Butternut Squash Risotto
Ingredients
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- 6 cups vegetable broth – kept hot
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter – divided use
- 1 yellow onion – finely chopped
- 18 ounces butternut squash – peeled, seeded, and 0.5-inch diced (~2.5 n/a squashes)
- 1 1/2 cups carnaroli rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage – finely chopped
- 3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano – finely grated
- kosher salt – to taste
- black pepper – to taste
Instructions
1. Heat the vegetable broth in a saucepan over medium-low until steaming; keep it at a bare simmer.
2. In a wide heavy pot, warm the extra-virgin olive oil with 2 tablespoons from the unsalted butter over medium heat until the butter foams. Add the yellow onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, 4–5 minutes.
3. Stir in the butternut squash and the fresh sage; season lightly with the kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the edges of the squash begin to soften, 5–7 minutes.
4. Add the carnaroli rice and toast, stirring, until the grains look pearly and smell nutty, about 2 minutes.
5. Pour in the dry white wine and stir until almost completely absorbed, 1–2 minutes.
6. Begin adding 0.5 cup at a time from the saucepan, stirring often and maintaining a gentle simmer; allow each addition to be nearly absorbed before adding the next. Continue 16–20 minutes, until the rice is al dente, the squash is tender, and the risotto flows slowly off the spoon. You may not need all the liquid.
7. Remove from the heat and briskly stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons and the Parmigiano Reggiano until glossy and creamy, 30–60 seconds. Adjust the black pepper and, if needed, the consistency with a splash more hot liquid.
8. Cover and rest 2 minutes, then stir once more and serve immediately.
Butternut Squash Risotto is a creamy, spoonable rice dish that balances the natural sweetness of squash with savory depth from stock, butter, and aged cheese. The rice cooks until just al dente, suspended in a silky emulsion that clings to the spoon without being heavy. Aromatic sage and Parmigiano Reggiano provide a warming, autumnal fragrance that makes the dish comforting yet refined.
Risotto has deep roots in northern Italy, where short-grain rices like Arborio and Carnaroli were cultivated in the Po Valley. Versions with winter squash (risotto alla zucca) are traditional in Lombardy and the Veneto, historically made with local pumpkin varieties and finished with the classic mantecare technique of beating in butter and cheese off the heat. As butternut squash became common, it became a popular stand-in, keeping the spirit and method of the original while using a widely available cultivar.