Butternut Squash Risotto

Risotto is such a perfect side dish. 

Part comfort food, part sophisticated,

All delicious!  

Also, risotto is so versatile!  

It can be made with so many different veggies or cheeses...

But this time, it is coupled with a sweet and creamy vegetable,

Which makes it healthy

And, tastes so rich and decadent!  

For starters, the butternut squash is halved and the seeded.  

Top it with a bit of cooking spray

Before popping into a 400 F oven for nearly an hour.  

I found that this was much easier than trying to peel the squash before cooking.

The cooked flesh still needs to be scooped out, but not nearly as much is wasted.  

Next, about 2 cups of squash are added to a pan along with

One chopped onion, butter and 1/2 tsp salt. 

While the squash and onion were sautéing,

Nearly 7 cups of chicken broth were heating to a boil over a separate burner.  

Once the broth was just about boiling,

1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice were added to the onion and squash.  

Then, one cup at a time, the boiling broth was added to the rice

And stirred until it was mostly absorbed.

Here is my risotto-making, 2 burner set-up.

When it was thickened, 

Another cup of broth was added until all of the broth was gone

And the rice had softened into the 

Risotto that we know and love.  

Butternut Squash Risotto
Recipe:

Prep Time : 30 minutes
Bake Time : 60 minutes for squash
Cook Time : 30 minutes for Risotto

Serves : 8

Ingredients:

Whole Butternut Squash

Cooking spray

1 medium onion

1/2 stick butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice

7 cups Chicken Broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F. 

Cut squash in half the long way and remove the seeds. 

Place in a baking dish and spray generously with a cooking spray. 

Bake at 400 F for 1 hour until flesh is tender. 

Upon cooking, score and scoop out the squash. 

In a large sauce pan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. 

In a large sautee pan, melt butter and add onion for initial softening. 

Add the squash and rice. 

After a few minutes of browning the Arborio rice, add the first cup of hot broth. 

While stirring constantly, add the broth about 1 cup at a time when the previous liquids have been absorbed. 

Continue this until the broth is gone and the rice is tender.