Butternut Squash Risotto
This is an easy butternut squash risotto recipe, perfect for the whole family.
This easy butternut squash risotto is perfect for autumn dinners. Combine squash, chilli and sage for a delicious seasonal risotto.
I tend to make my risottos using olive oil instead of butter so this risotto can also easily be vegan.
That said you can also add pancetta if you want to add an extra layer of flavour, its saltiness pairs perfectly with the sweetness of butternut squash.
I’ve used Riso Gallo’s Traditional Risotto Rice, a sustainable choice. Riso Gallo is the first international brand in the sector to have undertaken the production of rice from sustainable agriculture, making their premium risotto rices fully Sustainable.
Butternut Squash Risotto
Ingredients
- 200g Riso Gallo Traditional Risotto Rice
- 275g of butternut squash, peeled and diced
- 1 small onion or shallot, finely chopped
- 1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- Bunch of fresh sage leaves
- 3 tbsps of olive oil or 65g butter
- Glass of white wine (optional)
- Parmesan or alternative hard cheese (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.
- Peel and dice your squash into 1 - 1.5cm pieces. Place in a baking tray, drizzle in olive oil, add 1/2 tsp of chilli flakes. Using a spoon mix the squash so it's coated in olive oil and chilli flakes, then scatter with 10 sage leaves.
- Place in the oven and cook for at least 30 minutes.
- While the squash is cooking, prep your other ingredients.
- Add 2 tbsp of olive oil (or 40g butter) to a large flat based pan and add your finely chopped onion. Cook gently on a low heat for at least 5 minutes or until softened. Don't let your onion burn.
- Increase the heat, add your risotto rice, coat it in the olive oil and keep the rice morning. This is called the tostatura, it helps to cook the rice perfectly al dente, by sealing the grains of rice.
- Add a small glass of white wine, if you prefer not to cook with alcohol you can add splash of stock, stir the rice until all the liquid is absorbed.
- Turn the heat down and add 200ml or a ladleful of hot stock to the pan and continue to stir until all the liquid is absorbed.
- Repeat the process by adding another 200ml of stock each time until absorbed. Keep stirring to ensure the starch released doesn’t cause the rice to stick together.
- After your squash has been cooking for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and using half of the cooked squash, gently mash it with a fork or masher to form a rough puree. Add this to the risotto and stir through.
- Remove the risotto from the heat and add a good grating of parmesan, and either 25g of butter or olive oil, stir, and place a lid (or plate) over your pan and allow it to rest for two minutes.
- This is the mantacatura – when you add fat such as olive oil, butter or cheese to give the risotto its distinct glossiness and taste.
- Plate up and top with the leftover squash and sage leaves, and top with extra parmesan.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
730.24Fat (grams)
49.33Sat. Fat (grams)
20.39Carbs (grams)
53.32Fibre (grams)
5.15Net carbs
48.17Sugar (grams)
6.82Protein (grams)
8.79Sodium (milligrams)
21.01Cholesterol (grams)
75.89This recipe is from one of my Cook Alongs and is part of a paid sponsorship with Riso Gallo.
Riso Gallo brings you the best Italian Risotto Rice selected from the best rice fields of the Po Valley, motherland of Risotto and Risotto Rice. Riso Gallo guarantees the origin of the rice from selected rice farms; the traditional stone husking using "Amburgo" model whitening machines (dating from 1898); and a careful grain-by-grain selection process.
Red Rice Salad with Halloumi, Honey & Mint
This tasty red rice salad is the perfect accompaniment to a BBQ or served up on its own for lunch.
Red rice is perfect for creating a healthy rice salad, whether it’s to serve on it’s own or alongside your choice of grilled meats and fish. This wholegrain rice, Rustico Rosso is a long grain rice from Riso Gallo and forms part of their Rustico range. With a distinct nuttiness, good bite and its unmistakeable red colour, it’s perfect for using as a base for salads and dressings and adding into the mix flavours to complement the grain.
I decided to combine it with some fresh, summer inspired flavours so that this salad could be served up on its own but it also wouldn’t be out of place at a BBQ!
I recommend serving it with some grilled chicken, prawns or chorizo sausages cooked together on the grill with some tomatoes - if you’re barbecuing just put a load of cherry tomatoes on a skewer and serve on the side - their sweet juices will complement all the other flavours beautifully.
Red Rice Salad with Halloumi, Honey & Mint
Ingredients
- 200g Rustico Rosso Red Rice from Riso Gallo
- 50ml Olive Oil
- 1/2 lemon, juice and zest
- 2 tsps honey
- Small bunch of mint, leaves finely chopped
- 225g Halloumi, sliced
Instructions
- Cook the red rice in boiling water for 20 minutes
- While the rice is cooking, in a bowl mix together your olive oil, honey and lemon.
