This risotto is everything, but if I’m being honest I’ve never met a risotto I didn’t like.
One reason I like this risotto recipe a smidge more than other recipes is that it’s extremely creamy without adding tons of cheese. Also, the goat cheese isn’t even a requirement so if you want to make this vegan all you have to do is omit the goat cheese. I promise that you will still end up with a creamy, delicious, flavorful risotto even without the cheese. You’re welcome vegans for making your vegan dreams come true.
If you’ve never made risotto before, I insist that you make this recipe. It may look slightly intimidating, but it truly isn’t and once you’ve made this risotto recipe you can make them all.
Mushroom, Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Risotto
A creamy risotto featuring mushrooms, butternut squash and goat cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup onion, diced
- 2 1/2 cups butternut squash, cubed
- 16 oz portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 4-5 cups vegetable stock*
- 2 oz goat cheese
- salt & pepper, to taste
- fresh chopped sage for serving, optional
- fresh grated parmesan for serving, optional
Instructions
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Add olive oil to a large skillet, preferably one that is deeper, and heat over medium heat.
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While olive oil is heating up, add the 4 cups of vegetable stock to a sauce pan and heat over low heat.
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Once the oil starts to warm up, add the onions and butternut squash and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Next, add the garlic and arborio rice and cook for about 2 minutes.
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At this point, it’s time to start adding the vegetable stock to the mushroom and butternut squash mixture. After the garlic and arborio rice has cooked for about 2 minutes, start by adding approximately 2 ladles full of the stock. Stir the risotto frequently and when almost all of the stock has been absorbed by the arborio rice, add about another one ladle full of stock to the rice. Continue to stir and add more stock to the rice ladle by ladle every time the rice gets low on liquid until the rice becomes al dente.
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Once the arborio rice has finished cooking, add the goat cheese and season the risotto with salt and freshly ground pepper. Top with freshly minced sage and grated parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
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This recipe can easily be made vegan by omitting the goat cheese.
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You may need more than 4 cups of vegetable stock. As you near the end of adding the 4 cups of stock, taste the risotto and if it is too hard you will need to add more stock until the rice becomes al dente.
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If you have white wine in your fridge that has already been opened, but you’ve neglected to finish the bottle, add it to this recipe! If you opt to do this, add a splash of the white wine right after the garlic and arborio rice have cooked for approximately 2 minutes. Once the wine has been absorbed, start adding the stock.
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If you want to add some greens, like spinach or kale, to this risotto you totally can! Once the rice has finished cooking and you’ve added the goat cheese go ahead and throw in the greens. If the mixture gets too thick with the addition of the greens just add more stock to thin it out.