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    Home » Recipes

    Golden Butternut & Crispy Sage Risotto

    Published: Sep 28, 2017 · Modified: Oct 17, 2021 by Louise-Claire Cayzer · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Butternut Squash and Crispy Sage Risotto was originally only going to be made so I could make arancini - those crunchy yummy risotto balls with a hidden centre surprise that are perfect for serving at parties. The idea was to make something truly amazing for Halloween which is...

    Actually - nope - NO SPOILERS!

    You'll have to wait and read my next post to see what I did with them. They're cutey cute and yum yum yum....

    Three plates of butternut squash risotto with crispy sage on top this recipe
    Jump to:
    • 🎃Ingredients
    • 👩🏽‍🍳How To
    • ❓FAQs
    • 🍴Other recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🎃Ingredients

    This warming golden risotto has simple but incredible ingredients that give warming colours and Autumnal / Fall flavours. The main ingredients are:

    Butternut Squash - this has a beautiful colour, and is a lovely grounding vegetable; essential when it starts getting colder. My least favourite job is cutting it up. I've found having a great Chef's knife is essential for doing this easily and safely.

    Garlic - the butternut squash is roasted with a hint of chilli powder and whole cloves of garlic, which then get squished out of their papery skins and mixed into the risotto to further enrich the flavour.

    Mild chilli powder - this is optional to enhance the flavour.

    Arborio rice - this is risotto rice; a special kind of rice that's different to other varieties and gives risotto that special texture.

    Tumeric and Saffron - this butternut squash risotto has both turmeric & saffron added to it, which might seem like overkill, but it was all part of the plan for the next recipe. The combination of the two is not only beautiful, it somehow makes the flavours even more joyful.

    Vegan white wine - not all wine is vegan, believe it or not. Many wines have better labelling now, but do check. We love Proudly Vegan white wine. White wine just enhances the flavour but it's optional.

    Nutritional yeast - this adds a yummy cheesy umami (or savoury) flavour that would normally be given by the addition of Parmesan. Nutritional yeast, or Nooch as it's sometimes called, is an essential vegan product and now widely available.

    White miso - this also adds to that umami flavour and is also great for gut health! You can add to soups and stews, or just spread some miso on your toast.

    Veggie stock - this adds a great flavour to the liquid for this butternut squash risotto. The Marigold stock is great. I also love stock made by Nine Meals from Anarchy; made with real vegetables and they even do an umami-flavoured stock (so it tastes super savoury).

    Fresh sage - the final touch! Crispy fried sage leaves. Yum! Their savoury notes and crispy shards are the perfect counterpoint to this luxurious & comforting risotto.

    butternut squash risotto in a bowl

    👩🏽‍🍳How To

    You may be a risotto novice, but this is actually a really simple recipe. In summary, what you do is:

    👩🏽‍🍳 Prepare the squash by cutting it into cubes and roasting with the whole garlic. I really advise getting a great Chef's knife for this. This is the one I use and swear by.

    👩🏽‍🍳 Get your stock ready in a saucepan. Add the saffron to the stock which will release its lovely golden colour and fragrance.

    👩🏽‍🍳 In a separate saucepan sautee the onions with some olive oil.

    👩🏽‍🍳 Add in the rice and coat it in the oil, then add the wine, which the rice will absorb.

    👩🏽‍🍳 Stir in a ladle of stock and stir until absorbs. Keep stirring and ladling stock until the rice is soft with a slight bight. This should take around 40 minutes. Then stir in the turmeric.

    👩🏽‍🍳 Remove the butternut squash from the oven, it should now be soft with caramelised edges. Carefully pop all the now gloriously squishy garlic out of their papery case. Give the garlic a good smoosh and mix thoroughly into the risotto, and add the nutritional yeast and miso.

    👩🏽‍🍳Carefully fry the sage leaves in a little oil until they're crisped up. These will sit on your plated up risotto, along with the roasted butternut squash.

    Here's how to do it all in easy to follow images!

    • ingredients for the risotto laid out
      Get all your ingredients ready
    • butternut squash on a baking tray with whole cloves of garlic
      Tip the squash & garlic cloves into a large baking tin. Drizzle with the olive oil & sprinkle over the chilli powder and salt.
    • Put the stock into a saucepan and keep warm on a low flame/heat. Add the saffron to the stock
    • getting the saucepan ready with onions and herbs
      Add the chopped onions to a separate large saucepan with the olive oil
    • sauteeing onion and herbs in a saucepan
      Gently sautee on a low heat until translucent
    • adding dry arborio rice to the risotto
      Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil
    • adding white wine to the arborio rice
      Add the white wine to the pan and stir until it absorbs into the rice
    • ladling stock to the risotto
      Stir in a ladle of stock and stir until absorbs
    • checking the risotto is cooked
      Keep stirring and ladling stock until the rice is soft with a slight bight. This should take around 40 minutes.
    • stirring the butternut squash risotto
      Stir in the turmeric, which will create a gorgeous bright yellow colour
    • adding nutritional yeast to the risotto
      Add the nutritional yeast
    • adding miso to the risotto
      Add the miso
    • frying sage leaves in a pan
      Fry the sage in some oil until it's nice and crispy
    • popping garlic cloves out of their skin
      Remove the squash from the oven. Pop the garlic out their skins and stir into the risotto
    • serving up the risotto
      Pile the risotto onto a plate, scattering over the butternut squash cubes. Arrange the crispy sage leaves over and serve proudly!

