This Baked Pumpkin Risotto is an accidental discovery and unlike other baked risottos, it is creamy rather than sticky and starchy. The secret is the pumpkin which is baked with the risotto, then when stirred it becomes a puree, effectively becoming the sauce for the risotto. And it’s only 360 calories per serving!
I am yet to meet a person that doesn’t love risotto. And I really would make it more often if I didn’t have to stand over a hot stove stirring and adding stock bit by bit for 40 minutes. It’s not hard. It’s just time consuming!
When I first came across a baked risotto a decade or so ago, I was dubious. “Ew”, I thought. “It’ll be mushy and gluggy. And horribly sticky I bet.” But curiosity got the better of me so I gave it a go – a chicken, bacon and pea baked risotto. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was edible but I was right, it was quite sticky rather than smooth and creamy. Light years away from the “proper” risotto.
I wouldn’t have spared another thought for it if I hadn’t been experimenting one day with a rice soup that had pumpkin in it (amongst other things). I left it on the stove too long and when I rushed back to it, pretty much all the liquid had been absorbed and it was “risotto” like (though I wasn’t using arborio rice, just normal rice). I stirred it forlornly, sighing and thinking that I’d have to eat that sad mess or make do with instant noodles. As I was stirring it, the pumpkin literally fell apart and blended into what was left off the liquid, turning it a bright cheery orange.
Unfortunately that night I did end up making instant noodles as the bottom of the rice was horribly burnt and stuck to the base of the pot. But it was the catalyst for the idea of trying a baked risotto using pumpkin.
The reason this baked risotto is so different from others is because of the pumpkin. By cutting it into bite size pieces and cooking it in the oven with the rice, it becomes so soft that when you stir the risotto, it literally disintegrates and becomes a puree, blending into the risotto.
Having the pumpkin “puree” in the risotto disguises the stickiness that you otherwise get from the liquid in baked risottos. You can’t achieve this same effect by using pumpkin soup (I tried it once, it was terrible), you need to use fresh pumpkin, cook it with the risotto and stir it in at the end.
The risotto rice is still on the soft side. You won’t be able to achieve the perfect al dente rice that you get in restaurant quality risottos when you use the baking method. However, if you bake it for the correct length of time, the rice will not be overcooked to the point of mushy. I’ve provided fairly detailed notes on how long to bake it for, and how to tell it is ready to come out of the oven. The baking time is impacted by the accuracy of your oven heat, as well as what you are cooking the rice in. For example, a heavy cast iron pot retains much more heat than a lightweight pot so it will cook faster.
I used sage in this, because pumpkin and sage are great mates. But the flavour is very subtle and you can substitute it with parsley, oregano or thyme, or just omit it.
This really is a great midweek meal, it honestly only takes 15 minutes to prepare before popping into the oven. Sometimes I add chicken and spinach into it to make it a more complete meal (I’ve included directions for this in the recipe). And can you believe it’s only 360 calories per serving?? The secret is the pumpkin – it adds volume with far less calories compared to using more rice so there’s only 1 1/2 cups of rice and it will serve 6 people.
A great idea for leftovers is making Arancini Balls – they freeze great too!
I’d love to hear if you give this a go! You can contact me here or leave a comment below!
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice (risotto rice)
- 1 brown onion , diced
- 600 g / 20 oz pumpkin , diced into 1.5cm/0.5" cubes (about 4 heaped cups)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional - but see notes)
- 3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock/broth
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 12 sage leaves (see notes)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Grated parmesan
- Finely chopped parsley
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Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
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Heat olive oil in ovenproof pot (preferably with a lid) over medium high heat.
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Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is translucent.
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Add sage leaves and cook for 1 minute.
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Add rice and stir so all the rice grains are coated with the olive oil.
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Add white wine and cook until the the liquid evaporates - about 1 minute.
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Add pumpkin and stock, and bring to boil.
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Put lid on (or cover tightly with foil) and place in oven for 25 to 35 minutes. See notes for baking time.
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Check it at 20 minutes. The risotto is ready to come out of the oven when the rice is cooked - ideally, the rice should be a bit firm on the inside (ie. al dente), but it is very difficult to achieve that using the baking method, more likely it will be on the soft side. The rice should be very wet like porridge, not dry like a pilaff. Don't worry if there is excess liquid, it will evaporate in the next step when you stir it.
