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Creamy roast pumpkin risotto with sage is the coziest, dreamiest bowl of fall flavors. Gluten-free, vegetarian recipe, or jazz it up with chicken and/or bacon.
Why this recipe works
Roasted pumpkin has a beautiful, flexible flavor profile that can skew savory or sweet. In this recipe, you don’t have to choose. I’ve gently coaxed out the best of both worlds.
- Hints of maple and nutmeg enhance pumpkin’s natural earthy sweetness
- Sage, parmesan, and white wine accent its savory potential
- Just the right ratio of liquid and frequent but not constant stirring ensure the rice retains a hint of bite while the overall dish reaches creamy perfection
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Sugar pumpkin, also called pie pumpkin or sweet pumpkin, is smaller, sweeter, and less fibrous than the kind you’d carve. A two-pound one will yield just the right amount of roasted pumpkin. Here’s how to roast it. You can substitute one 15.5-ounce can of plain pumpkin puree if that’s what you’ve got.
- Arborio rice is an Italian short-grain variety of rice. Its high starch content helps create the risotto’s silky, creamy broth. And its superior quality means the grains retain their al dente bite amidst the creaminess. Alternatively, you can use carnaroli rice. It works similarly but has a slightly longer grain, higher starch content, and firmer texture.
- Fresh sage contributes a beautiful earthy flavor and mild astringency that’s the essence of fall.
- A little bit of good-quality real maple syrup adds a gentle layer of sweetness and complexity
- Use a dry white wine that you’d be happy to drink (and serve the rest of the bottle at the table)
- To make this recipe vegetarian, use a good vegetable broth. This one has by far my favorite flavor profile. Or use chicken broth if you’re not concerned with making it vegetarian.
- A little bit of heavy cream goes a long way toward enriching the risotto and smoothing out the flavor of the pumpkin.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a beautiful batch of roast pumpkin and sage risotto. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Sauté the onion, then the sage, and then the rice.
- Add the wine and then the remaining seasonings and the broth, little by little as it absorbs, stirring frequently.
- Blend together the pumpkin, maple syrup, cream, and a bit of the broth and add to the pan after the last addition of broth.
- Off the heat, stir in the parmesan. Rest for five minutes before serving. That’s it!
Chicken and pumpkin risotto
This recipe makes a satisfying vegetarian main dish all on its own, or a side dish along with some protein. Or you can easily turn it into chicken and pumpkin risotto by stirring in about 1 1/2 pounds of cooked, shredded or diced chicken at the very end of cooking. Here are our favorite ways to cook chicken:
- Simply roasted
- Sous vide
- Instant Pot
- Or buy a good-quality rotisserie chicken at the grocery store
Pumpkin bacon risotto
Another fabulous variation is to add 8 ounces of bacon — either alone or in combination with the chicken. You’ve got two options here:
- Chop the bacon and, before step one, place it in the cold pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until as crisp as you like. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Pour off all but two tablespoons of the fat and return pan to heat. Continue with recipe as written, cooking onion in bacon fat and omitting the butter.
- Or cook the bacon separately, in a skillet or in the oven, then chop or crumble.
Whichever cooking method you choose, stir the cooked bacon into the risotto at the very end of cooking.
Expert tips and FAQs
Yes, you can. I prefer the taste of fresh roasted pumpkin in this recipe, but it’s also delicious with canned pumpkin. Use one 15.5-ounce can of plain pumpkin puree, with no further changes to the recipe.
Risotto’s combination of firm-tender rice and creamy broth will be at its best shortly after cooking. I don’t recommend making it in advance. If you need to, you can parcook it in advance, proceeding though step 6 below but stopping with a couple of cups of broth still to add. Finish right before serving.
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about a week. They’ll taste great but thicken up a bit, which is fine. You can reheat in the microwave.
Pumpkin risotto leftovers also make great arancini with fresh goat cheese or mozzarella in the middle.
More favorite risotto recipes
- Saffron, goat cheese, and peas
- Lemony shrimp and broccoli
- Caramelized onion, bacon, and spinach
- Ham, peas, feta, and tarragon
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Creamy Roast Pumpkin and Sage Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced small
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves
- 1 ½ cups (270 grams) arborio rice
- ½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine
- 5 cups 1(180 ml) good vegetable or chicken broth, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ? teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound (454 grams) roasted pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) maple syrup
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- ½ cup (60 grams) grated parmesan cheese
To garnish (optional)
- Balsamic glaze
- Roasted pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large frying pan.
- Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes
- Add the sage and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
- Add the rice, stir to coat with the butter, and cook for a minute or two, until becoming translucent.
- Pour in the wine. Cook, stirring frequently, for a minute or two until mostly absorbed.
- Stir in about a cup and a half of the broth, along with the nutmeg, cayenne, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently but not constantly, until broth is mostly absorbed. Continue in this manner, adding more broth as it absorbs into the rice, until you’ve used all but 1/2 cup of the broth.
- While the risotto simmers, combine the pumpkin, maple syrup, cream, and remaining 1/2 cup broth in a blender or food processor. Process until completely smooth.
- Add pumpkin puree to pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the broth is absorbed. Risotto is finished cooking when each grain of rice is tender but still has a nice hint of chewy bite, and there’s still some delicious starchy broth remaining. Keep in mind that the broth will thicken as it cools.
- Stir in parmesan.
- Rest the risotto for five minutes before serving.
- Spoon into wide, shallow bowls and garnish with balsamic glaze and roasted pumpkin seeds if you like.
Notes
- I prefer the taste of fresh roasted pumpkin in this recipe, but it’s also delicious with canned pumpkin if that’s all you’ve got. Use one 15.5-ounce can of plain pumpkin puree, with no further changes to the recipe.
- Risotto’s combination of firm-tender rice and creamy broth will be at its best shortly after cooking. I don’t recommend making it in advance. If you need to, you can parcook it in advance, proceeding though step 6 below but stopping with a couple of cups of broth still to add. Finish right before serving.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about a week. They’ll taste great but thicken up a bit, which is fine. You can reheat in the microwave. Pumpkin risotto leftovers also make great arancini with fresh goat cheese or mozzarella in the middle.
Variation: Chicken and pumpkin risotto
This recipe makes a satisfying vegetarian main dish all on its own, or a side dish along with some protein. Or you can easily turn it into chicken and pumpkin risotto by stirring in about 1 ½ pounds of cooked, shredded or diced chicken at the very end of cooking. Here are our favorite ways to cook chicken:- Simply roasted
- Sous vide
- Instant Pot
- Or buy a good-quality rotisserie chicken at the grocery store
Variation: Pumpkin bacon risotto
Another fabulous variation is to add 8 ounces of bacon — either alone or in combination with the chicken. You’ve got two options here:- Chop the bacon and, before step one, place it in the cold pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until as crisp as you like. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Pour off all but two tablespoons of the fat and return pan to heat. Continue with recipe as written, cooking onion in bacon fat and omitting the butter.
- Or cook the bacon separately, in a skillet or in the oven, then chop or crumble.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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