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Winter Squash Risotto

Name: Winter Squash Risotto
Prep time: 20
Cook time: 50

(7 votes, average: 4.14 out of 5)

20 min prep

4 servings

Carrot Icon for Number of Ingredients Size

10 ingredients

This is really easy for risotto and a perfect dinner if treatment has left you feeling tired and weary. There’s no stirring, and if you buy pre-cut squash, not much chopping either. This delicious...

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 pounds kabocha or butternut squash seeded, peeled and cut into a 1-inch dice (see Ann’s Tips)
4 cups plus 2 cups hot water or low sodium vegetable stock
2 cups Arborio rice
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste
2 tablespoons butter, or to taste
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced (for a Bland diet see Ann’s Tips)
8 to 10 large, fresh sage leaves, shredded
Sea salt, to taste

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Nutrition Facts

Calories

630 cals

Fat

12 g

Saturated Fat

5 g

Polyunsaturated Fat

1 g

Monounsaturated Fat

5 g

Carbohydrates

123 g

Sugar

9 g

Fiber

11 g

Protein

12 g

Sodium

1900 mg

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, sprinkle with salt and cook until it starts to soften, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin, stir to mix. Cover and sweat over a medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring from time to time, or until the pumpkin has started to soften.
Add 4 cups of stock, bring to a boil and cover. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft. Add the rice, stir to mix and cook for 15 minutes. The pumpkin will have disintegrated and the rice just al dente. Add a little extra stock if it looks very thick. Stir in the Parmesan. Taste for salt
While the rice is cooking, melt the butter in a small pan or skillet over a low flame. Do this slowly for the best results. When the butter has stopped foaming and is clear with nut-brown residue, add the garlic and cook until it is just golden. Remove, and turn up the heat a notch and add the shredded sage leaves. Cook until just crisp, about 2 minutes. Reserve half the leaves.
Stir the butter mixture into the rice. Cover and let sit for 2 minutes. Add a little extra warm stock if the risotto looks dry – it should be a little soupy. Serve immediately sprinkled with the reserved sage leaves and a chunk of Parmesan to grate over the top.

Chef Tips

Kabocha is very starchy and will literally dissolve into the broth, making it quite thick. Always check for water when using it for this dish. If you use butternut squash it is more watery and may need less extra stock. You can also find it pre-cut which will make this dish even easier if you’re feeling tired from treatment.
If you are on a bland diet, in step 3 halve the amount of butter and leave out the garlic. Melt it and use it to crisp the sage .
If on the other hand you are looking to increase calories, either keep the recipe as is, or make a batch of delicious Zuni Sage Pesto instead of the butter.

Registered Dietitian Approved

All our recipes are created by chefs and reviewed by our Registered Dietitian Kate Ueland, MS, RD, CSO, a board-certified specialist in oncology nutrition, to ensure that each is backed with scientific evidence and follows the guidelines set by the Oncology Nutrition for Clinical Practice, 2nd Ed., published by the Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, a professional interest group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.