Name: Roasted squash risotto with walnuts
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil, divided; 1 small onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 4 cups vegetable broth, divided; 1 cup water; 1 1/2 cups dry brown short-grain rice; 1 small butternut squash, about 2 lb whole, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 1 cup grated vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese; 1/2 cup dry white wine; 3 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 tsp fine salt, divided; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp olive oil for sage; 16 sage leaves, chopped; 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Roasted squash risotto with walnuts

Toasted walnuts add crunch to the roasted squash and brown-rice risotto.

Published October 2, 2026 · Updated October 15, 2026

4 portions · Estimated 2 hours

Ingredients & method

Before you start: Prepare and preheat: 25 minutes · Sauté and heat liquid: 15 minutes · Bake rice and roast squash in parallel: 70 minutes · Finish: 10 minutes

Equipment: Oven-safe Dutch oven with lid; rimmed sheet; small skillet

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Method

Heat the oven to 375°F conventional with space for a lidded Dutch oven on a lower shelf and a rimmed sheet above it. Peel and seed the small butternut squash, about 2 lb whole, cut it into 1/2-inch cubes, and line the sheet; measure out the 4 cups vegetable broth and reserve 1 cup for finishing.
Heat 1 tbsp of the divided olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped small onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened, then stir in the 2 minced garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the remaining 3 cups broth and the 1 cup water, and bring to a boil. Stir in the 1 1/2 cups dry brown short-grain rice, cover with the oven-safe lid, and transfer the pot to the lower shelf; bake for 65–70 minutes, until the rice is tender.
Toss the squash with the remaining 2 tbsp divided olive oil, 1/2 tsp of the fine salt and the 1/4 tsp black pepper. Spread it on the lined sheet and roast above the rice for 45–60 minutes, turning halfway through, until tender; remove it when ready while the rice finishes.
During the oven cooking time, place the 1/3 cup chopped walnuts in a dry small skillet over medium heat. Toast for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly browned, then transfer them to a bowl so they do not keep cooking in the hot skillet.
Heat the separate 1 tbsp olive oil for sage in the same skillet. Add the 16 chopped sage leaves and fry briefly, stirring and watching closely, until crisp but not burned; remove the skillet from the heat as soon as they are ready.
At the end of the rice's 65–70-minute baking time, lift the lid carefully and check a few grains. They should be tender rather than hard at the center; the squash should also be soft enough to pierce easily before it is folded into the rice.
Set the hot Dutch oven on a heatproof surface off the heat. Stir the reserved 1 cup broth, 1 cup grated vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese, 1/2 cup dry white wine, 3 tbsp unsalted butter and remaining 1/2 tsp fine salt into the hot cooked rice. Stir for 2–3 minutes until the butter melts and the mixture becomes creamy; the wine is added at this stage, so the dish is not alcohol-free.
Gently fold in the roasted squash, preserving some cubes while allowing softer pieces to blend into the rice. Divide into four portions and finish each with the crisp sage and toasted walnuts.

Recipe note: Use brown short-grain rice. The wine is added near the end, so this recipe is not alcohol-free.

Plan around the brown rice

This is an oven method for brown short-grain rice, with a longer cooking window than a quick white-rice risotto. Reserve the finishing cup of broth before filling the Dutch oven; it belongs to the final stirring stage, not the covered bake.

The squash roasts on its own sheet above the rice and may finish earlier. Check it independently and remove it once tender. While the oven works, toast the walnuts and crisp the sage, transferring the walnuts out of their hot skillet so they do not continue browning unnoticed.

Bring the creamy rice and toppings together at the end

Check several rice grains for tender centers before beginning the final stirring stage. The reserved broth, cheese and butter turn the hot cooked rice into the creamy mixture described in the method. Fold in the squash gently so some pieces remain intact while softer edges blend into the rice.

The white wine is added during that finishing stage, off the heat; this recipe is therefore not alcohol-free. Add the walnuts and crisp sage after portioning so their crunch remains separate from the creamy rice.