A butternut squash and sage risotto finished with vegan parmesan and toasted slithered almonds. This risotto is well worth the effort, creamy and luxurious, this vegan dish is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Cooking a risotto can be quite a laborious, or therapeutic task, depending on which way you see it. I quite enjoy the time it takes, stirring away to some good music on in the background is an evening well spent in my opinion.
The ingredients
Roasted butternut squash is a thing of simple beauty – tender, subtly sweet and nutty. Throw in a few roughly torn sage leaves to add an earthy flavour. To fry the semi-soffiritto and rice, I’ve combined olive oil and vegan margarine to create a rich, buttery flavour which is what a risotto is all about!
The method
Roast the butternut squash for 25 minutes at fan 200c. Now, the texture is of paramount importance when cooking a risotto. You want the rice to remain al dente and the risotto to be almost soupy.
Start by slowly frying the onion, you don’t want it to brown as this will impair the flavour. Next add the margarine, rice and garlic and cook gently; the rice should smell fragrant and toasty. Pour in the wine and bring to boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer until most of the alcohol has cooked off.
Next, add the vegetable stock ladle by ladle, simmering the broth between each addition until almost evaporated. Keep the stock warm to ensure the rice is cooked thoroughly and evenly. And there you have it, a simple meal that deserve your tender loving care. Serve with a sprinkling of flaked almonds and vegan parmesan.
More dinner recipes
Aubergine with harissa, roasted chickpeas and saffron rice
Spicy tomato pasta with vegan sausage
Leave a comment and let me know how you get on making this butternut squash and sage risotto. I’d love to see your creations over on instagram!
Butternut squash and sage risotto
Ingredients
- 1 kg butternut squash peeled and deseeded, cut into small cubes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the risotto
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 80 g vegan margarine
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 300 g arborio rice
- 200 mls white wine
- 1.2 litres stock made up using 1 veg stock cube
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 60 g vegan parmesan some reserved for topping
- 20 g flaked almonds
- Small bunch of sage roughly chopped reserving a few whole leaves
Instructions
- Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
- Coat the squash in a tablespoon of oil and place on the baking trays. Roast the squash for 25 mins at 220°C/ fan 200°C / gas 7. Remove from the oven and roughly mash two thirds of the squash.
- Pour the remaining oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Sauté the onions over a low heat for 6-8 minutes, ensuring they do not brown.
- Add in the margarine, rice and garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the wine has mostly evaporated.
- Add a ladle of warm stock and cook until it has been absorbed. Continue to add a ladle at a time in this manner. Stir continuously over a low simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Meanwhile shallow fry the whole sage leaves in a teaspoon of oil until crispy, this should take a couple of minutes.
- When the risotto is al dente, turn off the heat and stir through the chopped sage, zest of 1 lemon, vegan parmesan and the mashed butternut squash.
- Finish by sprinkling over the remaining cubes of squash, toasted flaked almonds and vegan parmesan.