Calories: 339g
Fat: 9g
Fiber: 6g
Protein: 10g
It feels like autumn. Warm up with this cozy recipe of roasted butternut squash, parmesan cheese and creamy risotto. The best part, it’s vegetarian – sounds like your new guilty pleasure.
Cookware & Utensils
Skill: Medium
Time: 45mins
Servings: 2-3
Type: Italian
Ingredients
- ¾ cups arborio rice (risotto)
- 1.5 cups butternut squash
- ½ sweet onion
- 6-7 stalks of asparagus
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- Pinch of black pepper
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (optional)
Instructions
Before you begin
Don’t buy vegetable broth from a grocery store! It’s so easy to make on your own. View my recipe here. Plan ahead an extra hour to make the broth. It will be well worth it.
Cut the vegetables
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. With a knife, chop ½ of an onion, 6-7 asparagus stalks, and mince 2 cloves of garlic. Finely mince 2 teaspoons of fresh rosemary, saving 1 teaspoon for later. Peel and chop butternut squash into bite size pieces, about 1.5 cups total. In a medium bowl, toss squash and asparagus with olive oil, 1 teaspoon of rosemary and sprinkle with black pepper. Next, spread the squash and asparagus on a medium baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until squash has browned.
Cook the rice
In a large fry pan, sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add in ¾ cups of dry arborio rice and cook until rice becomes translucent, about 2 minutes. Pour vegetable broth into the pan ½ cup at a time, and stir after each addition. Wait for the rice to absorb the broth before adding another ½ cup. Repeat 5 or 6 times totaling 3 cups of broth, until rice has thickened into risotto. Sample risotto for texture – It should be soft enough to chew but have a slight bite. Trust your judgement.
Combine ingredients
Remove squash from the oven and add to the risotto. Next, add in 1 tablespoon vegan butter and ¼ cup of parmesan cheese, stir to combine. Lastly, sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of rosemary and blend.
Finish and serve
Top with a sprinkle of parmesan and pumpkin seeds, if you so choose. This is an eat-on-your-couch type meal. No shame.
