Butternut Squash Risotto, plus Thyme

An easy and incredibly comforting Butternut Squash Risotto made with fresh thyme, garlic and parmesan. This risotto uses easy, seasonal produce that's suited to Autumn/Winter. It's the solid way to warm up on chilly nights and can be on the table in over half an hour!

We mean, is there anything better than a warming, comforting bowl of risotto made from scratch?

Nope, whether it's a classic saffron risotto creamy mushroom risotto or this butternut squash risotto we love it and it makes a great weeknight meal or cosy weekend treat.

The thing is, it's not the kind of meal that you can shove in the oven and pay no attention to.

It needs a little bit of love and care and slow stirring to make it extra creamy and luxurious but it's SO worth it and it comes together in over 30 minutes!

This butternut squash risotto is made with simple ingredients that you are guaranteed to find in any supermarket.

You should always use arborio or carnaroli rice when making risotto. Most supermarkets should sell arborio rice but if not you can easily find it online. Here's a list of the other ingredients you need.

Looking for more seasonal recipes? Check out our pumpkin risotto with taleggio cheesebutternut squash pasta soup and our easy and good apple crostata!

Ingredients (notes and substitutions)

• Arborio or Carnaroli Rice – Arborio is more common to find in supermarkets but either will so. The short and fat grains make the risotto extra creamy and good.
• Butternut Squash – you can also use pumpkin or similar squash varieties.
• Chicken Stock – use a good quality stock that's low sodium so you can control the amount of salt added.
• Parmigiano Reggiano – you can also use Pecorino Romano for this freshly grate the cheese yourself as pre-grated doesn't taste as good.
• Mascarpone – this adds an extra creaminess to the risotto that we love but you can leave it out if you prefer.
• Fresh Thyme – goes perfectly with squash and adds a lot of flavour but sage or even rosemary would also work well. use fresh and not dried.
• Garlic & Shallot – both are important for building flavour, again, use fresh and not dried powders. You can use an onion instead of shallot.
• Butter – this adds richness and a good flavour, you can use either regular or salted.
• Salt & Pepper – Season to taste, always add a little at a time.

How To Make Butternut Squash Risotto – Step By Step

Finely chop the shallot, garlic and cut the squash into 1cm (1/2 inch) sized pieces (roughly).

Heat a little olive oil in a large high sided pan, once hot add the shallot and saute until translucent. Add the squash, butter and thyme and saute on a medium heat stirring often until softened (around 10 minutes) (photos 1 & 2).

Add the garlic and thyme and saute for another minute until fragrant and softened (photo 3).

Add the rice and stir to coat in the other ingredients. Add a few ladles of stock until the rice is covered, stir until the rice absorbs the liquid and add another ladle or two. Continue adding the stock, stirring and letting the rice absorb it until all the stock is used up. The rice should be cooked through, thick and creamy (photos 4 & 5).

Turn off the heat and add the mascarpone, parmesan and added seasoning if needed. Stir until combined and serve (photo 6).

Top risotto making tips!

• Don't Rush It – we've heard many people say they are intimidated by the thought of making risotto but it's so simple to make. The biggest tip to remember is to simmer it slowly adding the stock as needed. Risotto only takes around 30 minutes when making enough for 4-6 people. Don't be tempted to turn the heat up to cook it quickly because a lot of the flavours won't have time to develop and it won't taste great.
• Don't cover it – keep the lid off and don't cover it whilst it's cooking.
• Cutting the Squash – if you cut the squash larger than 1cm then it'll take longer to cook so saute it for a few extra minutes.
• Taste it before serving – check for seasoning at the end and add salt as needed.
• Use high-quality stock – Store-bought can be heavily salted so try to be aware of that before adding extra salt to the risotto and try to buy low-sodium stock if possible.
• Making Homemade Stock – Throughout the week we add vegetable peelings, offcuts and any chicken bones we might have in freezer bags and freeze them. Then one day when we have time (usually at the weekend) we put them all in a large pot with water and let it simmer away with any added herbs. When the stock is ready we store it in freezer bags in the freezer until needed. It's a great way to have good homemade stock on hand and reduce food waste.

Recipe FAQs

Can we make it in advance?

Although risotto is best served immediately you can make it in advance and heat it up. The rice will absorb a lot of moisture you'll likely need to add more stock or water to loosen it as you heat it up.

Can you freeze the risotto?

It's not recommended, the risotto will change texture when frozen and you'll lose the good creaminess.

What can we do with leftovers?

Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for about 2 days. You can either reheat it until piping hot (with more liquid added) or roll the risotto into balls and dip them in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and deep fry to make arancini.

More good recipes to try

Fresh Pasta

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage and Brown Butter Sauce

Risotto

Creamy Mushroom Risotto

Mains

Creamy Tomato Risotto

Italian Desserts

Torta Barozzi (Rich, Flourless Chocolate Cake)

Ingredients

Makes 6 servings

• 4 cups (500g) Butternut Squash
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 2 Shallots
• 2 tbsp (50g) Butter
• 12 oz (350g) Arborio Rice
• 6 cups (1.5 litres) Chicken Stock
• 3 sprigs Thyme
• 1 tbsp Mascarpone
• 1 cup (40g) Parmesan, freshly grated
• Salt and Pepper (to season)

Method

1. Finely chop the shallot, garlic and cut the squash into 1cm sized pieces (roughly).

2. Heat a little olive oil in a large high sided pan, once hot add the shallot and saute until translucent. Add the squash, butter and thyme and saute on a medium heat stirring often until softened (around 10 minutes).

3. Add the garlic and saute for another minute until fragrant and softened.

4. Add the rice and stir to coat in the other ingredients. Add a few ladles of stock until the rice is just covered, stir until the rice absorbs the liquid and add another ladle or two. Continue adding the stock, stirring and letting the rice absorb it until all the stock is used up. The rice should be cooked through, thick and creamy.

5. Turn off the heat and add the mascarpone, parmesan and added seasoning if needed. Stir until combined and serve.

Kitchen notes

• Don't Rush It we've heard many people say they are intimidated by the thought of making risotto but it's so simple to make. The biggest tip to remember is to simmer it slowly adding the stock as needed. Risotto only takes around 30 minutes when making enough for 4-6 people. Don't be tempted to turn the heat up to cook it quickly because a lot of the flavours won't have time to develop and it won't taste great.
• Use The Highest Quality Stock we always have chicken stock in our freezer but if we don't have enough we'll use high quality storebought. We like the jelly stock cubes and find that only one is enough to make this risotto. We don't tend to follow the recommended stock cubes to water ratio as it can be overly salty.
• Use The Best Ingredients Possible This goes for EVERY recipe of ours. Use the highest quality ingredients possible because it makes such a difference in flavour and the end result. More is less in our opinion, we'd rather have one beautiful bowl of tasty food than two bowls of something average tasting. Luckily this squash risotto is a cost effective way to feed a family and have seconds!