Butternut Squash Risotto Recipe

Morning friends!  Once the weather cools down, and butternut squash becomes readily available, I LOVE to play around with different ways to prepare the sweet tasting squash.  One of my favorite ways is to roast it in the oven, and add it into risotto.  Risotto is one of my staple recipes that I've really mastered {you might remember a while back when I shared this recipe which is my go-to risotto recipe}, and the addition of the sweet & nutty flavored butternut squash combined with the creamy risotto really embodies cold weather comfort food.

Tackling a butternut squash for the first time can be a little intimidating and most of the time I seek out squash that has already been prepped & cut into small chunks from the produce department at Whole Foods {out of pure laziness}.  If you're unsure about peeling & cutting up your squash, here's a good link that shows you exactly how to do it!

This recipe is excellent served on it's own, or makes a great side dish to chicken or fish.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients

3 cups prepped butternut squash, cut into small chunks
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & fresh ground black pepper
32 oz low sodium chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup arborio rice
2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus extra for garnish


Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place squash in a medium bowl, and drizzle with olive oil {enough to thoroughly coat it}, and heavily season with salt & pepper.  Toss to coat.  Spread out squash on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes turning twice throughout the duration of cooking.  You want the squash to be soft, and lightly browned up for extra flavor.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat chicken broth in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Once heated, reduce heat to the lowest setting to remain warm but not simmer.
In a large saute pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat.  Add in garlic and saute until fragrant, around 1 minute.  Add in dry rice, and stir constantly, ensuring that each grain is coated in the olive oil.  The rice will begin to "toast" up, and once you begin to smell the rice after a couple of minutes, it's time to move onto the next step.

Next, add in the vinegar and allow it simmer and burn off {this process is very fast}.  Don't worry about any bitter vinegar taste, vinegar sweetens as it cooks :)  When the pan is nearly dry, add in a half cup of the warmed chicken broth and reduce the heat to medium low.  Constantly stir the rice until nearly all the liquid has been absorbed and when the pan starts looking & feeling dry again, add in another 1/2 cup of broth.  Continue this stirring/adding broth process until you have transferred all of the broth to the rice pan, and the rice is "al dente", around 30 minutes total cooking. 

Now, transfer in your cooked butternut squash.  Using the back of a large spoon, smash down a good amount of the squash so that it can easily blend into the risotto.  Stir well to incorporate.

Add in cheese and divide evenly among plates.  Finish with desired amount of cheese + salt & pepper for garnish.

Have a great weekend! xx