Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash

Tuesdays in our house are a meatless day and I wanted to try a new recipe for dinner tonight.  I found a Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash recipe on the Food Network's website and thought I would give it a try since we LOVE both saffron and butternut squash.  I did tweak the original recipe a little to make it vegetarian and it was fabulous! And of course, I used all Organic ingredients.

It is hearty enough to eat as a meal on its own, but it would also make a great side dish especially for Thanksgiving.  The recipe below is the vegetarian version that I made, but you can find the original recipe here. 

Note that the recipe does make a lot...I froze the leftovers to have on some of our meatless days in the weeks to come.

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Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash 
Ingredients

1 butternut squash (2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
5 cups vegetable stock (original recipe calls for 6 cups, but I found 5 was more than enough)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter 
1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the vegetable stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.
In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve.

I added an over medium fried egg on top of mine and it was perfect!  I'm a sucker for a fried egg!

This how I label all my frozen leftovers