

You see, ever since I can remember, I rarely had a dish or dessert that didn't turn out. Oh I had the bread that burnt, the smoke alarm go off, but those were only minor cooking fiascos!

In case you're wondering, a major cooking fiasco is where the house burns down!

Over the last two months, I have actually had to toss out four things I baked because they were just that bad! FOUR!!!!

In. The. Trashcan.

Which brings me back to my baking fairy, who has left me with no coverage for the holidays! What's a girl to do?

Lucky for me, my cooking fairy is still by my side helping me cook up some yummy dishes and picking up the slack for my baking fairy.

Which means I can cross risotto off my cooking bucket list after making this delicious Butternut Squash Risotto with her help. Yes, I have a cooking bucket list along with a baking bucket list. And for the longest time, risotto was on that list.

Until now.

If you've never had risotto, it's a creamy Italian rice dish that is oh so good! This Butternut Squash is so creamy it reminds me a lot of a macaroni & cheese. But made with rice, and not your regular rice, but Arborio rice.

Arborio rice is a short-grain rice that has a creamy texture, making it perfect for risotto recipes. You can find it in your local food markets located by other rice and grains.

Risotto is also easy to make and it makes a lot! The batch I made serves about ten to twelve. I was surprised it made so much because I was not expecting it! A good surprise is always welcome.

Thank you Cooking Fairy! (You have to thank them or they leave you suddenly, like my baking fairy left my side this holiday season!). So make sure you thank your cooking and baking fairies!

Hopefully my baking fairy will pop in soon, as there's a cake roll I cannot wait to try....again. You guessed it, the first one did not turn out the way it was supposed to.

Until my Baking Fairy comes back to help, you can enjoy this Butternut Squash Risotto.

Butternut Squash Risotto

Recipe by Julie Murphy

A deliciously creamy risotto flavored with butternut squash.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Yield: 10-12 servings
Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Extra virgin Olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup butternut squash puree
• 8 fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 2 cups fresh parmesan cheese, grated
• Sea salt & pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Pour chicken stock and broth into a large sauce pan. Bring to a boil, turn off heat, and cover. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil, add in chopped onion, and sauté until onions are clear.
3. Stir in half of the chopped sage and rice, sautéing until rice is a light brown color.
4. Add wine with 1 cup of chicken stock mix, stirring until liquid is absorbed.
5. Gradually add in chicken stock mix, 2 cups at a time, stirring well until almost all the liquid is absorbed in with the rice.
6. Repeat adding chicken stock mix, 2 cups at a time, until all of it has been added to rice and risotto is creamy.
7. Add butternut squash puree and remaining sage.
8. Salt & pepper as needed to taste.
9. Remove pan from heat and add in parmesan cheese, stirring well so all cheese is mixed thoroughly.
10. Serve warm.

 

 

 Inspired by ~ Cristina Cooks   

 

All content and images are property of Sweet and Spicy Monkey. Please do not reprint this content without my permission. If you wish to include this recipe on your site, please re-write in your own words and use your own photographs and link back to this post for original recipe.

Follow Julie's board Sweet and Spicy Monkey on Pinterest.