Description
Creamy pumpkin risotto with goat cheese brings earthy autumn flavors to your table. Silky arborio rice combines with roasted pumpkin and tangy goat cheese for a comforting Italian-inspired meal you’ll savor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups (300 g / 10.5 oz) arborio rice
- 1 cup (240 g / 8.5 oz) pumpkin puree
- 4 oz (115 g) goat cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup (50 g / 1.75 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 cups (960 ml / 32 fl oz) vegetable broth
- 1 cup (240 ml / 8 fl oz) dry white wine
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsps olive oil or unsalted butter
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp fresh thyme or sage, finely chopped
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- fresh parsley or extra goat cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Broth Preparation: Warm vegetable broth in a saucepan, maintaining a gentle heat for seamless risotto development.
- Aromatic Base: Sauté finely chopped onions and minced garlic in olive oil until translucent, releasing their fragrant essence in a spacious skillet.
- Rice Integration: Introduce Arborio rice, thoroughly coating each grain with oil and allowing a delicate toasting process to enhance nutty undertones.
- Flavor Layering: Deglaze the pan with white wine, creating a rich foundation and enabling liquid absorption by rice kernels.
- Creamy Transformation: Progressively add warm broth in measured ladles, stirring consistently to extract rice’s natural creaminess. Maintain a rhythmic process of liquid addition and absorption until rice achieves a tender, luxurious texture.
- Final Embellishment: Incorporate pumpkin puree with warming spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. Blend in Parmesan and half the goat cheese to create a velvety consistency. Season with salt and pepper to elevate flavor complexity.
- Presentation: Plate the risotto in serving bowls, adorning with remaining goat cheese crumbles, fresh herb sprinkles, and optional toasted nuts for textural intrigue. Serve immediately to preserve optimal temperature and silky smoothness.
Notes
- Master Rice Absorption: Add broth gradually and stir constantly to ensure each grain releases starches, creating that signature creamy risotto texture without becoming mushy.
- Prevent Cheese Clumping: Remove risotto from heat before adding cheeses and fold gently to maintain smooth, even distribution and prevent unwanted cheese clusters.
- Spice Balance Control: Use nutmeg and cinnamon sparingly; these warming spices can quickly overpower the delicate pumpkin and goat cheese flavors if added too generously.
- Temperature Timing: Serve risotto immediately after finishing to preserve its luxurious, silky consistency and prevent the rice from continuing to absorb liquid and becoming sticky or dry.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg