Easy Peasy & Pumpkin Risotto

I had a craving for risotto but as cooking this for one is a challenge for me, I decided to take my Pumpkin Risotto and turn it into Easy Peasy & Pumpkin Risotto for Frankie…

I’ve decided that from now onwards I’m going to start turning certain meals that I prep for myself into suitable food for Frankie as well. After experimenting with making my own pumpkin purée ahead of a few recipes I’m planning for Delicious Monster (hello, pumpkin pie), I had about 600g of the stuff that needed to be used.

Easy Peasy & Pumpkin Risotto

I froze half of it in ice trays, then added the other half to a quick and easy risotto. Add a teaspoon or two of cream cheese right before serving, for extra creaminess and added protein.

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped
20ml olive oil
250g Arborio rice
300g pumpkin purée
700ml chicken stock
2 tbsp full-fat hard cheese, grated
20g butter
1 cup frozen peas

How to make it:

1. In a pot, sauté the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add the rice and continue sautéing for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the pumpkin purée and chicken stock, then continue cooking while stirring, until the rice is cooked.
4. Add the parmesan, butter, and peas give it a stir, and remove from the heat but leave the rice covered for about 10 minutes before serving.
5. Remove a portion of the risotto and blend in a food processor until it’s a little less “chunky” but not completely puréed – you still want texture.
6. As I’m all about make-ahead meals and having a decent freezer stash, I portioned the completely cooled risotto into an ice tray and popped it into the freezer until solid.