Foodie Friday: Butternut Squash Risotto

It's the time of year when I gravitate toward my slow cooker for meal preparation. There's just nothing quite like having something cooking all day, making the house smell delicious and inviting!

This slow cooker risotto is an excellent way to feature the wonderful flavors of butternut quash in a savory preparation. It is by no means an authentic risotto recipe, but it is simple, delicious, and extremely satisfying to eat with family on a cold day. What's more, it cooks in your slow cooker in a mere three hours, so it's a perfect dish to whip up when you have a late-afternoon activity or appointment that will interfere with your usual dinner prep time.

This risotto is a lovely meal to serve on a chilly Winter evening at home. I hope you'll give it a try!


You will need:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried basil
6 cups vegetable stock
2 Tablespoons butter (or your favorite fat for sauteeing)
2½ cups rice (I used sprouted brown rice, but usually risotto is made with Arborio)
3 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed (about 1 medium sized squash)
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Here's how:

• In a large skillet, saute onions in butter until tender:
  
• Add rice and mix through for a couple of minutes
  
  
• Add basil and garlic, and stir.
• Combine stock, rice mixture, and squash in your slow cooker (mine is 7 quarts, but I think a 3-4 quart would be plenty large enough).
• Cook on High for 3 hours, or until the rice is cooked to your preferred tenderness.
• Add Parmesan cheese and gently mix it all together. 
• Serve hot (with a sprinkle of cheese on top):
  
  

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Linked up at Food on Fridays at Ann Kroeker, Friday Favorites at Simply Sweet Home, Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free, and Food and Health Carnival at Lisa's Gluten-Free Advice and Healthy Living.