Easy Italian Pumpkin Risotto
This creamy pumpkin risotto is the coziest fall recipe, made with sweet pumpkin, Parmesan, and a hint of nutmeg. An easy Italian risotto with pumpkin that’s perfect for autumn dinners or holidays.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 632kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2½ cups of pumpkin or butternut squash, cubed
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil divided in ½
- 1 small onion finely chopped (I used sweet onion)
- 1 ½ cups risotto rice Arborio or Carnaroli
- ½ cup dry white wine make sure it's a wine you would actually drink (not cooking wine_
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth or stock hot
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano more to taste (omit if you're vegan/dairy-free)
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter divided in ½
- fresh sage leaves
Instructions
Roast the pumpkin
- Preheat your oven to 375F. Place the cubed pumpkin in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and salt, and with a large spoon, toss to cobmine. Place the pumpkin cubes on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil (or parchment paper). Roast in the oven for 30 minutes until tender and slightly charred.
Sauté aromatics
- In a wide skillet or saucepan, heat olive oil and add onion. Cook until translucent. It may take 10 minutes. You do not want the onion to brown or to get any color, so be sure to stir while it's cooking.
Toast the rice
- Stir in the Arborio rice and cook 1–2 minutes until lightly translucent on the edges.
Deglaze
- Pour in the white wine and stir until mostly absorbed.
Start adding broth
- Ladle in the heated broth ½ cup at a time, stirring gently. Wait until each addition is mostly absorbed before adding more. This part of recipe will take about a full 18-20 minutes until the rice is al dente.
Add in the Pumpkin
- Stir in the pumpkin pieces, breaking them up a little bit with the wooden spoon, but keeping some pieces whole. Reserve some pieces to serve on the plates (optional).
Butter + Sage
- Meanwhile, in a small skillet, brown 2 tablespoons of the butter with some sage leaves. Set aside to reserve for the end.
Check seasoning
- Taste a bite toward the last minutes how the salt is (depends on what type of broth you add). You will need to season with salt.
Add butter + cheese
- Once the risotto is tender but al dente (about 18–20 minutes), remove pan from the heat and add in the reserved butter and the Parmigiano cheese. Add a tablespoon or two of some more broth to loosen it up, as the cheese and butter do thicken up the risotto.
Serve
- Serve hot. Ladle out onto plates. When you plate up the risotto, it should be flat on the plate. Place a few pieces of the roasted squash on each plate (optional). Drizzle onto each portion a little of the browned butter (optional) and grate on some more Parmigiano-Reggiano (if you like). ENJOY!
Video
Notes
- Use Arborio rice for the best creamy texture—its starch content is key to that classic risotto consistency.
- Canned pumpkin purée is perfect for convenience, but homemade roasted pumpkin works beautifully too. Be sure to use canned (not pumpkin pie filling).
- Add broth slowly and stir gently to release the rice’s natural starch—this is what makes risotto so creamy without cream. Use unsalted broth.
- Season toward the end: Parmigiano adds saltiness, so taste after mixing it in before adjusting the final seasoning.
- Don’t overcook the rice: It should be soft but still slightly al dente in the center.
- Garnish with fresh sage or thyme for extra autumn flavor and color.
Nutrition
Calories: 632kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 3mg