    ❓FAQs

    Can I use this to make arancini balls?

    I'm so glad you asked! Absolutely - I even have a whole post and recipe dedicated to this using this very recipe. I like to make a double batch of risotto if I know I'm going to make arancini, which means we can eat something yummy the night before they're needed. If you chill the rice quickly by laying it out flat to cool & getting it into the fridge quickly, it stays safe to re-heat the next day.

    Can I freeze the risotto?

    Yes, it freezes really well. Just put it in an airtight container. I often make double and freeze some.

    Can this be made ahead of time?

    Yes, but it tastes best made fresh. I still store leftovers in the fridge and heat it up the next day. Make sure you let it cool down properly before storing away; best thing is to lay the risotto out and it will cool quickly.

    Is this recipe gluten-free?

    Yes, it's gluten-free. Rice doesn't contain gluten and nor do the other ingredients. Always check your labels though!

    butternut squash risotto with crispy sage on a plate

    🍴Other recipes

    Why not try some of our other warming and delicious recipes:

    Wild Garlic Pesto & Pea Risotto

    Soothing Butternut Squash and White Bean Soup

    Jack O' Lantern Butternut Squash Risotto Balls

    Harissa Roasted Squash, Sweet Potato & Onions

    Vegan Spiced Butternut Squash Empanadas

    Love Louise x

    📖 Recipe

    butternut squash risotto with crispy sage on a plate

    Golden Butternut & Crispy Sage Risotto

    A gorgeously golden vegan risotto coloured with saffron & turmeric, finished with roasted butternut squash & crispy sage.
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    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: butternut squash, risotto
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 50 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 555kcal
    Author: Louise-Claire Cayzer

    Equipment

    • Large Saucepan
    • Ladle
    • Baking Tray
    • Chef's knife
    • Frying Pan

    Ingredients

    For the Butternut Squash

    • 1 Medium Butternut Squash (peeled & cubed)
    • 6-8 cloves garlic (keep whole)
    • 1 tbps olive oil
    • ¼ teaspoon mild chilli powder (or to taste)
    • pinch salt

    For the Risotto

    • 400 g Arborio rice
    • 1 medium white onion (finely diced)
    • 120 ml white wine (optional but nice! add a bit extra stock if not using)
    • 500 ml veggie stock (or use hot water with a good stock cube or boullion powder)
    • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
    • pinch saffron
    • 2 teaspoon white miso
    • 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

    For the Crispy Sage

    • 12-16 leaves fresh sage
    • 1 teaspoon olive oil

    Instructions

    For the Butternut Squash

    • Preheat the oven whilst chopping the squash to 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.
    • Tip the squash & garlic cloves into a large baking tin. Drizzle with the olive oil & sprinkle over the chilli powder and salt.
    • Pop into the oven and get on with the risotto.

    For the Risotto

    • Put the stock into a saucepan and keep warm on a low flame/heat. Add the saffron to the stock which will release its lovely golden colour and fragrance.
    • Add the chopped onions to a separate large saucepan with the olive oil and black pepper, and gently sautee on a low heat until translucent.
    • Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil.
    • Add the white wine to the pan and stir until it absorbs into the rice.
    • Now, stir in a ladle of stock and stir until absorbs.
    • Keep stirring and ladling stock until the rice is soft with a slight bight. This should take around 40 minutes. You don't want a chalky centre, but neither do you want a sloppy mess. 
    • Stir in the turmeric, which will create a gorgeous bright yellow colour.
    • Remove the butternut squash from the oven, it should now be soft with caramelised edges. Carefully pop all the now gloriously squishy garlic out of their papery case.
    • Give the garlic a good smoosh and mix thoroughly into the risotto.
    • Add the miso and nutritional yeast, and stir. 
    • Taste & add more miso or nutritional yeast. Add a little salt & pepper to taste. 

    For the Crispy Sage

    • Carefully fry the sage leaves in a little oil until they're crisped up. Pop onto a plate until you need them. 

    To Serve

    • Pile the risotto onto a plate, scattering over the butternut squash cubes. Arrange the crispy sage leaves over and serve proudly!

    Notes

    Do try to get fresh sage leaves for this, they add a lovely savoury herbal edge that's divine. 
    I grow sage outside my back door, it's not only pretty with its silvery leaves almost all year, the bees love it when it blooms in summer!  It's also really easy to grow in a pot on a balcony if you only have a little bit of space. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 555kcal | Carbohydrates: 110g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 626mg | Potassium: 912mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 20238IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 6mg

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kat (The Baking Explorer) says

      October 31, 2017 at 10:04 am

      I really need to try and grow my own sage as I love the smell and taste of it, and it goes so well with squash!

      Reply
      • louise says

        November 02, 2017 at 12:02 pm

        I love having sage in the back garden. I let it flower every year and the bees adore it too!

        Reply

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    I love to cook and share gorgeous vegan food! I'm also a photographer, recipe developer and gardener. Find out more over on my About Me page.

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