Creamy Pumpkin Risotto with Parmesan and Sage

A pumpkin-forward risotto built by gradually adding warm stock to Arborio rice, then finishing with Parmesan, butter, and sage. The texture should be loose and creamy, with the rice tender but still slightly firm at the center. Served hot, it reads as a substantial vegetable-led main without a featured protein.

By Julienne

Cook time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1000 ml Chicken or vegetable stock kept warm in a saucepan
• 15 ml Olive oil
• 20 g Unsalted butter
• 120 g Yellow onion finely diced
• 2 cloves Garlic cloves minced
• 4 leaves Fresh sage leaves thinly sliced, divided
• 320 g Arborio rice
• 120 ml Dry white wine
• 240 g Pumpkin puree
• 6 g Fine salt
• 20 g Unsalted butter
• 60 g Parmesan cheese finely grated
• 1 g Black pepper freshly ground
• 2 leaves Fresh sage leaves thinly sliced, divided
• 1 g Lemon zest finely grated
• 5 g Flat-leaf parsley chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Warm the stock in the medium saucepan and keep it at a bare simmer over low heat. In the large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and 20 g of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent and soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Onion is soft and glossy, not browned.
2. Add the garlic and 4 sage leaves. Cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Add the Arborio rice and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until the grains look lightly toasted at the edges. Rice is hot and lightly coated; garlic is fragrant.
3. If using the white wine, add it now and stir until the pan is nearly dry. Then add the pumpkin puree and 6 g of the salt. Stir well to combine before adding stock. Wine is mostly absorbed and pumpkin is evenly distributed.
4. Add about 250 ml of the warm stock and stir until mostly absorbed. Continue adding stock in 100 to 150 ml additions, stirring often and waiting for each addition to be mostly absorbed before the next. Keep the risotto at a steady simmer, not a boil. Rice is tender but still has a slight bite in the center after 18 to 22 minutes of stock additions.
5. When the rice is just al dente and the texture is loose and creamy, stir in the remaining 20 g butter, the Parmesan, black pepper, the remaining 2 sage leaves, and the lemon zest if using. Taste and adjust with a little more salt only if needed. Risotto flows slowly off the spoon and looks glossy.
6. Remove from the heat, cover for 1 minute, then spoon into warm bowls. Garnish with parsley if using and serve immediately. Finished risotto is creamy, not stiff, and the rice remains distinct.