Creamy squash risotto

Creamy squash risotto with Hokkaido squash, risotto rice, garlic, onion and hard cheese – savoury and easy for every day, with just a little olive oil and a hint of nutmeg.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 15 min
• Cooking time: 35 min
• Total time: 50 min
• Calories: 380 kcal per serving
• Protein: 10 g
• Fat: 5 g
• Carbs: 75 g

Ingredients

• 800ml hot vegetable stock
• 1 garlic clove
• 400g Hokkaido squash
• 1 small onion
• 200g risotto rice
• 2 tbsp freshly grated vegetarian hard cheese (Parmesan-style)
• Salt
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Pepper

Method

You’ll need: chopping board · knife · grater

1. Cook the squash until soft, then mash it into a fine purée. That's what makes the risotto especially creamy later on.
2. Finely chop the onion and garlic and cook gently in the olive oil until soft and translucent. They should soften but not colour.
3. Add the risotto rice and toast briefly until the grains look slightly translucent at the edges. That gives the rice a nice texture.
4. Add the hot vegetable stock a little at a time, stirring regularly. Only add more stock once the previous lot has almost been absorbed.
5. When the rice is creamy but still has a little bite, fold in the squash purée and the hard cheese. Season to taste with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg.
6. Serve hot, finished with a little extra hard cheese if you like.

Good to know

A risotto like this feels like slowing down. Creamy, soft and still with a little bite. The squash makes it mild and rounded without feeling heavy.

Swaps

1 tsp olive oil → 1 tsp ghee (more heat-stable for softening the onion) 2 tbsp hard cheese → 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (plant-based, provides B vitamins) 200 g risotto rice → 200 g wholegrain risotto rice (more fibre) 800 ml vegetable stock → 800 ml vegetable stock with as little salt as possible and no sugar on the ingredient list (less sodium, a truer flavour)

Allergens

Contains milk (hard cheese); check the vegetable stock for celery. If you have a sensitive stomach, you may prefer to go easy on onion and garlic. The mild squash base usually suits children well, and the ingredients are fine in pregnancy with normal kitchen hygiene.

Frequently asked questions

What's in Hokkaido squash, nutritionally?

Hokkaido squash provides beta-carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A, as well as fibre and some potassium. The skin is edible if it's washed well.

Is the garlic in a risotto like this just for flavour, or does it matter nutritionally too?

Both. Garlic contains sulphur compounds such as allicin precursors, and chopping and heating affect how much of them there is and how stable they are.

Why does hard cheese fit well from a nutritional point of view too?

Hard cheese brings concentrated calcium, phosphorus and protein. Thanks to the long ripening, its lactose content is usually very low.

Can onion and garlic be a problem if your digestion is sensitive?

They contain fructans, fermentable carbohydrates that can cause wind or a feeling of fullness in some people. If you're sensitive to them, use a little less.

Does nutmeg make a noticeable nutritional contribution?

In small kitchen amounts, nutmeg mainly adds flavour; its nutritional contribution is small. Larger amounts aren't a good idea, so a fine pinch is plenty.