You’ll wanna hop on to this butternut squash risotto, STAT! Creamy, cheesy, and so freakin’ good! Loaded with roasted butternut squash flavor- pair alongside your favorite main entree for a complete swoon-worthy meal!

butternut squash risotto with fried sage in black gratin dish

Really been into my farmers market visits these days. This season brings with it some of the best produce and goods, ever. We frequent several markets around my area and I’m so grateful for farmers and whatever bounty I end up bringing home. I always snag myself some greens, juicy in-season fruit, and all the vegetables. Butternut squash is one of my most favorite gems!

Butternut Squash Risotto, Hello!

Over the moon to share this new recipe with ya- I’m quite obsessed to say the least. Risotto is one of my favorite classic staples to make on its own but when paired with sweet, nutty butternut squash, ooeeeee. This risotto has big flavor, y’all! It’s nice and creamy, and so insanely good…you’re gonna love this dish.

⇢ Looking for more recipes?…don’t miss my roasted butternut squash soup, one-pot brown stew chicken, or my creamy lemon herb butter ravioli ♡

What Is Risotto Anyways?

Risotto is a starchy Italian rice dish made from a short-grained rice called Arborio. It’s cooked with broth and other aromatics until it reaches a creamy consistency. Additionally, most risottos are cooked with butter, onion/shallot, white wine, and cheese. It is a really decadent and crazy-good dish. Eat risotto on its own or pair alongside meats, fish, and more.

butternut squash risotto with brown serving spoon in black pot

What You’ll Need For Butternut Squash Risotto

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

  • Butternut squash: The main star! I like to buy mine fresh and then peel, scoop out the seeds, and cube. You can also grab yours pre-cut, if needed!
  • Salt and pepper: Season the risotto, to your desired taste.
  • Fresh sage: Used for the garnish to make fried sage, delish.
  • Olive oil: Use a good-quality olive oil if you can.
  • Onion: Classic aromatic when making risotto.
  • Garlic: An absolute must for big flavor…garlic is everything, yes?
  • Arborio rice: We’re making risotto, peeps- nuff said!
  • Dry white wine: Such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc.
  • Chicken broth: This cooks the arborio to the perfect consistency.
  • Parmigiano reggiano: Adds a lovely cheesy, slightly salty punch to the risotto.

Let’s Talk Butternut Squash

I recommend fresh butternut squash for this recipe because it entails the squash being roasted, first. Thus, I *do not* recommend frozen butternut squash because of this. As I noted above, some stores have prepped butternut squash readily available; in which you don’t have to fuss with peeling, de-seeding, and chopping it. It’s a convenient move that comes in clutch, too!

⇢ Furthermore, roasting the butternut squash brings out big, bold flavor because of the caramelization process. The squash flavor deepens greatly. This step is crucial and really sets this risotto apart from others, yum.

braised short ribs and butternut squash risotto on small white plate with fork

How To Make This Recipe

(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)

  1. Roast the butternut squash. Until fork tender and crispy.
  2. Make the fried sage. Melt butter and cook the sage leaves until crisp.
  3. Blend the squash. Along with 2 cups of broth into a blender and pulse.
  4. Add the puree and broth into a saucepan. Simmer this mixture together.
  5. Sauté the onion + garlic. Cook the onion until soft and add in the garlic.
  6. Stir in the rice. Cook the rice until lightly toasted.
  7. Pour in the wine. Stir together until the wine absorbs in the mixture.
  8. Add in the broth. One cup at a time, stirring constantly, until absorbed.
  9. Stir in the cheese. Sprinkle in and stir until cheese has melted.
  10. Garnish with fried sage. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Serving Butternut Squash Risotto

Serve up this butternut squash risotto on its own or pair alongside your fave main entrees! Risotto is besties with meats and fish. We love serving this dish alongside my braised short ribs, have mercy! 🙌🏾 More honorable mentions; steak, pork chops, scallops, salmon cakes, shrimp, chicken- literally anything!

brown serving spoon scooping butternut squash risotto in black gratin dish

Tips + Tricks For The Best Risotto

⇢ STIR OFTEN: This one is slightly annoying but really makes or breaks risotto. The process of stirring frequently allows the broth to cook the rice evenly. Stirring helps to create that creamy consistency that risotto is known for. Additionally, it also helps to keep the bottom of the pot from overheating!

