Butternut Squash Risotto with Sage Brown Butter
All in one pot, with comforting fall flavors and luxurious enough for special occasions, this lovely butternut squash risotto deserves a place on your go-to recipes list. A drizzle of nutty brown butter and crispy sage takes it to another gorgeous level of flavor.
Butternut Squash Risotto, at a Glance
⏰Time: 1 hour 20 minutes (including roasting the squash)
🍽️Makes: 4 servings
🛒 Key Ingredients: Butternut squash, arborio rice, stock, parmesan, butter, sage, wine
🍳 Cooking Method: Oven roast, then stovetop
🍂Perfect For: Cozy fall dinners, date nights, dinner parties, or when you have pumpkin or squash to use up.
A Cozy, Comforting Fall Dinner
Risotto is always a go-to comfort food favorite for me, and this gorgeous fall version is so lovely for the cooler months.
It very much feels like fall on a plate with the roasted butternut pumpkin, nutty brown butter, and sage, and it is such a lovely meal for a cold day. It’s also impressive enough for date night, Friendsgiving, or dinner parties (and I share a great hack for making it ahead of time that I picked up at Le Cordon Bleu in London).
You can cut down the cooking time by roasting the butternut squash ahead of time, too if you like – it will last for 5 days in the fridge, so it’s a great meal prep task for a Sunday. Plus, any leftovers mean you have the PERFECT excuse to make cheesy stuffed arancini (which are also a very lovely party bite or appetizer).
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Rice. It’s important you use the correct rice when making risotto – look for anything labeled arborio, carnaroli, or risotto rice.
- Butternut squash. I like to roast it in two halves (this saves lots of tricky peeling and chopping) until it’s super soft, sweet, and charred. Then it’s soft enough to scoop straight out of its skin into the risotto. This is hands-down the easiest way to roast squash to use in many different recipes.
- Stock. Use vegetable or chicken stock, whichever you prefer.
- Wine. I like to use rosé, but you can use regular white wine. Skip it if you’d like an alcohol-free version.
- Chorizo. This is to scatter on top of the risotto to serve. You could use bacon if you like, or leave it off to make it vegetarian.
How to Make Butternut Squash Risotto
- Slice your squash down the middle, scoop out the seeds, and drizzle with olive oil. Roast until super soft and charred, about 45 minutes.
- Cook the onion until soft, then add the garlic.
- Pour in the rice and mix it through, then add the wine. Let it bubble up as the alcohol evaporates for a minute or so, then add the butternut squash flesh.
- Stir the squash through the rice, then you can start adding the stock, a ladleful at a time.
- Keep gradually adding the stock and stirring until the rice is super creamy and al dente (cooked, with a little bite to it). Stir in the grated cheese. This will make it extra creamy and delicious.
- Brown your butter and crisp up the sage leaves in the butter to serve.
- Divide the risotto between plates, then drizzle with the brown butter and crispy sage, and chorizo if you’re using it.
Kate’s Prep Ahead Risotto Tip
I picked up a fabulous prep-ahead trick for risotto while studying at Le Cordon Bleu in London.
This is how a lot of restaurants do it, and it works perfectly:
- Follow the recipe, but once you’ve added about half the stock, spread out the risotto on a lined tray or sheet pan to cool.
- Spreading it out helps it cool faster, so the rice doesn’t continue cooking. Cover with plastic wrap and pop into the fridge for up to 24 hours.
- When you’re ready to serve, transfer the risotto back to a pot, and continue to follow the recipe, adding the rest of the stock. This should only take about 10 minutes.
I like to do this if I’m making risotto for a dinner party – that way, you’re not standing over the stove the whole time and missing the actual party!
Butternut Squash Risotto FAQs
Can I make the risotto vegetarian?Yes, you can – just use vegetable stock, skip the crispy chorizo, and make sure your parmesan is vegetarian.
Do I have to roast butternut squash to make the risotto?Not if you don’t want to! You could use plain canned pumpkin puree – you’ll want roughly 1 cup.
How can I reheat the butternut squash risotto?Either in the microwave at 30-second intervals or on the stovetop. Add a splash of water when you reheat it, just to loosen the risotto up (the rice will have absorbed a lot of the liquid as it sits in the fridge). You can store the risotto in the fridge for up to 3 days.
