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butternut squash in bowl

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Brown Butter Sage

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5 from 3 reviews

Chilly fall weather calls for warm and rich comfort foods. This risotto is the perfect flavor to ring in the rain and falling leaves! Enjoy.

  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

Risotto 

  • 1 butternut squash (about 2 Cups) peeled and cut into small cubes (pre cut or frozen also works)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 5 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock, or vegetable broth -add more if needed
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cloves of crushed garlic
  • 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano cheese, plus more for serving

Brown Butter Sage Sauce:

  • 4 tablespoons good quality butter
  • 56 fresh sage leaves

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 400 F. Place cut butternut squash on a baking sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle with olive oil and some of salt (1/4 tsp of salt) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown (if using frozen: first first steam in microwave to soften and then bake for 15-20 minutes).
  2. Once baked- mash half of the squash with a fork and leave the other half in cubes. Cover the remained squash that was cut in cubes with foil and reserve for later use. 
  3. In a medium pot simmer chicken or vegetable stock on medium/ low heat. 
  4. In another (larger) pot, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until it begins to turn opaque, about 2 minutes.
  5. Add the wine and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt to the rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until all of the wine has been absorbed. Add about 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and cook, stirring frequently, until it has been absorbed. The rice and broth should bubble gently; adjust the heat as needed.
  6. Continue cooking the rice and stirring gently, adding broth 1/2 cup at a time and allowing the rice to absorb it before adding the next 1/2 cup.
  7. Cook the rice in this way until tender, 20 to 25 minutes in all. The broth that hasn’t absorbed will thicken by the starch from the rice.
  8. You may not need to use all the liquid, or you may need more broth or some water. The finished product will be a creamy mixture with the rice a bit ‘al dente”.
  9. Gently stir in the mashed squash and parmigiano cheese and take off heat. Dish the risotto into bowls. Add a couple of whole squash pieces on top and pour brown butter sage 1 tablespoon (or more) over the finished risotto. Serve hot! Mangia. 

Brown Butter Sage:

  1. Place brown butter sauce ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat until butter turns dark brown and golden color. You can also microwave 1 minute at a time until the butter turns slightly brown- careful not to burn!
  2. After dishing up risotto in bowls pour a big spoonful of brown butter sage and add extra grated parmigiano. Mangia!

Notes

Tips 

  1. When you add a ladle of broth or wine to the risotto, make sure that you wait until the risotto has almost completely absorbed the liquid and the rice is nearly dry before you add the next ladle.
  2. It’s important to stir constantly, especially while the hot stock gets absorbed, to prevent scorching.
  3. If you run out of stock and the risotto is still crunchy, finish cooking it with hot water. Add the water a ladle at a time, stirring while it’s absorbed.
  • Author: Elena Davis
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Category: Savory
  • Method: Italian
  • Cuisine: Italian