Butternut Squash Rissotto

Alex and I couldn't stop at spaghetti squash and had to try out this butternut squash risotto recipe. I really dig butternut squash. It reminds me a lot of yams in color and taste. It is a great autumn food.

We went a little over the top with the butternut squash in this recipe. Obviously you start out with a whole butternut squash. We didn't want to waste the left overs above and beyond the 2 cups this recipe calls for, so we used all of it. I'm not going to say that was a good call or a bad call. It was decent. In all honesty, I would use the two cups the recipe calls for...and I would use the correct amount of risotto. Alex and I had a little less than a cup of risotto left so we had to make due.

Butternut Squash Risotto:
2 cups cubed butternut squash
2 tablespoons butter (I rarely use butter. I use olive oil because it is healthier and I think it tastes a million times better.)
1/2 onion, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
5 cups hot chicken stock
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Place squash cubes into a steamer basket in a saucepan. (If you don't have a steamer basket...GO BUY ONE! They are heavenly and make you want to steam your veggies 24-7).

Add water, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Allow to steam until the squash is tender (10 to 15 minutes), then drain, and mash in a bowl with a fork.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir for 2 minutes until the onion begins to soften, then stir in the rice.

Continue cooking and stirring until the rice is glossy from the butter, and the onion begins to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes more. Pour in the white wine; cook, stirring constantly, until it has evaporated.

Stir in the mashed squash and 1/3 of the hot chicken stock; reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir until the chicken stock has been absorbed by the rice, 5 to 7 minutes. Add half of the remaining chicken stock, and continue stirring until it has been absorbed. Finally, pour in the remaining stock, and continue stirring until the risotto is creamy.

Finish by stirring in the Parmesan cheese, and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

This dish LOOKS elegant! And it is 354 calories per serving! How do I know it is only 354 calories per serving? Because allrecipes.com tells you stuff like that when you snag one of their recipes! I LOVE that site!