Butternut Squash Risotto

Butternut squash is so great. My favorite fall recipes use it- butternut squash soup and stew. I tried a butternut squash ravioli recipe once and one for lasagna. They were both okay. Not good enough to hold on to the recipes.

I had a squash sitting on my kitchen counter for a few weeks. I have been debating if I should make soup or stew, then I decided I wanted to think outside the box. I wanted to try something new this time. I did an internet search for butternut squash recipes and immediately I had hundreds of recipes at my fingertips. I love technology!

It didn't take me long to focus in on the risotto recipes. I've wanted to make it ever since I found out it exists. After digging around for a while I narrowed it down to one recipe. It's from Cooking Light and it is amazing! Basically the deciding factor why I chose this recipe is I had all of the ingredients.

Here's the recipe:

Butternut Squash Risotto

Ingredients

• 2 cups water, divided
• 2 (14 1/4-ounce) cans low-salt beef broth (I used chicken broth)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 3 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or other short-grain rice
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

• Bring 1 1/2 cups water and broth to a simmer in a large saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion; cook 8 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Add 1/2 cup water, squash, salt, and pepper; cook 10 minutes or until squash is tender and water has almost evaporated. Add rice; stir until combined. Stir in 1/2 cup broth mixture; cook until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add the remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 30 minutes total). Stir in cheese, butter, and parsley. Serve immediately.

I couldn't believe how awesome this turned out! I was nervous. It took a lot of time. As I was stirring and stirring and adding more liquid to the risotto I was thinking to myself that it had better be really tasty or I'd be upset for wasting so much time. What a relief that it is just as good as I had hoped it would be.

I was also nervous because I have Parmesan cheese, not Parmigiano-Reggiano. I think they are similar, but Parmigiano-Reggiano is authentic and better. (I think.) And I didn't have fresh parsley, so I used dried. It turned out perfect. Really. I am sure with a higher quality cheese and with fresh parsley it would be even better, but other than those changes, I don't know how this recipe could be improved.

If I can get my family on board, I'd like to make this for Thanksgiving. It is just that good.