Baked Risotto With Winter Squash
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ½pound winter squash
- 1pound Carnaroli or Arborio rice
- 4tablespoons butter, plus 2 tablespoons for greasing dish
- 1medium onion, diced, about 1 cup
- 1medium leek, white and tender green part, diced, about 1 cup
- Pinch of saffron (optional)
- Salt and pepper
- 3cups squash broth (see note) or chicken broth, hot
- 8ounces Gruyère or Fontina, grated, about 2 loosely packed cups
- 1cup fresh ricotta
- 4ounces Parmesan, grated, about ¾ cup
- 2teaspoons lemon zest
- 1cup coarse dry bread crumbs
- 3tablespoons chopped parsley
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
609 calories; 27 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 67 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 699 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Peel squash and cut into very thin slices, 1/16-inch thick. Then cut slices into flat 2-inch squares. (Reserve the scraps, including peels, to make squash stock if desired.)
- Step 2
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rice and let simmer for 8 minutes so it is parcooked, with the grains still hard in the center. Drain rice in a colander, rinse with cold water, then spread on a baking sheet to cool. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Step 3
In a Dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add leek and saffron, if using, and stir to coat. When leek is softened but still green, after 2 minutes, add squash, stir to coat and turn off heat. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Step 4
Add parcooked rice, hot broth, Gruyère, ricotta, Parmesan and lemon zest, mixing gently with a wooden spoon. Pour rice mixture into a buttered 3-quart baking dish.
- Step 5
Sprinkle top with bread crumbs, pressing down to smooth surface. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Tent with foil if necessary. Garnish with parsley just before serving.
- To make squash broth, combine 2 cups chopped winter squash or squash scraps, ½ sliced small onion, 2 sliced garlic cloves, ½ bay leaf and a thyme sprig. Cover with 6 cups water, simmer for 20 minutes and strain.
Private Notes
Comments
The comments here are instructive as to why we should be measuring in grams. This dish was wonderful. I used 1 cup of Arborio rice (1/2 lb) and cut most of the ingredients in half except for the squash (delicata) and the saffron. I used turkey stock. It turned out delicious, with a sofrito-like crust. I mixed the ingredients in the pan I had fried the onions in and then placed it in the oven, baked for 20 minutes, and then covered the dish and turned off the oven as I finished preparing dinner.
After reading the comments I did a few things to try to bring more flavor. I went non-vegetarian and added 1/4 pound cubed prosciutto and used chicken stock. I caramelized the onions and leeks and oven roasted the squash. It turned out fantastic and I would definitely make it again. plus it makes a full casserole dish so lots of leftovers for a busy work week. Next time I would add the breadcrumbs after it bakes for awhile so they don't get sopping wet at the beginning.
I'm with the roughly half of commenters who think this is a bomb. I made some substitutes that didn't work (gluten free cornbread stuff is NOT "good enough" close to breadcrumbs, Funder), but even if I'd followed directions perfectly, it would still be bland and a bit of a disgrace to arborio rice. It shouldn't be called a risotto - and really, NYT Cooking staff, fix that ridiculous "1 pound rice" before some newbie makes a terrible mistake.
Roasted 1 lb.cubed squash first for 40 min w/ olive oil, salt & pepper. Doubled onion amount, added 1/2 c. white wine before broth. Skipped Gruyère/fontina. Plenty rich without it. Skipped breadcrumbs, topped with additional Parmesan and chopped parsley.
My review is based on the preparation and not the outcome. This recipe caught my eye because it *looked like* a straightforward low fuss recipe with great flavours. I was making it for a friend who’s going through it at the moment so an easy one dish meal is always welcome. I hope the end results are good as I’m not going to be sampling it. But good lord how many vessels and pots and Dutch ovens and baking trays do you need to make this. It needs to be streamlined and I’m sure it could be! I did look at other reviews and increase the vegetal ingredients as well as pre roast the squash.
The one pound here is absolutely correct — it serves 8 people and look how much cheese it has! At one cup this would be drowning in cheese. To make this a tad healthier we doubled the squash and used 2/3 the cheese. We did pre roast the squash as well though we cut it very thin with a mandolin so perhaps it would have cooks EXTREMELY flavorful and cook. We used a flavorful broth and seasoned throughout with salt and pepper. Truly delish
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