Vegan Butternut Squash & Sage Risotto

Nothing beats a warming bowl of risotto on a cold autumn evening. Even better, as it's World Vegan Day and it's also the season for squash, we bring to you a recipe for Vegan Butternut Squash and Sage Risotto. It's filling, packed with tonnes of flavour and hits the spot after a long busy day.
If you aren't vegan, the recipe is easily adjusted simply by using dairy parmesan in exchange for the vegan parmesan.

Ingredients

1kg butternut squash (peeled, hollowed out and cut into 1cm cubes)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1.5l vegetable stock
50g salted butter
1 onion (finely chopped)
300g Arborio risotto rice
100ml white wine
bunch of sage (leaves picked and chopped)
50g vegan parmesan

Tip: to take this dish up a notch, gently fry some sage leaves and use them to top your risotto with. Trust us, it's delicious!!

Method

1. Switch on the oven to preheat to 220c/200c fan/gas 7.

2. Place the squash in a roasting tray along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the chopped sage. Toss the squash in the oil to ensure it is evenly covered. Put the tray into the oven and roast for 30 minutes until soft and brown.

3. While the squash is roasting, you can prepare the risotto rice. In a shallow pan or frying pan, add half of the butter (25g) and the remaining olive oil (2 tbsp) and allow it to melt and heat together. Next, add the chopped onions and cook over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes until soft but not browned, stirring often.

4. Add the Arborio rice to the pan with the onions and stir in thoroughly to ensure the rice is completely covered in butter. Continue to stir until the rice becomes shiny and the edges of the grains start to look transparent.

5. Next pour the white wine into the pan with the rice and simmer until it has been completely absorbed. Then add the stock, a cup at a time. Allow the one cup of stock to absorb into the rice before adding another cup. Continue this way until you have used all of the stock and cook until the rice becomes soft and al dente (this should take roughly 25-30 minutes). The risotto should look thick and creamy.

6. Once the squash has cooked, split it into two and mash one half and leave the other half as whole chunks. Once the risotto is done, add the mashed squash to the risotto pan and stir through. Add the parmesan cheese and remaining butter and stir again; this should make the risotto extra creamy!

7. Serve the risotto scattered with the whole chunks of squash and an extra pinch of cheese if desired.

Enjoy!