This creamy roasted butternut squash risotto with shrimp is a perfect combination of sweet and savory. The plump colossal shrimp, bursts of cubed butternut, and crunchy candied walnuts make this dish a well-rounded meal for lunch or dinner.
Risotto is an Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it creates a creamy consistency. Each step of the cooking process adds a certain flavor profile that will all together beautifully. One of the best things about risotto is that it is seen as a classic upscale dish and it can be made in advance.
This Butternut squash risotto recipe is pretty easy to make, but there are a few steps that are important to take your time and do it right. But no worries, we have you covered below to give you a step-by-step with all the ingredients you need!
The Star ingredients
Arborio Rice
Traditional risotto calls for arborio rice. It is an Italian short-grain rice that has more natural starch content than other rice types. This is what mainly creates the dish its creamy texture. Although, the nice thing about a recipe is that you can use it as a guide and substitute most ingredients to create a personalized dish without sacrificing the overall flavor.
Grain Substitutes: Short-grain rice such as jasmine rice, quinoa, couscous, or oats.
Chicken Broth & White Cooking Wine
Broth and a bit of wine are the main liquids you will be using to cook the rice. The wine deglazes the pan and lifts all the sautéed bits to blend with the rice. And the broth will slowly be absorbed into the rice, softening and flavoring each piece. The broth can be chicken broth/stock, fat-free, or unsalted.
Butternut Squash
This is the savory vegetable part of the dish. Butternut squash is a winter squash and is packed with Vitamin A. The skin is pretty thick so you may want to peel it off, but it is edible.
Savory Vegetable Substitutes: Sweet potato, pumpkin, or acorn squash.
Fresh Sage
This is the only seasoning, besides salt and pepper, that you will need. Make sure you get fresh sage. The ground sage won’t provide the same flavor or freshness as the fresh stuff.
Walnuts
These are the sweet crunch factor of the dish. I don’t recommend substituting with another nut. But if you must, then use pecans.
Shrimp
This recipe uses Specially Selected Black Tiger Shrimp from Aldi. They are my favorite shrimp to use in shrimp-based recipes. They are colossal at a great price, but they are fall seasonal. So, when they are available be sure to get more than one bag. No shrimp? You can use any protein you want. I recommend shrimp, chicken, or steak cubes.
Tips and Tricks to a Perfect Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Shrimp
To help butternut squash cook evenly and prevent sticking, toss it halfway through roasting.
Don’t try to speed up the risotto on high heat. It will unevenly cook the rice and burn the bottom.
If cooking ahead of time, reheat on medium-low heat with a bit of cream or broth to moisten the rice.
Deliciously Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto with Shrimp
Equipment
- Two baking sheets
- Large saucepan or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken broth or stock, keep hot
- 2 pounds fresh or frozen large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- black pepper, freshly cracked
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 6 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 cup walnut, halved
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 large shallots, roughly chopped
- 2 cups arborio rice
- ¾ cup white wine
- 2 cups parmesan cheese, grated
- 5 sage sprigs, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, heat the chicken broth in a pot on medium heat, and prep the shrimp.
- Peel, clean, and cut the butternut squash into ¼ in cubes. Place the cubes on a prepared baking sheet into a single layer and toss with drizzle of olive oil, salt, and a pinch of pepper. Roast in the oven until tender, about 25-30 minutes.
- In a bowl, place shrimp tossed with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate while you prepare the risotto.
- Place a large sauce pan on medium-high heat and dissolve the brown sugar into 2 tbsp water, 1-2 minutes. Add walnuts. Stir until the water forms a syrup and coats the walnuts, 2-3 mnutes.
- Carefully pour out the hot walnuts in a single layer onto a plate, and let it cool. (No need to wipe out the pan)
- Place the sugared pan on medium-high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil and onion. Sauté the onion until translucent, 1-2 minutes. Add in rice, toast, and stir until aromatic, 4-5 minutes. Add white wine and scrape the bottom of the pan until mostly evaporated, 2-3 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and pour 1 cup of hot broth over the rice. Be sure the liquid is covering the rice. Stir often and allow the liquid to fully absorb. Continue the process with another cup of broth and repeat, 25-30 minutes. Turn down the heat if the rice is absorbing the rice faster than 1-2 minutes.
- At about 10 minutes left of cooking the risotto, place shrimp on another prepared baking sheet, bake shrimp until just cooked through and tender, 5-10 minutes.
- Taste the rice and check that the texture has a creamy consistency with no bite or crunch.
- Remove the risotto from the heat, stir in butter, cheese, sage to taste (save some for garnish), and salt & pepper to taste. Stir in butternut squash.
- To serve, scoop hot risotto on to a dish and top with shrimp, candied walnuts and sage. Enjoy!