Fall is approaching! Well for my American readers anyway… and I know how much you guys love to eat pumpkin in the fall! If you’re on the hunt for an easy and delicious pumpkiny weeknight dinner idea this is it. This rich, creamy pumpkin and bacon risotto will be popular with the entire family. A nice hearty risotto is the perfect comfort food in my opinion. I make this one a little special by adding some interesting toppings, they really make all the difference. The feta adds some saltiness to cut through the rich pumpkin flavour. The cranberries are little pops of sweetness and the pepitas add a little crunch. Yummy!
By the way if you wanted to make this vegetarian simply omit the bacon. Take out the parmesan or use nutritional yeast for a vegan version.
It’s amazing how popular pumpkin has become over the years. Pumpkin spice lattes are a particular phenomenon that has really taken off in America, not so much here in Australia though. I’ve actually never even had one! I strongly believe this needs to change though. I need to understand the hype.
If you wanted to make this creamy pumpkin and bacon risotto extra luxurious you could roast the pumpkin first to add even more depth of flavour. How delicious!
How to make risotto
Risotto’s tend to have a bad rep for being hard to make but I’m here to tell you it’s actually the opposite! They do require a bit of love and attention but nothing too crazy.
Risotto is one of the most versatile dishes – you can add all sorts of ingredients and flavours to customise it however you like. Some other variations I like are chicken and mushroom, zucchini and lemon and tomato and pesto. Every risotto pretty much has the same base ingredients:
- arborio rice
- butter
- onion and garlic
- dry white wine
- stock (could be any kind)
- parmesan cheese
Those ingredients alone make up the base for the majority of risottos – then you simply add the extra ingredients to make it exciting! The most important thing is to not over or under cook the rice. Towards the end, you want to turn off the heat while the rice still has a tiny bit of chew to it. It will continue to cook while you are stirring through the parmesan. This will prevent it from becoming a gluggy mess.
Another tip is to add your stock a ladle at a time. Wait for it to be fully absorbed before adding the next one. Stirring regularly as well – you want to keep adding stock until the rice turns from hard grains to a luxurious and creamy texture. The whole process takes about 20 minutes. I find it quite relaxing actually! The best part is, the leftovers (if you have any) can be used to make arancini balls!
Some of my other dinner recipes:
If you give this recipe a try, let me know how you go in the comments!
CREAMY PUMPKIN AND BACON RISOTTO
Course: DinnerDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes20
minutes35
minutesA delicious weeknight comfort meal that will please the whole family.
Ingredients
4 slices shortcut bacon diced
1/2 yellow onion finely diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine
500g can pumpkin puree
1/4 butternut pumpkin cubed
4 sage leaves finely chopped
1 tsp nutmeg
2 cups stock (chicken or veg)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Garnish
dried cranberries
crumbled feta
pumpkin seeds
Directions
- Fry off the bacon in a deep pot until crispy, then remove from the pan and set aside.
- Cook the onion and garlic in butter until translucent.
- Add the rice and let it toast for a little bit before deglazing the pot with the wine.
- Once all the wine is absorbed, start adding the stock ladle by ladle, allowing it to fully absorb each time. Also add the pumpkin, sage, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
- Once half the stock is added, pour in the pumpkin puree.
- Stop adding stock while the rice is still a little bit chewy. Turn off the heat and stir through the Parmesan and bacon.
- Top with cranberries, crumbled feta and pumpkin seeds.
Notes
- For a vegetarian option leave out the bacon.
