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Butternut Squash Mushroom Risotto is made with tender grains of arborio rice in a creamy butternut squash sauce. A perfect way to warm up your chilly nights and can be on the dinner table in less than an hour.
A creamy dreamy Italian risotto recipe thatโs great for family gatherings or the holidays. Easy make-ahead risotto recipe thatโs gluten-free, vegetarian, and comforting fall recipe thatโs perfect for cold weeknight dinners. This Easy Butternut Squash Risotto recipe is a great meatless and delicious main or side dish recipe thatโs filling and satisfying.
Why you will love this BUtternut squash risotto
- Easy and simple: Fuss-free risotto recipe thatโs easy to make with simple ingredients.
- Perfect for any occasion: Serve the buttenut squash risotto for the family to enjoy or serve your guests for dinner as a side dish during the holidays.
- Very tasty: You will love how delicious this easy-to-make risotto recipe is. Full of fall flavors that keep you satisfied.
ingredients you will need for this mushroom risotto
- 1 lb Butternut Squash
- 1 Lb Mixed Wild Mushrooms โ or any mushrooms of choice
- ยฝ Cup Freshly grated Parmesan plus more to taste โ or get store-bought (vegetarian-style if needed)
- 2 Cup Brown Arborio Rice โ or use any rice of choice, you donโt have to use brown rice.
- 7-8 Cups Vegetable Stock heated, if you arenโt looking for a vegetarian risotto, use chicken stock
- 2 Stalks of Celery chopped
- 1 Medium Sweet Onion diced
- 4 Garlic Cloves minced
- ยฝ Tsp Dried Thyme
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil divided
- Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste
HOW TO MAKE BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO
Making this butternut squash risotto is quite easy. First, we need to prepare the butternut squash. Cut off both the ends of butternut squash and peel with a vegetable peeler. Scoop the seeds out of the middle cavity with a spoon. Cut each section in half, then dice it into cubes.
There are two ways to cook or steam the butternut squash. Either use a vegetable steamer or boil them a bit until they are tender. Bring 1 inch of water to boil in a large saucepan or wok and add in a bamboo steamer.
Add squash into the steamer, cover, and steam for about 12-15 minutes, or until fork-tender. Place the squash into a bowl and set it aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan, over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sautรฉ until nicely golden brown. Season with some salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and set aside.
Using the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add celery, onions and dried thyme, and sautรฉ for about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and sautรฉ until fragrant.
Add the rice and cook stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Immediately stir in 2 cups of chicken stock and cook, stirring frequently until liquid is reduced. Repeat using all the stock, and cook until rice is tender and cooked through.
Meanwhile, in a blender, add steamed butternut squash cubes and 1/2 cup of Parmesan; Puree until smooth and creamy.
Pour the pureed mixture into the hot rice and mix well to combine. Add half of the sautรฉed mushrooms stir well and adjust the flavors according to your taste.
Transfer the Risotto into serving plates, top with the remaining mushrooms, and sprinkle with parmesan. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
Risotto is a traditional Italian side dish recipe thatโs made with rice, cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. Short-grain rice like Arborio is usually used in making Risotto. You may use any broth such as vegetable, chicken, meat, or bone broth. There are many variations of risotto but most are made with onions, cheese, rice, broth, white wine, and butter. Risotto is the most common way rice is cooked in Italy.
For those looking to keep this a vegetarian risotto recipe, you may serve it with some more sauteed or roasted veggies. For non-vegetarians, you may serve this mushroom risotto with some grilled meat like steaks, grilled chicken, shrimps, or salmon.
Place leftover risotto in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. Make sure the Risotto is completely cooled to room temperature before it is stored. Remove the frozen container of risotto the night before and place it in the fridge to thaw before reheating. Use one of the methods mentioned above to reheat your risotto. Never re-freeze risotto after it has been frozen once before.
The best rice to use to make risotto is Arborio or Carnaroli rice, which is short-grain, high-starch rice thatโs most commonly found in stores. Other alternatives to these types of rice would be basmati or sushi rice. You may also use barley or bulgur.
Recipes you can serve with Risotto
- Honey Lime Salmon
- Slow Cooker Beef Brisket
- Shrimp and Sausage Skillet
- Cilantro Lime Shrimp
- Lemon Garlic Marinated Chicken
How to reheat Risotto
There are a few ways you can reheat your risotto. We will briefly talk about a few methods of reheating risotto
- Microwave โ Remove risotto from the fridge and place it in a glass bowl. Then add a bit of broth or water and about one teaspoon of butter or olive oil. Place in the microwave and heat at 1-minute intervals. Mix and taste between intervals until heat through.
- Stovetop โ Place risotto into the saucepan and add some broth/water and oil. Over medium to low heat, mix and add more broth as needed until it reaches a good creamy consistency and is heated through.
- Ovenโ You may heat your risotto in the oven. Add risotto into an oven-safe pan along with a bit of water or broth, butter or oil, and place in the oven at a low heat setting. Mix occasionally until risotto is heated through and creamy.
We would love to hear from you if you made or plan on making this butternut squash risotto recipe. Please leave us a comment below with some feedback. Also, donโt forget to rate it and share it on social media with your friends and family.
Check out these other side dish recipes that are great for weeknight or holiday dinners:
- Creamy Garlic Mushrooms
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Honey Roasted Butternut Squash
- Healthy Broccoli Casserole
- Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup
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Butternut Squash Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 lb Butternut Squash
- 1 Lb Mixed Wild Mushrooms
- ยฝ Cup Freshly grated Parmesan, plus more to taste
- 2 Cup Brown Arborio Rice
- 7-8 Cups Vegetable Stock, heated
- 2 Stalks Celery, chopped
- 1 Medium Sweet Onion, diced
- 4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- ยฝ Tsp Dried Thyme
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil, divided
- Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cut off both the ends of butternut squash and peel with a vegetable peeler. Scoop the seeds out of the middle cavity with a spoon. Cut each section in half, then dice it into cubes.
- Bring 1 inch of water to boil in a large saucepan or wok and add in a bamboo steamer. Add squash into the steamer, cover, and steam for about 12-15 minutes, or until fork-tender. Place the squash into a bowl and set aside. (see notes)
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan, over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sautรฉ until nicely golden brown. Season with some salt and pepper, remove from the heat and set aside.
- Using the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add celery, onions and dried thyme, and sautรฉ for about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and sautรฉ until fragrant.
- Add the rice and cook stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Immediately stir in 2 cups of chicken stock and cook, stirring frequently until liquid is reduced.
- Repeat using all the stock, and cook until rice is tender and cooked through. Meanwhile, in a blender, add steamed butternut squash cubes and 1/2 cup of Parmesan; Puree until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the pureed mixture into the hot rice and mix well to combine. Add half of the sautรฉed mushrooms stir well and adjust the flavors according to your taste.
- Transfer the Risotto into serving plates, top with the remaining mushrooms and sprinkle with parmesan. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- If you donโt have a bamboo steamer, you may use any vegetable steamer or just steam or boil them in boiling water for about 5 minutes until they are fork-tender.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My family really enjoyed this dish! Thank you!
Thanks Beth. Glad you all loved it