Since acquiring the latest Barefoot Contessa cookbook, by Ina Garten, I’ve been steadily cooking my way through it. The recipes really are quick, easy and perfect for weeknight suppers without appearing to be too simple. When I do my weekly menu planning I find myself picking up this book and adding at least one recipe to my list for the week.
I enjoy a good risotto as much as the next girl. I even enjoy making it. For some reason people really get their panties in a knot when even thinking about making risotto because it involves a fair bit of stirring and you have to monitor it. The stirring and constant attention don’t really bother me at all. But when I saw Ina’s recipe for Easy Parmesan “Risotto” I was intrigued. The need for constant stirring is eliminated because you cook the “risotto” in the oven. Well played Ina, well played.
I thought the technique was interesting but found the recipe itself kind of lackluster for a full meal. The recipe is for a simple risotto with just peas and Parmesan but that wasn’t going to cut it for me. I looked in my fridge and found some butternut squash and my homemade bacon and thought that they would make a pretty fabulous risotto.
I started off by roasting the squash until they were cooked through. While that was happening I sauteed the bacon. I followed Ina’s recipe for cooking the rice but threw the squash in there for the entire cook time. In the final finishing step I added the bacon and let it cook for a few minutes longer to combine the flavours.
This was a really interesting way to make risotto. The texture was a bit on the mushy side but that could easily be rectified by cooking it less or with a tad less water. If I were making risotto as a side dish to accompany something else I would definitely use this technique again. Your risotto can be cooking while you’re preparing another part of your meal AND you end up with a pretty elegant side.
If you complain about making risotto because it’s time consuming, this recipe is definitely for you.
Easy Oven Risotto with Butternut Squash and Bacon
(Adapted from this recipe from Ina Garten aka Barefoot Contessa)
1 cup butternut squash, cubed
Olive oil
1/2 cup bacon, diced
1.5 cups Arborio rice
5 cups simmering chicken stock, preferably homemade, divided
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the butternut squash in oil, place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until tender.
Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Place the rice, cooked squash and 4 cups of the chicken stock in a Dutch oven.
Cover and bake for 45 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente.
As the rice cooks, sautee the bacon in a pan to crisp. Set on paper towels to drain and set aside.
Remove the rice from the oven and add the rest of the chicken stock, the Parmesan, wine, butter, bacon, salt and pepper. Stir for 3 to 5 minutes until the rice is creamy and serve.
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The best part about risotto is that you can add all kinds of amazing things to it to make it even more…well, amazing. You’re not limited to just peas and parm.
Glad you decided to up the sexy factor with squash and bacon!