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Roast butternut squash risotto with Gorgonzola and sage

This roasted butternut squash risotto with Gorgonzola and sage recipe is an easy supper dish which can be prepared and cooked in under an hour.

Green Templeton Head Chef Chris Lyford says: “Once you have mastered the basic technique for making risotto you have countless options for different flavour combinations and ingredients, and it can be a simple meal for one or a dinner party dish to impress your friends.”

Ingredients (to serve four)

1 large butternut squash
300g Arborio rice
1-2 vegetable stock cubes
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
1 oz butter
Handful of grated Parmesan/Grana Padana
100g Gorgonzola cheese
1 glass of white wine
Fresh sage, finely shredded
Sea salt
Black pepper

How to prepare

Step 1: Set oven to 170 degrees Celsius and put a pan of water on a medium heat (approx. 1.5 litres).

The ingredients required to make roasted butternut squash risotto lined up on a kitchen counter ahead of cooking

All the ingredients you will need for this recipe!

Step 2: Peel the butternut squash with a potato peeler and carefully cut into 1cm cubes. Place on a baking tray and drizzle with some vegetable oil and season with sea salt and black pepper. Place in the oven to roast for approx. 25-30 minutes until soft.

Step 3: While the butternut squash is roasting, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, and place in another saucepan with the butter and a splash of olive oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes over a medium heat while stirring frequently – the idea is to soften without it browning.

A packet of Arborio rice being poured into a mixture of softened onion and garlic

Adding Arborio rice to the browning onion and garlic (step 5)

Step 4: Add the stock cubes to the pan of simmering water and stir/whisk to dissolve.

Step 5: Add the rice to the pan containing the cooked onion and stir thoroughly, then add the white wine and keep stirring until the wine has been absorbed/evaporated.

A bubbling pan of chopped onion and onion simmering i n vegetable stock

A bubbling pan of onion, garlic and Arborio rice absorbing the vegetable stock (step 6)

Step 6: Turn the pan of stock down to a low heat, add a ladle of stock to the rice and stir until it has been absorbed. Continue to add the stock gradually while stirring frequently (this should take approx. 20 minutes).

Step 7: After 10 minutes, the sage can be added to the rice.

Chunks of roasted butternut squash being stirred into a creamy risotto mixture

Add chunks of roasted butternut squash to your creamy risotto mixture (step 8)

Step 8: When the rice is cooked and you have a nice creamy consistency, the Parmesan can be stirred in along with the roasted squash.

Step 9: Finally, break the Gorgonzola into pieces and stir through. Check seasoning and adjust to taste.

Fluffy, creamy and delicious roast butternut squash risotto with a sage garnish on a white plate

Your finished dish! Enjoy!

Tips/notes from our Head Chef

  • Always use water from the cold tap for cooking/drinking as water from the hot tap isn’t potable
  • When chopping garlic, add a pinch of sea salt and it will be easier to work with and form a paste
  • The seeds from the squash can be scooped out, washed, dried and roasted in olive oil and sea salt to make a nice snack, or sprinkled over the risotto
  • The easiest way to cut the sage leaves is to stack the leaves up on top of each other, roll up and then finely slice together. Dried sage works just as well.

This page was curated by the Events and Catering teams at Green Templeton. Please contact events@gtc.ox.ac.uk with reactions, comments and suggestions.