Sugar Pumpkin Risotto with Spinach Pecan Pesto is divine, full of fall flavors warmed with vanilla undertones. It’s the perfect autumn meal which sparkles with a lively dollop of spinach pecan pesto. That little taste of fresh greens livens up the entire dish, and makes a stunning presentation. The risotto is creamy without being heavy, a perfect comfort food. Make this today, and then file it away to use as a side dish or vegetarian main course for Thanksgiving.
At the end of the recipe I share a few shortcuts for those of you who want to cut corners to save time, as well as vegan substitutions and an elegant presentation.
For best results, use homemade vegetable stock in this recipe. It makes a world of difference and is easy and free to make. Enjoy!
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- 1 small sugar pumpkin
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 vanilla bean or 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 1/2 cups white wine
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1-2 Tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup toasted pecans
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 c fresh spinach
- 2 Tablesoons lemon juice
- 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese, optional
- 1/3 c olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
Ingredients
Sugar Pumpkin Risotto
Spinach Pecan Pesto
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- Cut pumpkin in half, and scoop out seeds and guts. Drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Bake at 400º, until soft (about 30-40) minutes). Scoop out pumpkin flesh. (This can be done up to 2 days in advance.)
- Slice vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds. Simmer pumpkin in stock with vanilla seeds and pod for 15-20 minutes. Remove the pod and puree until smooth.
- Pour a tablespoon or two of olive oil into a medium pot, and heat over a medium-low flame. Add onions and a pinch of sea salt. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add unrinsed rice and actively stir for two minutes. Don't let it burn or stick, but make sure each grain is coated with oil and toasted. Add wine and stir until it almost evaporates.
- Now you cook the risotto for 22 minutes. Add about 1/2 c pumpkin stock whenever the rice starts to look dry. Stir frequently. Adjust the heat so that it will take 20 minutes to absorb it all. Grate nutmeg into the risotto. Once all the liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat and add butter and Parmesan. Gently stir. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately with a dollop of spinach pesto. Eat by taking just a bit of pesto with each bite.
- Add nuts, garlic, spinach, cheese, a generous pinch of sea salt and a pinch of black pepper to a food processor with a steel blade. Pulse a few time to get it going. Then turn it on and slowly stream in the olive oil. Watch the pesto as you add the oil. You want a loose consistency, but not too liquidy. Adjust as needed.
- Taste the pesto and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Squeeze the lemon juice into the pesto. This helps preserve the green color and gives it a hint of brightness. Pulse to perfection. Enjoy your pesto right away, or place a bit of plastic wrap directly on the pesto while you cook. This also helps preserve the color.
VEGAN OPTION
This recipe is almost vegan as is, so just omit the Parmesan cheese and butter. You can finish the risotto with a swirl of toasted pumpkin seed oil and a sprinkling of black Hawaiian sea salt.
ELEGANT OPTION
To elevate your presentation, serve in a roasted pumpkin shell like we did. Simple follow the directions in Step 1 with additional pumpkins. Place pesto in warm roasted pumpkin shells and invite guest to eat the pumpkin flesh with their risotto.
EASY OPTION
Buy a high quality pumpkin or butternut squash soup. Heat it up and flavor with 1 T vanilla bean paste. Make the rest of the recipe as is. You could also use farmer's market pesto instead of making your own. (Grocery store pesto will not be the same.)
Recipe by Rebecca Cofiño for Mamaguru
Kristie, it’s a beautiful pairing! I hope you like it!
Thanks, Tiffany!
Brittany, you absolutely should! Just make sure that you don’t have a lot going on in the kitchen while it cooks, and keep the heat low when adding liquid. Good luck!
This looks great! I’ve always wanted to try and make my own risotto!
Looks so yummy!!
I can’t believe fall is already here, but I love that we can have everything pumpkin now! This looks delicious!
That looks so interesting, but sounds delicious! I’ll have to give it a try.
Oh I love savory pumpkin dishes! And the shortcuts you included too 🙂
Question for you. We don’t drink wine. Can I use anything else in place of wine? I love this recipe and I pinned it.
Pumpkin + pesto!? My favorite things together!! Will have to try xo
Wow! looks delicious! I may have to try this!
Please do, Erin!
Nicole, let me know if you have any questions. I am the risotto queen! The only 2 things I can think of that would mess up a risotto would be trying to do a lot of other things at the same time (you kind of have to baby it), or having the heat too high in the beginning so that the rice absorbs the liquid faster than it cooks. Good luck! This should be pretty foolproof!
WOW! This looks amazing!! Definitely the perfect fall meal. I need to try this ASAP!
I just recently made risotto and it was a ton of work and didn’t turn out very well. This looks much easier! I absolutely love pumpkin flavor. I can’t wait to try this 🙂
xo Nicole
I have been dying to make Risotto lately-this looks like the winning recipe! Thanks!
Lane| Withtwospoons.com
Becki, I put the pesto on for presentation, but it ended up being a really beautiful flavor combination. It adds a glorious brightness to the dish!
Thanks, Michelle!
I’m happy to hear that! Enjoy!!
Whoa! How awesome. It looks fantastic!
Wow! That sounds really delicious! I love pesto, and would never have thought to put that on top. I’ll be trying this 🙂
This looks amazing! I am sure my kids will love it too. Thanks for sharing.