Rice & Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 2 pounds butternut squash ⓘ
- 1 cup onion cut in 1-inch chunks ⓘ
- 1 cup carrot cut in 1-inch chunks ⓘ
- 1 cup celery cut in 1-inch chunks ⓘ
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ⓘ
- 2 tablespoons butter ⓘ
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 5 cups hot water or light stock, plus more if needed ⓘ
- 2 cups Italian short-grain rice, such as Arborio, Carnaroli, or Vialone Nano ⓘ
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut in pieces ⓘ
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for passing
Instructions
- Trim, peel, and remove seeds from the squash.
- Cut it into 1/2-inch cubes.
- Using a food processor, mince the onion, carrot, and celery chunks to a fine-textured paste (pestata).
- Put the olive oil and butter in the saucepan and set over medium heat.
- When the butter is melted, scrape in the pestata and season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
- Cook the pestata for about 5 minutes, stirring it around the bottom of the pan, until it has dried out and just begins to stick.
- Pour in the hot water or stock, and bring to a boil.
- Drop in the squash, then all the rice, stirring, and remaining salt.
- Return the liquid to the boil, cover the pan, and reduce the heat to keep the riso bubbling gently.
- Cook for about 14 minutes, until the rice and the squash are cooked and creamy (see box, page 41).
- Turn off the heat, drop in the butter pieces, and stir vigorously until thoroughly amalgamated.
- Stir in the 1/2 cup of grated cheese, spoon the riso into warm pasta bowls, and serve immediately, passing additional grated cheese at the table.
Nutrition & Diet Analysis (per serving)
706
kcal
35% DV
Protein
Fat
Carbs
Diet fit
High-fiber
Contains
Milk
Estimated from ingredients & per-serving nutrition — verify against package labels for allergies or strict diets.
* % Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet (FDA 2020).
Nutrition is estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data and may vary with brand, portion and preparation — see our methodology. This information is for general educational purposes only and is not medical or dietary advice (disclaimer).