The perfect fall dinner to make over the weekend. It...
Read MorePumpkin Risotto With Bacon and Parmesan Cheese
The perfect fall dinner to make over the weekend. It is creamy, rich and so delicious. A few simple ingredients make this dish a show stopper. With a little effort to mix needed to stir it together this recipe is the absolutely delicious.
This is the first risotto recipe I have posted on the blog and it does not disappoint. If you are one of those who believe risotto to be daunting and difficult then please hold on because this recipe is going to change your mind. It is exceptionally simple to throw together with a little effort that goes a long. Pour yourself a drink and get cooking with this one. Also if you have never made a risotto before, let this be the recipe you will make first. Trust me – you will thank me later. If you are vegetarian you can leave the crispy bacon out. So let us get to it.
What exactly is risotto? Is risotto a pasta or rice?
Risotto is an Italian dish that is mainly savory, it is a starchy short grain rice (arborio rice) that is cooked with a flavored liquid (in this case stock) which makes it very creamy and delicious. It is commonly made with butter, parmesan cheese, seasoning and herbs. Popular risottos are mushroom risotto and milanese risotto. Though risotto is served in the same course as pasta it is not considered as a pasta but as a rice dish.
What is pumpkin risotto?
Risotto is mainly made with onions, garlic, short grain rice, butter, cheese, seasoning and stock/flavorsome liquid. I have also used white wine to deglaze the pot. In this case we have also used pumpkin puree to make this dish. I have topped it with crispy bacon but you can leave that out.
What ingredients are needed to make pumpkin risotto?
To make this pumpkin risotto we need onions, garlic, butter, olive oil, thyme, arborio rice, stock, pumpkin puree, parmesan cheese, parsley, crispy bacon and crushed black pepper. I have also used salt and more cheese on the top. The better the stock the better the taste of the risotto once it is cooked. Make sure to use the best quality ingredients since you are using very little of them.
What equipment is needed to make pumpkin risotto?
To make a risotto we need a heavy bottom stock pot, spatula, and grater the cheese. The beauty about this recipe is the fact that we don’t need anything fancy to make this dish. I have used a ladle to spoon over the stock into the sauce pot while cooking the risotto.
How to make pumpkin risotto?
Make sure the stock is hot, I like stirring the pumpkin into the stock and allowing it to dissolve before getting started as this ensures the rice is cooked through with pumpkin from the beginning. In a heavy bottom sauce pot add the butter and sauté the onions, garlic until soft, translucent – around 4-5 minutes on low heat. Add the rice and sauté for 3 minutes on low heat until it has gotten a little pale in color.
Start by adding the wine and allow it to cook until completely evaporated this should take 3-5 minutes of low to medium heat. If you are not using alcohol, start the process with stock directly. Continue by adding one ladle of stock at a time and keeping stirring. Allow the rice to absorb the stock and cook. Repeat this process for 6 ladles and give the rice taste, you may need to add more stock or it might be enough. This can vary depending on the brand of the rice. Hence it is important to taste, also it is important to make sure the rice is absorbing all the liquid 80% before you add another ladle of stock. This allows the starches to release and make the risotto naturally creamy. Once the risotto is cooked through add the parmesan cheese, butter, season with salt and pepper as needed. Cover, take off the heat and let it sit for 3 minutes. Stir well and serve it with crispy bacon, more parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
Serving pumpkin risotto?
It is best served hot, I like adding more parmesan cheese on top, olive oil, crispy bacon and chopped parsley. It pairs well with white wine or any sparkling a well. If you want to make it a more wholesome meal serve it with a side salad and a grilled chicken or shrimp as well. I would recommend using good quality ingredients to make the risotto as you don’t need a lot to make it so a little goes a long way and better quality really does make all the difference.
Storing and reheating pumpkin risotto?
Risotto is best eaten as soon as its made as it can get clumpy and dry. I would store the leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge and when ready to eat warm it in a pan with a little stock until loose and heated all the way through. Also you can use leftover risotto to make arancini (risotto balls, crumb coated and fried).
Pro Tips when making risotto at home:
- The stock/flavoring liquid must be warm all through the cooking process as we don’t want to reduce the heat of the rice as it cooks.
- Make sure to use risotto rice aka arborio rice.
- Sautéing the rice with the onions is a great way to kick start the cooking process and helps break down the starch.
- Deglazing with wine is the best way to get the flavor going, you could also use non alcoholic wine as well.
- Using a heavy bottom pan that is wide as well helps with the evaporation and allows the rice ot absorb the liquid easily.
- Finish the risotto with butter, cheese and cover, take it off the heat and let it just relax this helps the starches calm down and gives you a very creamy risotto once cooked through.
Looking for more savory pumpkin recipes?
Now that we have covered how to make this pumpkin risotto, you can have a look at the video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more baking recipe inspiration.
If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on pinterest or instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.
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Pumpkin Risotto
The perfect fall dinner to make over the weekend. It is creamy, rich and so delicious. A few simple ingredients make this dish a show stopper. With a little effort to mix needed to stir it together this recipe is the absolutely delicious.
Equipment
- Heavy bottom stock pot with lid
- Sauce pot (for stock)
- Spatula
- Grater
Ingredients
- 1 liter stock chicken or vegetable
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 250 gm bacon diced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp olive oil/butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
- More parmesan cheese
- Chopped parsley
Instructions
- Make sure the stock is hot, I like stirring the pumpkin into the stock and allowing it to dissolve before getting started as this ensures the rice is cooked through with pumpkin from the beginning. Leave it in a sauce pot and make sure the stock is always warm/hot while making risotto.
- In a heavy bottom sauce pot add the bacon and let it render until crispy and the fat is release, this should take 5 minutes.
- Scoop out the bacon and add butter into the bacon fat, sauté the onions, garlic, thyme until soft, translucent - around 4-5 minutes on low heat.
- Add the rice and sauté for 3 minutes on low heat until it has gotten a little pale in color.
- Start by adding the wine and allow it to cook until completely evaporated this should take 3-5 minutes of low to medium heat.
- Continue by adding one ladle of stock at a time and keeping stirring. Allow the rice to absorb the stock and cook.
- Repeat this process for 6 ladles and give the rice taste, you may need to add more stock or it might be enough. This can vary depending on the brand of the rice.
- Once the risotto is cooked through add the parmesan cheese, butter, season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Cover, take off the heat and let it sit for 3 minutes. Stir well and serve it with crispy bacon, more parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
Notes
- You can make this alcohol free by swapping the white wine for stock.
- You might not need all the stock to make the risotto as this will vary on the brand of risotto any type of rice used.
- It is important to taste, also it is important to make sure the rice is absorbing all the liquid 80% before you add another ladle of stock. This allows the starches to release and make the risotto naturally creamy.
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