Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Candied Pecans

Want to hear something embarrassing? One year for Christmas dinner I was going to make my favorite Roast Chicken with Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Candied Pecans. Well when it was time to cook I went to the fridge and lo and behold, I had forgotten to buy the two chickens. I bought all the herbs, lemons and onions, but forget the actual chickens for our main course! So sixteen of us ate just the risotto for Christmas dinner. Not my finest moment, but the risotto was top notch. 
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Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Candied Pecans: LET’S TALK ABOUT RICE BABY

Not just any rice is used to make risotto. Risotto is made using an Italian short grain rice called Arborio. When cooked the rounded grains remain firm and creamy because the starch content is a little higher than that of other rice grains.

Risotto is a Bit Like a Two Year Old, It Needs Attention

When I I learned to make risotto my cooking teacher emphasized that “risotto needs lots of love” meaning this is not a dish you walk away from. Like a child, the more patience, love and attention you give it, the better it turns out! So plan to spend a leisurely hour in the kitchen, lovingly tending to your risotto.

The Result:

All that attention results in a delicious, creamy, colorful vegetarian dish the whole family will love! Totally worth the the hour in the kitchen!

Working With Butternut Squash:

Of course you have the option of buying pre-cut and peeled Butternut squash from the grocery store, it certainly saves time. My advice here is to make sure it’s very fresh if you decide to do so. If it has been sitting in plastic for more than a day my experience is that it doesn’t roast well. That said I understand wanting the convenience because working with butternut squash can be difficult unless you have the right tools. You need a good sharp knife (my favorite on sale now!) and a “Y” peeler. With these two tools peeling and cutting a butternut squash is a piece of cake! I promise!

Roasting the Butternut Squash:

Roasting it is easy! Just drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and roast in the oven. 

The Candied Pecans:

While squash is roasting caramelize pecans. You can see an in depth tutorial here. Of course you may always use raw nuts if you would rather skip the sugar, or buy store bought candied pecans. 

Serving Suggestions:

As mentioned above, I love serving this Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Candied Pecans with my favorite roasted chicken… or in the case of that infamous Christmas dinner without it lol.

The Recipe:  Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Candied Pecans

You will need: A medium sized pot, a“Y” peeler, and a good knife ! If you would rather buy candied pecans than make them, click here. 

Print Pin

5 from 3 votes

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Candied Pecans

A sweet and savory side dish or main course. Gluten free, vegetarian.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Keyword easy dinner recipe, easy side dish recipe, gluten-free recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Linda Spiker

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon butter 
• 3 cups butternut squash peeled, diced into 1/2" cubes and roasted
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 med shallots peeled and sliced
• 1 small clove garlic peeled and minced
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• ½ cup white wine
• 4 cups hot chicken broth preferably homemade, my recipe linked above
• ½ cup parmesan cheese finely grated (sometimes I use Gruyere)
• ⅓ cup candies pecans recipe above or use store bought
• ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
• pomegranate seeds optional
• chives chopped for garnish

Instructions

To Roast Butternut Squash:

• Preheat oven to 400 and place oven rack in upper third of oven.
• Peel butternut squash with a "y" peeler. Scoop out seeds, slice and cut into 1/2" cubes.
• Place on a parchment covered rimmed cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil. Toss.
• Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh pepper, toss. Place in oven and roast for 40 minutes. While squash roasts, begin rice.

For rice:

• Prep shallots, chives, nuts
• Melt 1 T butter in medium size pot on med/high heat. Add shallots and saute for five minutes.
• Add garlic and saute for two more minutes.
• Add rice to pot and stir for two minutes.
• Add wine. Turn down heat to medium. Simmer till wine is absorbed, stirring constantly.
• Add broth, one cup at a time allowing broth to be absorbed between additions. Stirring frequently. It should take about 35 minutes to add all four cups of broth. Stay close to your risotto the entire time. Stirring and adding broth as needed.
• When rice is creamy and most of the broth has been absorbed, turn off heat.
• Add cinnamon, parmesan, a few pinches of sea salt, and freshly ground pepper (to taste). Stir.
• Add roasted butternut squash, I like mine with browned edges.
• Add pecans and stir.
• Garnish with chives and pomegranate seeds if in season, you can used dried cranberries if preferred.

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Post tags: gluten free, vegetarian