Autumn Harvest Pumpkin Risotto Recipe

Anyone who has ever enjoyed risotto knows that it's quite the decadent dish, providing a surprisingly abundant amount of flavor for something with white rice at its base. While plain cheesy risotto is delicious enough on its own, this autumn harvest pumpkin risotto, courtesy of recipe developer Jessica Case, takes things to a whole new, fall-forward level. "I love risotto and pumpkin! Those two ingredients together just make this dish divine and enjoyable to eat," Case raves. "This is a recipe I would make several times in the fall season."

While just about any risotto will feature arborio rice, white wine, and some sort of stock, this recipe gets some unique flavors thanks to the addition of pumpkin puree and bacon. You can also count on a dash of nutmeg to add some warmth, along with some fresh sage to give the risotto an herbaceous touch without making it too herby. "This dish must be on your list for a nice cozy fall evening," Case says, and something tells us that once you give it a try, it will indeed stay in your dinner rotation well into winter, too.

There are many typical risotto suspects in this recipe, such as diced onion, butter, garlic, salt, pepper, arborio rice, dry white wine, vegetable stock, and Parmesan cheese. More unexpected players include thick-cut bacon, sage, nutmeg, and even some toasted hazelnuts for garnish.

Of course, we couldn't forget the pumpkin, and a bit of puree is enough to fall-ify this recipe and even give it that lovely orange hue. As Case says, "Pumpkin puree makes this dish extra delicious and it gives it such a nice creamy texture." If you aren't a fan of pumpkin but want to stay on the fall theme, she adds, "A great substitute for pumpkin would be butternut squash."

A key to making risotto is slowly but steadily ladling warm stock into the rice, so you'll want to get said stock heating up before jumping into the other steps. Simply add the vegetable stock (or chicken stock or plain water) to a saucepan over low heat. Keep the stock warm, but make sure it doesn't boil.

Meanwhile, get the bacon going. Place a large pan over medium heat and lay out 4 strips of bacon, allowing them to cook for a few minutes on both sides. Once the bacon is nice and crisp, remove the strips from the heat and place them on a layer of paper towels to drain.

With the bacon out of the pan, go ahead and melt 1 tablespoon of butter in that same pan over medium-high heat. Add in the sage leaves and cook for just a minute or 2, avoiding burning or browning but achieving a nice level of crispiness, then remove them and set aside. Next, in the same pan, melt another tablespoon of butter and add the chopped hazelnuts, toasting them for 2-4 minutes. Once they're done, place them in a small bowl and set aside with the sage leaves — now your garnishes are ready to go for the finished dish. 

Now we can jump into the actual risotto. Back in that same trusty pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add in the diced onion, garlic, salt, and pepper, then cook slowly for about 30 minutes, stirring often, until the onions soften and everything is nice and fragrant. 

Next, add the arborio rice and let it cook for about a minute, giving it a chance to toast. Add the wine and cook, stirring often, until nearly all the liquid has absorbed or evaporated. "Any dry white wine works," Case says, though she notes that a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc are good options. 

Add ½ cup of warm stock, the freshly chopped sage, and the nutmeg and gently stir the rice until all of the stock is absorbed. Then add in another ½ cup of stock, repeating this process of stirring until absorbed and adding more stock. Just don't make the common risotto mistake of adding too much stock at once — go ½ cup at a time and wait until the liquid is gone before adding more. This is the key to getting creamy, tender risotto. Once you've added all of the vegetable stock, stir in the pumpkin puree and Parmesan cheese. 

Chop up the cooled bacon and use it to garnish your pumpkin risotto along with the crispy sage leaves, chopped toasted nuts, and a little extra parmesan if you like. Then you're ready to enjoy this fall-forward dish, and if you're so inclined to enjoy it as part of a larger meal, Case has some suggestions: "You can pair this with crusty bread and a simple fall salad, or serve it as a side along with a roast chicken, steak, or as one of your Thanksgiving side dishes!"