- Chop your mint
- Once the rice is cooked, drain and add to a bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the rice, add the mint and lemon zest, stir together. - You can always save some dressing drizzle over the halloumi too.
- Heat a frying pan or fire up the BBQ and cook your halloumi for 2-3 minutes either side until nicely browned.
- Serve up with a selection of grilled meats or fish.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
337.68Fat (grams)
24.42Sat. Fat (grams)
9.06Carbs (grams)
16.16Fibre (grams)
1.11Net carbs
15.05Sugar (grams)
3.48Protein (grams)
13.74Sodium (milligrams)
354.56Cholesterol (grams)
44.44This recipe is from one of my Cook Alongs and is part of a paid sponsorship with Riso Gallo.
The Rustico Range from Riso Gallo includes wholegrain rices including a semi-wholegrain Carnaroli risotto rice. Due to the high fibre content they are a great healthy choice and are perfect for creating tasty salads or stews depending on the season. The rices are all parboiled to reduce the cooking time for you at home, making it even easier to make a healthier choice!
Try making my Red Rice Arancini Rice Balls using any leftovers
Spring Vegetable Risotto with Riso Gallo Rustico
This spring risotto is a classic for warmer days and made with a semi-wholegrain Carnaroli from Riso Gallo. Making it an even healthier option with plenty of seasonal veg and the perfect one pot dinner.
Risotto definitely isn’t just for winter, in fact I think a spring risotto is one of my favourites. I love creating a light, fresh risotto with lots of lovely seasonal vegetables like asparagus, peas and courgettes with some lemon juice to give it a zesty finish, and lift all the flavours which is balanced perfectly with the natural creaminess of the finished dish.
This recipe is using Riso Gallo’s Carnaroli Rustico, a semi-wholegrain brown rice. It has a fabulous texture when cooked, plus it’s higher fibre content makes it a great option for a healthy and balanced diet. That’s why it’s such a great choice for this spring risotto.
Spring Vegetable Risotto with Asparagus and Peas
Ingredients
- 300g of Carnaroli Rustico from Riso Gallo
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 bunch of asparagus, stalks chopped, keep the spears separate
- 1 courgette, quartered
- 1 cup of peas
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- Glass of white wine
- 1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- 30g Butter, or use olive oil
- 30g Parmesan, or alternative hard cheese
- Olive Oil
Instructions
- Risottos always begin with a soffritto, for this recipe I am just using onion but you in others I often use celery and carrot too. We’re also going to use the asparagus stems in the initial stage of cooking.
- Add 2tbsp of olive oil for your soffritto, add your onion and gently cook on a low heat. We don’t want to burn the onion so keep moving it and if needed you can add a splash of water. Allow the onion to cook for five minutes so it starts to soften.
- Next add your asparagus stalks that are chopped into 1cm rounds and your courgette. Cook with the onion for a further five minutes.
- Increase the heat add your risotto rice, this is the tostatura. This helps to cook the rice perfectly al dente, by sealing the grains of rice. Coat it in the olive oil, and keep the rice morning.
- Next add a small glass of white wine (or vermouth), this helps to add a little acidity to give risotto its distinctive flavour. However, if you prefer not to cook with alcohol you can add splash of stock and stir the rice until all the liquid is absorbed.
- Then add about 200ml or a ladleful of hot stock to the pan and continue to stir, until all the liquid is absorbed, and again add 200ml of stock and keep doing this for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring to ensure the starch released doesn’t cause the rice to sick together.
- Add the juice and zest of half a lemon and continue to cook for a further five minutes. Add any additional stock as required.
- Now add your asparagus spears, and continue to cook for a final 5 minutes. To help the asparagus cook I pop a lid on to steam them a little, stirring every minute. For the final minute or two add your peas right at the end to help them keep their colour. Taste and season if necessary, adding any additional lemon juice if required.
- Now it’s time for the mantacatura, a phrase used specifically for risotto taken from the verbs whisking and creaming – this is when we add some fat such as olive oil, butter, or cheese to give the risotto its distinct glossiness and taste. Add the parmesan, and either butter or olive oil, give a good stir, and place a lid (or plate) over your pan and allow it to rest for two minutes.
- Plate up and top with parmesan. Best served with a chilled white wine!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
576.31Fat (grams)
24.79Sat. Fat (grams)
10.10Carbs (grams)
62.69Fibre (grams)
15.66Net carbs
47.03Sugar (grams)
24.86Protein (grams)
18.70Sodium (milligrams)
566.19Cholesterol (grams)
41.74This recipe is from one of my Cook Alongs and is part of a paid sponsorship with Riso Gallo.
