Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto

 My favorite season is here and I'm excited to start cooking comfort food. This rich healthy dish will warm you from the inside out. I love the nuttiness of roasted butternut squash and when paired with sage the flavors pop and really compliment each other, perfect on a cozy fall evening. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice

1 yellow onion chopped

2 cups of cubed butternut squash

2 Tablespoons of chopped garlic

1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh sage

1 bunch of asparagus, chopped

2 cups of white wine

4 cups of vegetable broth 

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper lay out your cubed butternut squash and dry roast it in the oven at 425º until soft and starting to get golden brown. Take the butternut squash out of the oven and set aside. Next in a large saucepan on medium high heat add olive oil and the chopped onion let this cook until the onion is caramelized. At this point add the dry Arborio rice and lightly toast the rice in the sauce pan stirring constantly. When the rice is lightly toasted turn down the heat to medium and add 1 cup of white wine to deglaze the pan, stir the rice mixture constantly until all the liquid is absorbed. 

Next add the chopped garlic and sage along with another cup of white wine. When you add liquid to the Arborio rice you have to stir constantly until all the liquid is absorbed, this will be an arm workout but well worth it. Next add the dry roasted butternut squash and 1 cup of vegetable broth. Stir and repeat adding the vegetable broth cup by cup 3 more times. At the end add the chopped bunch of asparagus and stir in. At this point your mixture should be thick and creamy and your rice should be fully cooked. If your rice isn't cooked all the way through add another cup of vegetable broth and repeat the process of stirring until the liquid is absorbed. The rice should be completely done at this time. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve. 

Enjoy and remember to always be mindful and eat with compassion!