Creamy Squash Risotto With Toasted Pepitas
4.1
(21)
Silky miso and a paprika-packed squash purée makes this risotto hearty and satisfying, not to mention vegan. Double or triple the squash purée since it will keep for up to four days in the fridge. You can use it in other meals throughout the week, like stirring it into soups, serving it as an alternative to mashed potatoes, or turning it into a pasta sauce.
Recipe information
Total Time
2 hours 30 minutes
Yield
4–6 servings
Ingredients
For the Squash Purée:
For the Risotto:
Preparation
Make the Squash Purée:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place squash (cut side down) on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until it gives easily when pressed, 30–45 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Step 2
Scoop flesh from squash and transfer to a food processor. Add oil, miso, paprika, and salt and purée, scraping down sides as needed, until very smooth.
Step 3
Do Ahead: Squash purée can be made 4 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and chill.
Make the Risotto:
Step 4
Bring 8 cups water to a boil in a medium pot.
Step 5
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large deep-sided skillet or braising dish over medium. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent but not browned, 5–7 minutes. Season with 2 tsp. salt, add rice, and stir to combine. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is translucent around the edges, about 4 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until evaporated, 1–2 minutes.
Step 6
Add 1/2 cup (about a ladleful) boiling water to rice mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until water is absorbed, about 1–2 minutes. Continue adding water 1/2 cup at a time and stirring constantly until rice is al dente and all water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in 2 cups squash purée and continue to cook, stirring, until heated through, 3–5 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Step 7
Meanwhile, cook pumpkin seeds, paprika, red pepper flakes, and remaining 1/3 cup oil and 1/2 tsp. salt in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until seeds are puffed and starting to brown and oil is fragrant, 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in orange zest (zest will sizzle).
Step 8
Transfer risotto to a platter. Pour pepitas and oil over, then top with dill. Serve with orange wedges alongside for squeezing over.
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Reviews (21)
Back to TopAfter reading all the reviews before cooking we made a few adjustments to this recipe and loved it! We skipped making the puree altogether, but did roast all 4.5 lbs of squash, set it aside and jumped to making the risotto. We have great success using a pressure cooker to make our risottos so did all the cooking in that. Before adding the white wine we added 1 Tbsp soy sauce (we didn't have miso) and the 1 tsp smoked paprika. Next we added the wine and cooked it down, followed by 4 C vegetable broth and 1 C water, and covered with the lid. We brought it to full pressure, cooked it 7 minutes on high, then opened the valve to naturally release the pressure. When done, we opened the lid and stirred in all the squash, keeping over medium heat to warm all the way through. We stirred the parsley into the pot but reserved the pepitas, oil, and orange juice for individual plating. Unlike other reviewers, we were able to use all the squash and did not find this bland at all. The seasoned oil and pepitas and orange juice make this a very distinctive and flavorful dish. We will absolutely be making this on the regular during squash season!
Blakely
Savage, MD
3/9/2024
I should have read the reviews again before preparing this risotto. If I had, then I would have remembered to use roasted cubes of squash rather than making the puree. So surprised that no one mentioned that 4 1/2 pounds of butternut squash was about 2x the amount needed, as only 2 cups of puree are added to the risotto. Having so much extra puree, I added almost 4 cups. The pumpkin seeds in oil didn't work for me. The orange juice and zest a nice addition. And, definitely make with broth.
Montana Gal
Southwest Montana
12/13/2023
This was delicious--a unique flavor combination. But I agree with other reviewers that the recipe is far too complicated. With some adjustments, we had a great meal with less fuss. First, there's no need to make a squash puree. Just add the well-roasted squash to the risotto at the very end. It leaves some lovely bits of squash that's not fully incorporated. I added all the smoked paprika to the risotto as I cooked (and sprinkled a bit on each serviing), added miso to one of the last bits of water (actually I used a weak chicken bouillon, so it didn't need any extra salt). Also threw in a half bag of baby spinach when the risotto was cooked. Served with fresh parsley. I had some roasted sunflower seeds on hand for extra garnish, but we didn't even want them. Oh, skipped the orange because I didn't have any, so I can't comment on that, but it would probably be nice.
A Munro
93401
11/13/2023
I'm going to try this tonight, and thanks for the recipe, but I'm curious why a recipe would call for raw pumpkin seeds when butternut squash seeds were just scooped out of the squash. Not a biggie, just sayin.' *always fighting that insidious concept that something that comes in plastic is preferable to natural
Maggie
Lebanon Junction KY
12/31/2021
Delicious! I followed the recipe exactly--water, dill, smoked paprika, etc. It's wonderfully satisfying on its own, and made a solo early dinner beside the Christmas tree feel like an event. Looking forward to leftovers all weekend. It would also pair nicely with pork or chicken thighs for a larger group. Do NOT omit the pepitas or any step in their preparation--they absolutely make the dish. In fact, I'm going to make those on their own to add to roasted vegetables. My only criticism is I ended up with a lot of leftover squash puree, but it's going straight in the freezer for the next time.
Quaint Irene
Charlotte, NC
12/10/2021
We all really enjoyed this recipe and thought it was perfect for fall/winter and when one wants comfort food. I used honeynut squash because that’s what I had, rich homemade vegetable broth, blood oranges, good risotto rice, and it was delicious. The only major substitution was toasted sunflower seeds for the pepitas, because of an intolerance for them by a family member. I didn’t find the recipe difficult, laborious, or time consuming, but I’m used to cooking for four people every single day. I served this as the main course, with a big salad and a cheese plate. This will be a regular dinner for as long as winter squash and pumpkins are in season.
nightfall
Baltimore, MD
2/19/2021
Really enjoyed this, didn't find it too hard to make, though that was probably mitigated by making the puree the previous night. I used parsley, cider, and added 2 cups' worth of chicken broth concentrate to the water due to the reviews mentioning blandness. The one thing I don't get is how they're quite specific about the amount of squash to use, but when I used the two cups specified, I probably had another 4 cups left... a bit baffling since there was no mention of having extra.
ckeen74
Camas, WA
12/11/2020
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