Butternut Squash Risotto

This weekend at the UIC farmer’s market I bought a giant butternut squash. The woman at the stand was just trying to get rid of it, so I got it for $2! Saturday morning I got to work on it. I baked it in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour and scooped out the insides. I mashed it all up in a giant bowl and questioned myself as to what the heck I was going to do with all of this squash for only one person!

First on the list was to make Butternut Squash Tortellini. I made a bunch of this and threw it in the freezer for later this week. More on this when I get around to cooking it for dinner tomorrow night!

Second I made Butternut Squash Risotto. This recipe was great, and super easy. It was the perfect dinner for a cold fall day in Chicago!

Ingredients:

2 lbs butternut squash, baked and mashed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp olive oil
2 cans vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 tsp butter
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup short-grain rice (I used brown rice)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Bring 1 cup water and vegetable broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Meanwhile melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and add onion. Sauté for about 4 minutes until soft and lightly brown. Reduce heat to medium and add rice, sauté for 1 minute. Stir in 1/4 cup water and 1/2 cup vegetable broth mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until liquid absorbs. Add another 1/2 cup of vegetable broth and stir until liquid is absorbed. Continue adding 1/2 cups of broth to the rice mixture until all of the liquid is absorbed (this takes about 30-40 minutes). Stir garlic into mashed squash and add it to the rice mixture. Stir in cheese, sage, salt, and pepper.

Serve warm and enjoy! Makes about 6 (1 cup) servings, so I have been eating it all week, yum!

What’s your favorite butternut squash for the fall? I still have extra squash left over (even after my risotto and tortellini) and am contemplating what to do with it. Maybe some butternut squash soup, you can’t go wrong with that! I also saved the seeds to toast them, I am assuming they will turn out similar to pumpkin seeds, we shall see!

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