Butternut Squash & Pancetta Risotto
This is a perfect comfort recipe to welcome fall!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1/3 lb pancetta diced small
- 8 tbsp butter
- 1 large shallot diced finely
- 6-8 leaves fresh sage chiffonade , or chopped
- 1 butternut squash (about 2-3 cups) diced medium
- 2.5 cups arborio rice
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano grated (you can also use parmesan)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, rown pancetta, stir occasionally.
- Add 4 tablespoons butter to the same pot before adding the diced shallots.
- Stir occasionally until the shallots are soft and translucent.
- Add arborio rice to the pot, allowing it to get toasted with a golden brown color on some of the grains. This helps boost the flavor of the dish.
- Add 1/3 of the chicken stock and stir regularly, scraping the rice from the bottom to avoid sticking. Keep doing this until you've used all the chicken stock.
- In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the remaining butter. Cradle your heat and keep the pan moving to avoid burning the butter.
- Add sage leaves and stir occasionally until the butter to get to a light-brown color. Add the butternut squash to the pan and cook it until it is softer but still with a slight crunch/bite. The squash will continue cooking once you add it to the risotto.
- Add the butter, sage, and butternut squash to the risotto pot and stir.
- Add heavy whipping cream and simmer for about 5-minutes. The risotto should be saucy. If it doesn't have enough sauce, it will be dry and caky by the time it's served.
- Add the parmigiana reggiana cheese, stir.
- Add salt to taste and stir.
- Serve hot in a shallow, wide bowl. Dust with a bit more of grated cheese.
Video
Notes
If you're using salted butter and chicken stock, start with 1 tsp of salt and go from there.