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Add butter and parmesan cheese. Add more if you want - the more you add, the creamier the risotto will be.
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Gently stir the risotto so that the pumpkin turns into a puree and blends into the risotto. If it's too thick then add a splash of boiled water (it means it was left in the oven for a bit too long).
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Add salt and pepper to taste. (see notes)
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Serve, garnished with parsley and extra parmesan if desired.
1. Sage goes very well with pumpkin, but it is a very subtle flavour in this dish so don't worry if you don't have it. If you have parsley, thyme or oregano, these will be a good substitute.
2. It is important to remember to season at the very end and not at the beginning as you never really know how strong the salt from the stock/broth is once absorbed into the rice.
3. Even though there is only 1 1/2 cups of rice, this makes a lot (because of the 3 cups of pumpkin). It will feed 4 hungry people or 6 normal servings.
4. Turn this into a complete meal by adding chicken and spinach (shredded). Add the chicken when the onion is translucent and cook until white. Then follow the directions of the recipe. When you stir the butter and parmesan into the cooked risotto, add the spinach as well - you can add as much spinach as you want, but 3 packed cups is ideal. The residual heat from the risotto will wilt it quickly. You may need to add a splash of water to loosen it up a bit.
5. In my household there is inevitably an open bottle of white wine somewhere in the fridge at all times. But for those that don't, a great tip is to freeze leftover white wine in little ziplock bags. Perfect for cooking with!
6. Baking time - if you are using a heavy cast iron casserole pot with a lid, then it will be closer to 20 - 25 minutes because it retains heat so well. If you are using a lighter weight pot covered with foil, then it will take closer to 35 to 40 minutes.
7. Wine is optional. If you don't use wine then you will need to add 1/4 cup of water or stock.
8. Veganise it by omitting the parmesan (check the salt level by taste) and using vegetable rather than chicken stock.
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What is a brown onion? Can I substitute a yellow onion?
That’s totally fine! 🙂 N x
Thanks for this yummy recipe. Substituted rice with bulgur. Worked well.
That’s so great to hear George! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this, thank you for letting me know! N x
Great recipe! Totally masked by the pumpkin!!
Delicious! Made this tonight on my stovetop using my Dutch oven. So quick, easy and tasty! I added chicken and next time I will also add bacon. The rest of the family loved it too. Can’t wait to turn the leftovers into Arancini Balls! Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed this Tania!!! Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback! N x
Oh, this was lovely! I used my multicooker/Rice cooker on the risotto setting. It was done within 20 minutes and was yummy! I added bacon strips for An extra flavour boost. Next time i will try to roast the pimpkin first as someone suggesties earlier. Thanks for this recipe!
LOVE HEARING THAT Nienke! N x ❤️
Thanks for this recipe….and many others! I’m not a huge fan of risotto but my son is a fan so cook it from time to time. This was very easy and super tasty. It was done at 20 minutes or so and I grilled prosciutto until crispy for the top.
Oh I roasted the pumpkin first for extra flavour
I just found this recipe after several years so I could re-print it because I had lost my copy. This is a favourite within my family but it has progressed somewhat from the original. Firstly I make it in the pressure cooker. It its important to prepare everything without the rice and bring to boil and then sprinkle the rice over the top AND DON’T STIR IT. Turn to half heat when it reaches pressure and set the timer for 7 MINUTES ONLY. I also swapped oregano for sage (easier to get for me) and add a cup of frozen peas while preparing and a tablespoon of curry powder after browning the onion. I use medium grain Sunrice because that seems to cook best in the pressure cooker. I can’t wait to try it in Arancini Balls now that I’ve seen that suggestion.
Love hearing how you make this with the press cooker Jenny! N x
Hi there,
Do you think i could add precooked diced pumpkin?
Hi Jess – yep, that should be fine!
I baked this for 20 minutes in a cast iron dutch oven. The rice is just right, but the pumpkin is still hard. It doesn’t say to precook the pumpkin prior to adding it to the recipe. What did I do wrong?