Carnaroli Rice is known as the King of risotto rice because of its amazing ability to maintain its shape and flavour, and to blend perfectly with all types of ingredients. The Carnaroli Rustico from Riso Gallo adds an extra depth to that being semi-wholegrain, its nuttiness and texture make for a healthy and perfect risotto; al dente to bite with a creamy finish,
The Perfect Easy Risotto with Riso Gallo
Make an easy risotto with Riso Gallo, I’ve shared one of my favourite recipes but you can switch up the ingredients to suit you!
I cooked up a risotto with my lovely guests as part of my Easy Risotto Cook Along with Riso Gallo. I made it versatile so people could add ingredients they had at home. We used Carnaroli as it’s a great choice for using different ingredients, and has a slightly higher starch content than arborio so leave a gorgeous creamy finish and the perfect al dente bite.
I chose to make pancetta and porcini mushroom risotto – one of my favourites! So the ingredients list you’ll see is for that, but I explain in the method when to add different ingredients so feel free to get creative with your dishes.
If you’re looking for even more risotto ideas use the recipe finder over on risogallo.co.uk or be inspired by budding young chefs at youngrisottochef.co.uk
Pancetta and Porcini Mushroom Risotto using Riso Gallo Carnaroli
Pancetta and Porcini Mushroom Risotto with Riso Gallo
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Serves: 3-4 (or two with leftovers) | Nutrition: 510 calories per serving
Ingredients
- 300g of Carnaroli Riso Gallo
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 small carrot, finely chopped
- 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
- 75g diced pancetta / bacon lardons or bacon
- 50g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- Glass of white wine
- 20g porcini mushrooms, soaked and roughly chopped
- 1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 tsp oregano
- 30g Butter
- 30g Parmesan, or alternative hard cheese
- Olive Oil
Method
Traditionally a risotto starts with butter, but because I’m adding pancetta I cook this off first and the fat from the pancetta helps flavour the risotto as it cooks, so I begin with pancetta in the pan on a medium heat for a few minutes.
When the fat is released add your soffritto ingredients of onion, carrot and celery. If you’re not using pancetta begin with 25g of butter or a good glug (1-2tbsp) of olive oil for your soffritto. You don’t have to use all three ingredients, you can just use onion or you can substitute celery for leek, or fennel, it’s up to you and with more confidence you can decide how you prefer your risotto. I also add oregano and season with salt at this point.
Once your soffritto has started to soften, add any other veg your including in your dish, so for me this was my chestnut mushrooms. If you’re adding anything that is pre-cooked like chicken, prawns or porcini, we will stir these in five minutes before the end, along with anything such as frozen peas or fresh spinach.
Once your veg has started to soften, increase the heat a little and add your risotto rice, we want to toast it a little and coat it in the lovely butter or olive oil from the pan, you can always add a little extra if needed. Don’t let the rice stick, keep it moving!
Next up, add your glass of white wine (or vermouth), alternatively add splash of stock and stir the rice until all the liquid is absorbed.
Then add about 200ml or a ladelful of hot stock to the pan and continue to stir, until all the liquid is absorbed, and again add 200ml of stock and keep doing this for about 10 - 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Then add any of your ingredients like porcini mushrooms, chicken, prawns, frozen pes, spinach etc and continue to cook for a final 5-8 minutes until the rice is cooked al dente and you still have a little stock remaining with the rice. Taste and season if necessary.
Then add your grated parmesan and some butter (or olive oil if vegan), give a good stir, and place a lid (or plate) over your pan and allow it to rest for two minutes. This is called the mantecare ‘to stir together’
Plate up, top with parmesan and enjoy!
More about Riso Gallo
Riso Gallo is one of the oldest rice-growing companies in Italy.Riso Gallo started out back in 1856 with a factory in Genoa that processed imported paddy rice.
They have been making Italians happy for six generations. Riso Gallo’s mission is to spread the culture of rice and risotto throughout the world by using innovation that constantly adapts to the needs of the modern consumer.
Even if recently more exotic varieties of rice such as black Venus rice have been used to make risotto, great traditional Italian risottos normally use three specific varieties of great white rices.
Riserva Gallo Arborio
Derived from the older Vialone variety in circa 1946, the heat gently penetrates its long grains during cooking preserving the right amount of starch inside to remain “al dente” yet giving creaminess, which is needed to make it perfectly smooth.
Riserva Gallo Carnaroli
This variety has also been obtained from a series of crosses in 1945 and since then it has quickly become a favourite of Italians who love risotto because of its amazing ability to maintain its shape and flavour, and to blend perfectly with all types of ingredients.
Sustainablility
Riso Gallo is the first international Italian rice brand to have undertaken the production of rice from sustainable agriculture, making their premium best-selling risotto rices - Gallo Risotto Tradition, Arborio, Carnaroli and Carnaroli Rustico - fully sustainable. Plus also now in packaging suitable for recycling.
Oven baked arancini are a great alternative if you don’t want to fry your arancini. They’re still quite simple to make and taste great!