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Pumpkin risotto with sage leaves on a white plate.
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5 from 5 votes

Pumpkin Risotto Recipe

This is the best Pumpkin Risotto ever! Made with brown sage butter, in a smoky Porcini mushroom broth with spice and a little heat, it's an absolutely irresistible comfort food dish that's perfect for fall!
*Please note the amount of time you'll steep the mushrooms and peppers in hot water. You can do this a day ahead. You can also make the butter well ahead of time.
Serves 6 as a first course OR 4 generous entrée portions
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Steeping Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: fall comfort food recipes, pumpkin dishes
Servings: 6
Calories: 328kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Make the Brown Sage Butter before you begin. (Here's how to make it. The recipe will make more than you need, and it's fantastic to have on hand.)
  • Hydrate the mushrooms and peppers. Pour the water into a small sauce pot and bring it to a boil. Add the dried chipotle chile peppers and dried Porcini mushrooms, turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. Turn off the heat, keep the pot covered and let the peppers steep for about 1 hour.
  • Chop the mushrooms and peppers. SAVING the liquid in the pot, use a slotted spoon to remove the peppers and mushrooms. Take off the stems of the peppers and then slice them in half lengthwise. Use the back of a small knife or a teaspoon to gently scrape out seeds and membranes. Now chop the peppers and mushrooms as finely as possible -- you should have about ½ cup. Set aside.
  • Heat the stock (or broth) with the pepper-mushroom liquid. Pour the mushroom/pepper liquid and the stock or broth into a large pot and turn the heat to low. Once it's warm, turn off the heat and keep it on the stove.
  • Sauté the onions and add cloves. Add half of the Brown Sage butter to a large sauté pan (about 12 to 14 inches), over low-medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add the cloves and cook until it's very aromatic, about 30 seconds.
  • Add the rice. Pour in the rice and stir. Cook for about 1 minute, being sure that all of the grains are well coated with the butter and onion mixture.
  • Add the other ingredients and cook. Mix in the finely chopped peppers and mushrooms, followed by about 1½ cups of the warmed stock mixture and the pumpkin purée. Keeping the heat at medium-low, gently simmer the rice. With near-constant stirring, continue to add about 1 cup of the liquid as each previous cup is absorbed. You know you're ready to add the next cup as soon as you use a spatula to make an open area in the pan, and no liquid seeps into it.
    As the rice absorbs more and more of the liquid, it will gradually become creamy. Keep adding the liquid until the rice is al dente. (This means "to the tooth." While the rice will be tender, there will still a bite to it.) When it's at this point, most, if not all, of the liquid will have been used.
  • Add remaining butter, season, and serve. Add the remaining half of the Brown Sage Butter and mix just to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately with fresh sage leaves for garnish.

Notes

Nutritional information is only an estimate.

Nutrition

Calories: 328kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 696mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3745IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 3mg