Don’t worry too much if you can’t find fresh sage. You can substitute with dried sage, but skip the frying part and simply add it to the risotto when you first pour in the stock.
You’ll know the risotto is ready when it slides off a spoon smoothly. The trick with our recipe is to cook the rice until it still has a slight ‘bite’ before throwing in the final ingredients.
Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds and dice the flesh into small bite-sized pieces (you can roast the seeds separately for a tasty snack). Transfer to a baking tray, drizzle with a splash of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roughly chop the sage leaves and add half to the butternut squash, then use your hands to mix everything together. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes or until the squash just begins to char around the edges.
Add a splash of oil to a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the remaining chopped sage leaves and fry for 3 minutes or until crispy. Remove the sage and transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil.
Peel and dice the onion, then transfer to the saucepan and fry for 6 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent, but not brown. Stir occasionally and add a splash more olive oil if necessary.
Meanwhile prepare the vegetable stock in a separate saucepan, bring it to a boil, then leave it on a very low heat so it remains warm while you cook the risotto.
Peel and dice the garlic, and transfer to the saucepan with the onion. Fry for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Next add the rice and fry for a minute to lightly toast, stirring occasionally.
Add the wine, give everything a good stir and leave to simmer for a couple of minutes until most of the wine has evaporated.
Start adding the vegetable stock a ladle at a time, waiting until most of the stock has been absorbed before adding another ladle. Repeat this process for 20-30 minutes, until most of the stock has been added to the risotto and there’s a slight ‘bite’ to the rice.
When the risotto is almost ready, add the nutritional yeast, juice from half the lemon and the spinach. Give everything a good stir and cook for a minute or until the spinach has wilted. The rice should be creamy and sticky, but not clumpy. If it feels too clumpy, add a splash of remaining vegetable stock.
Take the risotto off the heat, add the butternut squash and give the risotto another final stir.
Serve in bowls and top with a sprinkling of remaining fried sage leaves and a small handful of rocket.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Hey Kim. Good question. You need to be careful when storing cooked rice because bacteria can build up. So if you’re thinking of storing this for meal prep, we’d recommend freezing it as soon as it has cooled down (don’t leave it longer than an hour), then when you reheat the meal make sure it’s steaming hot. It’s best not to leave cooked rice in the fridge for more than a day. Hope that helps!
This was the first of your recipes that I tried and was very impressed. The risotto was much more time intensive then I realized it would be but well worth it. Flavors and textures were delicious. Thank you! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Hi Roxy &Ben, I love all of your recipes, going to try the Risotto and butternut squash today. I’m excited about preparing and eating it! Have a Blgessed day
1 butternut squash
7 Comments
Could you freeze this for like meal prep?
Hey Kim. Good question. You need to be careful when storing cooked rice because bacteria can build up. So if you’re thinking of storing this for meal prep, we’d recommend freezing it as soon as it has cooled down (don’t leave it longer than an hour), then when you reheat the meal make sure it’s steaming hot. It’s best not to leave cooked rice in the fridge for more than a day. Hope that helps!
Do you have any nutritional info for this recipe? Such as calories, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals etc
Hi Lynda, unfortunately not. There are nutritional calculators online if you are looking to do it yourself. Best, Roxy
This was the first of your recipes that I tried and was very impressed. The risotto was much more time intensive then I realized it would be but well worth it. Flavors and textures were delicious. Thank you! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
What is rocket?
Hi Roxy &Ben, I love all of your recipes, going to try the Risotto and butternut squash today. I’m excited about preparing and eating it! Have a Blgessed day