Warm, comforting, silky, and unique, this roasted butternut squash risotto with shrimp is excellent for the cooler autumn months. Its smooth texture will wrap up your senses, whilst the combination of roasted squash and delicately sweet shrimp will be tempting you with every spoonful. Simple and versatile, risotto can also be made in batches and enjoyed throughout the week in a variety of combinations.
TIPS FOR MAKING RISOTTO:
Ok, here is the deal. If you want to make a creamy and perfectly cooked risotto, these tips would help you succeed.
- Use Arborio or Carnaroli rice. These are the best types of rice for making risotto as they have a high concentration of starch.
- Don’t rush! When it comes to risotto, patience and care are key ingredients to success. Add a ladleful of stock at a time. This way, the rice will gradually release its starch, which will give you a creamy, oozy texture.
- Heat up the stock before starting to cook the risotto. This helps shorten the cooking time and will allow the rice to cook more evenly as the cooking temperature will be more consistent.
- Add the butter and parmesan at the very end, once you take the risotto off the heat, stir, cover it with a lid, and let it sit for a couple of minutes before serving.
- I might sound like a broken record here, but I am a true believer in sourcing high-quality ingredients. From the risotto to the wine, parmesan and even butter, everything affects the end flavour. You’d be amazed how your cooking will be elevated and this will be a restaurant-worthy risotto, but served from the comfort of your home.
WHAT CAN YOU SERVE WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO?
If you are batch-making butternut squash risotto or would like to try it with something other than shrimp, here are a few other pairing options:
- Roasted chicken
- Grilled fish
- Mushrooms
- Broccoli
- Roasted pancetta
Butternut Squash Risotto with Shrimp
Yield:
4 servings
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
28 minutes
Additional Time:
40 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour 18 minutes
Warm, comforting, silky, and unique, this roasted butternut squash risotto with shrimp is excellent for the cooler autumn months.
Ingredients
- 250 g arborio or carnaroli rice
- 2 shallots or 1 onion, finely dice
- 2 garlic cloves
- 150 ml dry white wine
- 70 g unsalted butter for the risotto + 30 g for the squash puree
- 80 g finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1.5 litres of chicken or vegetable stock
- 300 g roasted squash, pureed
- 100 g roasted squash, in cubes for decorating
- 12 fresh shrimps, peeled and deveined
- 2 tbsp olive oil for the risotto + 2 tbsp for cooking the shrimp + 1 tbsp for roasting the squash
- fresh thyme, option, for decorating
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
Prepare The Squash Puree
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Peel the squash, carefully halve it lengthways and deseed, then cut it into 2 cm chunks.
- Place the squash in a roasting tray, lined with parchment paper, together with the garlic cloves, toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, some salt and pepper to season, and roast for about 40 minutes or until soft.
- In the meantime, you can prepare the rest of the ingredients for the risotto. Peel and finely chop the onion, peel and devein the fresh shrimp, grate the parmesan, and simmer the stock over low heat.
- When the squash is cooked and nicely caramelized, reserve about 100g of cubes for decorating. Place the remaining squash and the roasted garlic in a blender together with 30 g of butter and blitz until smooth. If needed, you can add a little bit of stock in order to obtain that smooth consistency. Set aside until ready to use.
FOR THE RISOTTO
- Place a medium-sized pan over medium heat, together with 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Throw in the onion and cook for about 8 minutes, until soft, but not coloured, stirring often. Add the risotto and toast, coating the rice grains with the oil, butter and onions mix. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the wine, stir, and allow the alcohol to evaporate for 1 or 2 minutes. Add a ladleful of stock and wait until it's been absorbed, then continue adding a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly until the rice is cooked, but still al dente. This will take about 16 minutes,
- With 6 minutes to go on the risotto, heat a pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and cook the shrimp for 2 - 3 minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper then set aside.
- When the risotto is cooked, take it off the heat, add the butter, parmesan cheese and squash puree, season with salt and pepper, stir to combine, then cover and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Serve hot, decorated with squash cubes, shrimp, some thyme leaves and extra parmesan. Enjoy!
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