Hi Nancy! 20 minutes is the check time, it will need 25 – 35 minutes 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi,
Just wanted to tell you how much I love this recipe! I make the chicken and spinach version at least once every three weeks and would make it more often except I would burn my husband out. My thoughts: wine is not necessary however celery is a must!
I have 18 month twins and this is their favourite dinner. The recipe makes so much that there is always plent to freeze for their tea. The whole family says ‘Nom’!
Thanks so much Fiona!! I’m so delighted to hear that your whole family enjoys this recipe – especially your 18 month twins! They already have great taste 😉
I admit, I really don’t like sage, so I made this with my own blend of herbes de provence… I also misread the amount of pumpkin to use and used only about half the amount (2 generous cups )of cubed pumpkin, but OTHERWISE, followed to the letter (ok ok ok, used apple cider instead of wine, please stop yelling at me–)
This is delicious and the texture is outstanding! Definitely added to the roster! Thank you!
I don’t yell for adapting recipes! 😉 I’m the queen of adapting!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this, isn’t it amazingly easy? Thank you for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed it!!
I’ve never really had pumpkin in this form but it does look like it is worth a try.
How will the recipe change if I wanted to use pumpkin purée instead of diced pumpkin? Would that ruin the recipe?
Hi Jessica! Unfortunately I haven’t made this with pumpkin puree so I don’t know whether it will be too soggy. Sorry! I will update the recipe if I try it with puree!
I made this tonight with chicken, spinach and the pumpkin puree and it turned out just fine! I used one 15oz can an decreased the chicken stock to 3 cups. After 20 min it was getting pretty dry and the rice was al dente so next time I think I’d still add the 3 1/2 cups of chicken stock. One note though, I live at high altitude so I know that had an effect. At sea level I would still recommend trying it with only 3 cups and at the end adding 1/4 cup stock at a time until you get a creamy consistency. Another suggestion I would add is to salt and pepper the chicken when cooking it with the onion and garlic at the beginning. It needed a little flavor boost but otherwise super tasty! Will make again!
Hi Melissa! Thanks so much for your tips about the altitude and affect on liquid absorption! I’m really glad you enjoyed it 🙂 It’s pumpkin season, I must make this again!!! N x
Hi, made a variation of your risotto with brown rice, baked it for about an hour. Turned out great!
Oh wow! I’m so glad it worked with brown rice because I’ve never tried it! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hi Nagi
Me again… THIS is dinner tomorrow.. It takes me half a say to chop up a pumpkin these says since I have RA/OA…
Looking forward to it… Although dinner prep started life as your chicken lemon risotto… Its morphed
2 questions…
1. Ive recently discovered USA and UK have different cup measures so it it possible you coil add fluid ozs/litre measures? As I’m not sure..
2. Ive looked up Panko and can see its a softer breadcrumb. The only ones I can get are hard orange coloured stuff in a box that doesn’t resemble bread… Im going to try chopping up fresh bread to see if I can make some…. Arancini balls if I can….
If u ever get up near Liverpool come and stay
Hi Heather! Liverpool is fab, I was there briefly for work once 🙂 Regarding measurements, you can just use UK cups, tsp etc for all my recipes except where I specifically provide different measurements for different countries. ie. The difference is not big enough to make a difference to the recipe. But for baking, it IS important. So I always provide measurements for different countries – believe it or not!
Normal breadrumbs is FINE for arancini! In fact, that’s how it is traditionally made. I just make it with panko to get extra crunch! A great way to make homemade breadcrumbs that are even better than panko is to let a chunk of bread dry (anything – baguette, sourdough) and then grate it with a cheese grater. FAB to use as pangrittata as well! 🙂
Hope you love this! N x
Hey Nagi
Thanks for the advise Re measures
Looking forward to this… Friday
I thought I may bake some pumpkin pieces and stir them in at the end.
That’s a really great idea! Just be aware that adding a baking tray into the oven will cause the overall temp to drop so it will take longer to bake 🙂
that is a seriously delicious looking risotto.. and so creamy! love that it’s baked too (means i can be extra lazy when cooking dinner). another awesome recipe nagi!
Thanks Thalia! Yes, it is really creamy – with no cream! 🙂