Yummy Pumpkin Risotto

Fall foods are just the best, the flavors really cannot be beat in my opinion. Between apple picking, fresh pumpkins, and hearty earthy vegetables, you can't go wrong. That being said, who doesn't love risotto? Risotto is the perfect belly-warming comfort food on a chilly day. Combining yummy fall flavors with the creamy comfort of risotto is no doubt a win-win situation.

I had made a vegetable risotto with a nice garlic white-wine herb broth a few weeks ago and it was absolutely delicious. With Fall being my favorite season and Halloween being my favorite Holiday, I set out to make a savory pumpkin dish. After quite possibly the best Saturday ever (Halloween costume shopping, pumpkin carving, pirate cupcake making, a haunted hayride, and a Halloween party), I made dinner for Travis and I. I must give a big shout out to Trav for his cupcakes, they came out DELISH! Check them out in the picture. Also check out our awesome pirate pumpkin, Captain Jack O'lantern.



Anywho, the risotto began with a whole box of arborio rice and some fresh chopped garlic. The rice and garlic were coated with EV olive oil and just slightly toasted in a saute pan. You want to make sure all the rice is coated with the olive oil and gets slightly toasty in order to create the best possible risotto texture. Once that step was over I added in a can of pumpkin pie filling and stirred it into the rice. Next I added about 32 ounces of chicken broth. You can get the low sodium, but I have noticed the risotto is not as flavorful with it, so I recommend the regular broth or make your own. Now comes the seasoning. I added quite a bit of nutmeg (obviously I didn't measure), id guess it was about 3-4 tablespoons of nutmeg. Then I added probably 2 tablespoons of cinnamon sugar. A teaspoon or so of salt and some fresh cracked pepper. Then I added a tablespoon or two of maple syrup (might sound crazy, but it really brings out a sweetness and compliments the pumpkin nicely). Lastly, I chopped up some boiled sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes added a nice texture to the risotto and an additional hearty flavor.




The ingredients came together quite nicely and the risotto was done cooking in about 15-20 minutes. It is best if served right away to fully enjoy the warm creaminess of the risotto. Now, since I had never made this dish and just sort of made up the recipe as I went, I was a bit worried it might not be good. My doubts were blown away with my first bite. I could not believe how good it tasted! It was so creamy and warm and sweet and salty all at the same time. It really almost tasted like pumpkin pie because of the sweetness but then you get the saltiness from the broth, it was such a mouth watering combination of flavors. I plan on using this recipe again on Thanksgiving, I may slice and bake the sweet potatoes after boiling them to give then a little extra texture and char before adding them to the risotto. Either way, this recipe was a big hit and super easy!