Butternut Squash Risotto

A rich and creamy Italian rice dish made with butternut squash puree, white wine, Parmigiano-Reggiano and topped with a little fresh arugula.

Happy Monday! Today I'm in chilly Minneapolis attending an event for Target. They put together a fun agenda for members of the Target Inner Circle which I'll be sharing this week, you can follow my Instagram ^[1] to see what I'm up to today.

This weekend I remade one of my older recipes with meatless Monday in mind, and updated the photos because this is such a great dish, but the photos didn't do it justice.

Making risotto is a labor of love, because you have to be patient, stirring the rice and adding more broth a little at a time, but in the end you get a delicious restaurant quality dish that you can proudly say you made yourself, without all the added butter you would get if you ate this dish out. It's also really filling, one serving will fill you up. If you wish serve it with a salad on the side and call it a meal.

This also makes a great side dish to fish or chicken, I would make the serving size 1/2 cup as a side dish.

I started with some homemade squash puree which I simply made by boiling the butternut squash in broth or water, then pureeing in the blender. You can use the rest for some Spaghetti with Creamy Butternut Leek Pasta ^[2] later in the week.

I like to keep a good cheese such as Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano on hand and grate it myself when I need it. A good cheese has an intense flavor you just can't get from the grated parmesan cheese sold on the shelves of the supermarket.Â

Butternut Squash Risotto
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 4Â â€¢ Size: just under 1 cup â€¢ Old Pts: 5 pts â€¢ Weight Watchers Pts+: 7 pts
Calories: 249 â€¢ Fat: 3 g â€¢ Protein: 7.5 g â€¢ Carb: 45 g â€¢ Fiber: 1 g â€¢ Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 461 mg

Ingredients:

3 cups fat free low-sodium chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian)

1 cup butternut squash puree

1 tsp butter or olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup shallots, chopped

1 cup arborio rice

2 oz dry white wine

1 tbsp fresh sage, minced

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

2 cups fresh baby arugula, for garnish

Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat broth and butternut squash puree over medium-high heat. When it boils, reduce heat to a simmer and maintain over low heat, taste for salt and adjust as needed.

In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, heat oil or butter until melted. Add shallots, garlic and rice; saute until the rice is well coated with oil or butter, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and sage and stir until it is absorbed.Â

Add a ladleful of the simmering stock; wait until it is absorbed before adding another ladleful stirring gently and almost constantly. Stirring loosens the starch molecules from the outside of the rice grains into the surrounding liquid, creating a smooth creamy-textured liquid.Â

Continue this process until the rice is creamy, tender to the bite, but slightly firm in the center and all the stock is used, about 25-30 minutes from the time you started. When all the liquid is absorbed, stir in the grated cheese and remove from heat.