What to Make With Leftover Risotto
In my opinion, there’s no better excuse to make a batch of cheesy stuffed arancini balls. Usually, I add mozzarella to the middle, but for leftovers of this risotto, I love to add brie or camembert. This makes them lovely little festive bites, perfect for entertaining over the holiday season.
- Make little rice balls with your hands, then pop in a cube of brie or camembert (cut the rind off if you like).
- Dust each ball in flour, then dip in egg and panko breadcrumbs.
- Fry for a couple of minutes, until super golden and crispy on the outside.
I love to serve these with sweet chili jam on the side, or a drizzle of hot honey sauce. To make them, follow the recipe in this post about arancini, and replace the mozzarella with brie or camembert.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave me a comment below.
All in one pot, with comforting fall flavors and luxurious enough for special occasions, this lovely butternut squash risotto deserves a place on your go-to recipes list. A drizzle of nutty brown butter and crispy sage takes it to another, gorgeous level of flavor.Make the crispy chorizo and get your onions cooking while the squash is in the oven, to save time. Prep Time 10 minsCook Time 1 hr 10 mins
Total Time 1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes
Ingredients
For the risotto –- 1 large butternut squash, roughly 1kg/2lb
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 ½ cups arborio rice
- ¼ cup white wine, or rosé
- 4 cups hot vegetable or chicken stock
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ cup gruyere cheese, grated
- 2 oz chorizo, casing removed and diced (50g)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- A handful of sage leaves
- Grated parmesan cheese
Method
- Roast the butternut squash. Heat your oven to 400°F (210°C) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Slice the squash down the middle, so you're left with two long pieces. Scoop out the squash seeds, then drizzle the cut halves of squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and scatter with 1 teaspoon of salt.Place the squash cut-side down on your pan, then transfer to the oven. Roast until super soft and charred, about 45 minutes.
- Make the crispy chorizo. Add the diced chorizo to a large, high-sided pan or skillet and set it over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes, until the chorizo is lovely and crispy. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Cook the onions. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan and reduce the heat to medium. Add the diced onion and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion has softened and become translucent, about 5 minutes. PRO TIP: If your onion is browning too quickly, add a splash of water to the pan. This will help the onions cook without burning them.
- Add the garlic, rice, and wine. Once the onion is soft, add the crushed garlic and stir it through the onion. Add the rice and stir it through the garlic and onions for a couple of minutes to lightly toast the grains. Then, pour in the wine, stir, and let it bubble up for a couple of minutes as the alcohol evaporates.
- Add the butternut squash and stock. Scoop the roasted squash flesh straight from the skin into the pan with the rice – don't worry about breaking it up before you add it – it will do it itself in the pan as it cooks with the rice. Stir the squash through the rice, then start adding the hot stock, one ladleful at a time. I recommend heating the stock in a separate saucepan and ladling it directly from there into the risotto. Or you can heat it in the microwave.
- Continue to add stock and stir the risotto.Stir the risotto as the stock is absorbed by the rice, then add another ladleful of stock. Continue this way until you've used up the stock and the rice is al dente (cooked, with a little bite to it). At this point, add the grated parmesan and gruyere and stir it through the risotto. It should be gorgeously creamy at this point. Taste, then add any extra salt if needed. Remove from the heat.
- Make the brown butter. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat, then continue to stir the butter as it starts to foam up, change color, and smell gorgeously nutty. You should see little brown spots in the butter – this is what you want. At that point, carefully add the sage leaves (the butter may splash up as you do so be careful) and toss them through the butter for a minute to crisp up. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Garnish and serve.Divide the risotto between serving plates, then top with the crispy chorizo. Spoon over the brown butter and crispy sage leaves, then finish with the extra grated parmesan. Enjoy while hot and saucy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bowlCalories: 625kcal
Carbohydrates: 89.2g
Protein: 16.4g
Fat: 22.2g
Saturated Fat: 9g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.8g
Monounsaturated Fat: 10.2g
Trans Fat: 0.4g
Cholesterol: 38mg
Sodium: 2292mg
Potassium: 945mg
Fiber: 6.8g
Sugar: 7.3g
Vitamin A: 21550IU
Vitamin C: 45.7mg
Calcium: 271mg
Iron: 3mg
