Creamy pumpkin risotto: Italian recipe

When it gets cold outside, there’s nothing better than warming up with creamy pumpkin risotto! Tasty, warm, creamy… pumpkin risotto is a simple recipe that you can cook on many occasions during the autumn and winter season.
You can prepare creamy pumpkin risotto using the type of pumpkin you prefer: in Italy we often use Mantuan pumpkin or delica, but a good alternative is also butternut squash. For a perfect result of the pumpkin risotto I recommend using an Italian Carnaroli or Arborio rice; if you can’t find it, you can use a specific rice for risotto. To make the pumpkin risotto creamy and tasty, you need to add butter and Parmesan cheese at the end of cooking and mix thoroughly (in italian: ‘mantecare’).

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Video recipe of the day

  • DifficultyVery easy
  • CostVery cheap
  • Preparation time10 Minutes
  • Cooking time30 Minutes
  • Serving4 servings
  • Cooking methodStove
  • CuisineItalian

Ingredients for creamy pumpkin risotto (4 servings)

2 cups carnaroli rice (or arborio, or other rice for risotto – about 400 g / 14 oz)
14 ounces pumpkin (peeled & de-seeded weight – 400 g)
1/2 onion
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ounce unsalted butter (30 g)
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese (grated)
3 cups vegetable broth
q.s. salt
q.s. pepper
1 sprig parsley
586,30 Kcal
calories per serving
Info Close
  • Power 586,30 (Kcal)
  • Carbohydrates 89,05 (g) of which sugars 4,32 (g)
  • Proteins 11,17 (g)
  • Fat 20,58 (g) of which saturated 7,42 (g)of which unsaturated 3,39 (g)
  • Fibers 1,99 (g)
  • Sodium 667,34 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 300 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Tools

1 Chopping Board
1 Knife
1 Pot whit lid

How to prepare creamy pumpkin risotto

To prepare the creamy pumpkin risotto, start by cleaning the pumpkin: remove the seeds; with a sharp knife and very carefully cut off the peel. Cut it into cubes; finely chop the onion and place it in a large pan with the oil. Turn the flame to low intensity.

Let the onion sauté lightly, then add the pumpkin, salt, pepper and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add half a cup of hot broth.

cook the pumpkin for creamy risotto

Cover with a lid and let the pumpkin cook over medium heat for about ten minutes. When the pumpkin is tender and begins to flake remove the lid and let the cooking juices reduce, then add the rice.

add arborio or carnaroli rice to the pumpkin


Let it toast for a couple of minutes. Then raise the heat and deglaze with a little broth.

add broth and deglaze pumpkin risotto

Cook the pumpkin risotto for about 15 minutes, stirring often and adding more hot broth when the one previously added has been absorbed.When the rice is cooked, to make it creamy, you need to “mantecare” it (this is the term we use in Italian, for which I cannot find the right equivalent in English).

“Mantecare” the risotto means adding butter and Parmesan cheese at the end of cooking, stirring thoroughly until they are mixed with the rice. This is the secret to having a creamy pumpkin risotto.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter into small pieces. Stir the pumpkin risotto for about a minute, then add the Parmesan cheese as well. Mix it with the rice, stirring vigorously for about a minute.

add butter for mantecare the creamy pumpkin risotto

When it has absorbed the Parmesan well, add the chopped parsley. Serve the creamy pumpkin risotto immediately.

the creamy pumpkin risotto is ready to serve

Qui trovi la versione italiana della ricetta Puoi trovare la versione italiana della ricetta qui!

Tips and variation

This is a basic version of creamy pumpkin risotto, but this recipe can be enriched in many different ways: for example, you can add a chopped sausage or a few slices of bacon to be cooked separately until it is crispy and to be added on top of the risotto.

Don’t forget to check out the video recipe as well! Follow me on Youtube!

If you want to try other authentic Italian recipes look here!

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