⇢ WARM/HOT BROTH: The reason the broth is preferred to be simmered prior to adding into the rice is for the cooking texture. Hot broth is key for an ultra creamy risotto. This allows for an even and continuous cooking process. Adding cold broth/room temp broth into a pot of hot rice is a no good!

⇢ ADDING BROTH IN STAGES: Risotto is different than our everyday friend, traditional rice. Because of risotto’s signature texture, it needs to be cooked slower. Incorporating the liquid in stages allows the rice to slowly release the starches from the rice grains, yielding a creamy texture.

⇢ COOK UNTIL AL DENTE: Slowly cooking risotto will help with its texture; but it is important to note that you cook until al dente. Super similar to how we cook pasta- cooked and firm- but not mushy. Finished risotto should have a creamy texture but a firm rice kernel that you can feel.

Storing And Reheating Risotto

This butternut squash risotto will keep for up to 5 days when stored inside of the fridge in an airtight container (without the fried sage). For reheating, add a few splashes of more broth to help loosen the risotto before serving. You can reheat this dish back on the stove or in the microwave as needed.

brown serving spoon scooping butternut squash risotto in large black pot

Hope y’all enjoy this butternut squash risotto just the same! ♡🤟🏾

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brown serving spoon scooping butternut squash risotto in black gratin dish

Butternut Squash Risotto

★★★★★ 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Quin Liburd
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 55 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Side Dishes
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

You’ll wanna hop on to this butternut squash risotto, STAT! Creamy, cheesy, and so freakin’ good! Loaded with roasted butternut squash flavor- pair alongside your favorite main entree for a complete swoon-worthy meal!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups (about 11 ounces) cubed butternut squash
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter, divided
  • 8 fresh sage leaves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small white onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • 2 cups arborio rice
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
  • 7 cups chicken broth, divided
  • 1 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a medium-sized baking sheet with cooking spray. Add cubed butternut squash onto sheet and season with salt/pepper, to taste. Toss together to coat. Roast butternut squash for 20-25 minutes, or until tender and crispy.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once the butter is sizzling, add in the sage leaves, in a single layer. Cook the sage leaves until they turn lightly crisp and golden brown, about 1 minute. Then remove the fried sage and set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
  3. Place the roasted butternut squash into a high-powered blender. Add in 2 cups of chicken broth. Blend mixture together until completely smooth. Note– if any butternut squash puree remains in blender, add in more of the broth and swirl around to loosen.
  4. Place all of the broth and the butternut squash puree mixture into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir together to combine and bring to a simmer. Then reduce the heat to the lowest setting.
  5. In a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add in the onion and sauté together- stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  6. Stir the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter along with the rice into the onion mixture. Cook together, stirring frequently, until the rice is coated and lightly toasted, about 2-3 minutes. 
  7. Pour in the wine and cook together with the rice mixture until the wine cooks off and is mostly absorbed, about 30-40 seconds.
  8. Reduce the heat to medium and add in about 1 cup of the warmed broth, stirring constantly, until the broth is absorbed. Repeat the process of adding in remaining warm broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly in between, until each cup has been absorbed before adding in another- until all broth is used. Cook the risotto until al dente (nice and creamy but not mushy), about 20-25 minutes.
  9. Remove butternut squash risotto from heat and stir in the cheese until melted completely. Season the risotto with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with fried sage and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Please read the blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.
  2. Feel free to use chicken stock for this recipe as well.
  3. Storing: This butternut squash risotto will keep for up to 5 days when stored inside of the fridge in an airtight container (minus fried sage).
  4. Reheating: Reheat in the microwave or on the stove as needed- add a few splashes of more broth to help loosen the risotto before serving.

Keywords: butternut squash risotto, butternut squash side dishes, making risotto, roasted butternut squash