Roasted Pumpkin and Feta Risotto Recipe

If you're a fan of rich and creamy risotto dishes, you'll definitely want to give this pumpkin and feta version a try. If pumpkin isn't readily available, try using butternut squash or sweet potato in its place - all three are excellent sources of beta-carotene and dietary fiber.

If you have trouble tolerating dairy, exclude the feta that this recipe calls for. We think it's just as good without the feta, although the feta does add a great little tang to this special dish.

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups peeled and cubed pumpkin
6 ounces feta cheese, cubed
2 cups Arborio rice
4 cups vegetable broth
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh garlic
Sea salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Brush a baking dish with extra-virgin olive oil.

Steam pumpkin cubes until tender but firm. Transfer pumpkin cubes to baking dish, brush cubes lightly with extra-virgin olive oil, then season with sea salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown.

While pumpkin cubes are baking in the oven, bring vegetable broth to a boil, then reduce heat to keep the broth simmering. Keep hot vegetable broth to the side.

In a separate saucepan, bring 1-2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil up to medium heat. Add diced onions and garlic, and cook until tender. Stir in Arborio rice, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add half a cup of hot vegetable broth and stir slowly but steadily until the broth is absorbed into the rice. Continue to add half a cup of hot vegetable broth at a time in this fashion until rice is tender to taste. When rice is ready, season with sea salt and pepper.

When the pumpkin is almost finished baking, put cubes of feta cheese on a baking sheet and place this sheet in the oven until the feta cubes begin to melt along their edges.

Use a fork to mash approximately half of the baked pumpkin, and stir mashed pumpkin into the risotto along with baby spinach.

Serve risotto in bowls, and add remaining baked pumpkin cubes and warm feta to the top of each bowl just before serving.

Enjoy this delicious and filling pumpkin feta risotto dish!

Note: The quantities listed in the ingredients section produce approximately 4 adult servings.

This recipe was inspired by a similar one found on allrecipes.com.