This year seems to be all about learning to cook with foods I never knew much about. I know every October is all about the pumpkin in America, but it wasn’t till this year, spending every weekend in a farmer’s market, that really drew my attention to it. I’ve only ever had one pumpkin pie in my entire life, I’ve still never gotten the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks (although we were just given a gift card there so I may finally try it).
When I saw an adorable photo of risotto served in mini pumpkins in a local St Louis magazine called Feast, I really really really wanted to try it.
So I found 4 impossibly adorable mini pumpkins last week… and one Sunday morning, I put in some time and effort making the most delicious and satisfying risotto in this unexpectedly chilly weather.
Risotto is basically a rice cooked in broth, resulting in a creamy, thick soup-like dish. 
I don’t know what I was expecting while making this, but I certainly didn’t expect it to be as delicious as it actually turned out. But the overall result was amazing, and I should probably have a bit more faith in my cooking skills. I upped the spices (you know I’m a spice fiend) so every bite left the most glorious flavor punch. I also didn’t add the entire amount of stock because I didn’t want it completely wet. It was also much tastier eating them inside the mini pumpkins than on a plate. The inside of each pumpkin is delicately coated with some oil and truffle salt, and so tender that it blends seamlessly into the risotto.
This is definitely one for the repertoire and would make a great dish to serve at your next dinner par-tay.
Print
Pumpkin Risotto
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
A simple and delicious spicy pumpkin risotto, adapted from a recipe in Feast, a local St Louis magazine.
Ingredients
- 4 small pumpkins + 3/4 cup (180 ml) pure pumpkin puree*
- 2 tbs + 1 tbs (45 ml) canola or grapeseed oil
- 1 tbs + 1 tbs (30 g) unsalted butter
- 2 tbs + 1/2 cup (150 ml) finely chopped shallots
- 1/8 tsp allspice
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves (or 1/2 tsp cloves)
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 6 cups (1.4 L) chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 cups (480 ml) white rice
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) Riesling or white wine
- 1/2 cup (50 g) parmesan
- 2 tsp chopped sage
Instructions
- Add the allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, cloves, and white pepper to a small pot with the stock.
- Heat until steaming and then reduce heat to low.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Slice off the tops of each pumpkin and hollow them out by scooping out the meat and discarding the seeds.
- Place flesh in a bowl and place the hollowed pumpkins on a baking sheet.
- Pour a tsp of oil inside each pumpkin and then use your fingers to rub the inside and outside of each pumpkin with it.
- Sprinkle the insides lightly with truffle or regular salt.
- Bake for 15 minutes and then remove from the oven and let cool.
- Chop the pumpkin flesh into small pieces.
- Bring a large frying pan to medium heat and add 2 tbs oil and 1 tbs butter.
- Cook the pumpkin and 2 tbs of shallots on medium to low heat, until tender… about 7 minutes.
- Season with salt and adjust, according to taste.
- Set aside in a separate bowl.
- Using the same pan, add another tbsp of oil and the rest of the butter.
- When the butter is melted and bubbly, add the remaining shallots and cook till translucent.
- Add the rice and saute for a few minutes until you hear the rice sizzle and crack.
- When the rice becomes about 70 percent translucent, pour the Riesling into the pan and stir until entirely evaporated.
- Add 1/2 cup of seasoned stock and stir until absorbed.
- Continue to add stock and stir until the rice is cooked through, about 20 minutes total.
- Try not to overcook the rice by tasting occasionally and constantly stir to prevent the rice from burning.
- Once cooked, stir the pureed pumpkin mixture along with the parmesan cheese into the rice.
- Stir in half of the sage.
- Place the finished risotto into the hollowed pumpkins and garnish with sage.
- Serve warm; reheat for 5 minutes in the oven if need be.
Notes
- *I didn’t have that much flesh inside the pumpkins so I added extra puree that contained no added sugar* *If making this without real pumpkins, I would use a whole can of puree* *You may or may not use the entire stock, I had a little bit left over and only used as much as I needed for the rice to cook through.
- I also didn’t want my risotto too watery, which is the traditional way (Sorry, Tom!) *Halfway through cooking, I added ground cinnamon, ground cloves, allspice, nutmeg, and white pepper to the rice to amplify the spices, but that’s up to you. *Always add hot or warm stock to risotto, or you may result in unevenly cooked rice. *You can reserve the stock so that if you have leftovers of the risotto and need to reheat it, you may add some stock to keep it from drying out.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 480
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Chicken Orzo with Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Risotto allo Zafferano: Italian Saffron Risotto
- Pumpkin Masala Curry
- A Hidden Gem in Hudson: Dining at The Maker Restaurant
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the recipe infuse the stock with whole spices instead of adding spices directly to the rice?
Step 1 has you add allspice, nutmeg, a cinnamon stick, cloves, and white pepper to the stock and heat it until steaming. The notes explain the author also added more ground spices halfway through cooking to amplify flavor. Infusing the stock distributes spice evenly through every ladle the rice absorbs, rather than in concentrated bursts.
Why is it critical to use hot or warm stock when making risotto?
The notes explicitly warn: ‘always add hot or warm stock to risotto, or you may result in unevenly cooked rice.’ Adding cold stock to the hot pan shocks the rice and interrupts the steady absorption needed for a creamy texture. Keep the spiced stock on low heat throughout.
Why does the recipe use both roasted pumpkin chunks and pumpkin puree?
The recipe hollows 4 mini pumpkins for serving vessels and cooks the scooped-out flesh separately with shallots, then stirs in ¾ cup of pumpkin puree at the end. The author notes she added extra puree because there wasn’t much flesh inside the mini pumpkins — if making without real pumpkins, a whole can of puree replaces both components.
Can I reheat leftover risotto, and how do I keep it from drying out?
Yes — the recipe says to reheat the filled pumpkins for 5 minutes in the oven. The notes advise reserving some of the spiced stock so you can add a splash when reheating leftovers to keep the risotto from drying out.
