Twelve ingredients and fifty-five minutes, with the oven and the stove going at once.
Half the pumpkin and bacon go into the finished risotto and half are kept for the top, which is where the roasted cubes and crisp pieces show.
Why This Recipe Works
- Roasting the pumpkin separately browns its edges and keeps the cubes whole.
- Toasting the rice in bacon fat seasons every grain from the start.
- Warm broth added a little at a time lets the rice release its starch slowly.
- Gentle stirring coaxes out the starch that makes the risotto creamy.
- Butter and Parmesan stirred in off the heat finish it glossy.
Ingredient Notes
- Sugar-pumpkin cubes
- Two cups, peeled and cut to three quarters of an inch. Sugar pumpkin specifically — not butternut squash.
- Arborio rice
- A cup and a half. Its starch is what makes the risotto creamy without any cream.
- Low-sodium chicken broth, kept warm
- Five cups. Warm, so each addition doesn't drop the pot's temperature and stall the rice.
- Bacon
- Six slices, diced and crisped. The fat left behind is what the rice toasts in.
How to Make It
Pumpkin cubes roasted at 425°F until tender and browned
Heat oven to 425°F. Toss pumpkin cubes with olive oil and roast 20 to 25 minutes until tender and browned at the edges.
Bacon crisped in a heavy pot, a tablespoon of fat kept
Meanwhile cook bacon in a heavy pot until crisp; transfer to paper towels, leaving about 1 tbsp fat in the pot.
Shallot softened, rice toasted, wine added if using
Cook shallot 2 minutes, add Arborio rice, and toast 1 minute. Add wine if using and cook until nearly absorbed.
Warm broth added half a cup at a time until creamy and al dente
Add warm broth about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring gently and allowing each addition to absorb before the next, until the rice is creamy and al dente, about 20 minutes.
Off the heat, butter, Parmesan and thyme in, half the toppings folded
Remove from heat and stir in butter, Parmesan and thyme. Fold in half the bacon and half the roasted pumpkin.
Topped with the rest of the pumpkin, bacon, Parmesan and thyme
Serve topped with remaining pumpkin cubes, bacon, Parmesan and a thyme sprig.
The Oven Roasts, the Pot Stirs
Two things happen at once here, and they are kept apart on purpose. The orange cubes are SUGAR PUMPKIN, and the PUMPKIN REMAINS IN ROASTED CUBES RATHER THAN PURÉEING INTO THE RICE. So the pumpkin roasts in the oven while the risotto is built on the stove, and they only meet at the end - half folded in, half on top.
In the oven, at 425°F
- 20 to 25 minutes
2 cups of PEELED SUGAR-PUMPKIN CUBES, 3/4 INCH, tossed with 1 tbsp OLIVE OIL and ROASTED UNTIL TENDER AND BROWNED AT THE EDGES. Roasted rather than simmered with the rice, which is what keeps them as distinct cubes with coloured edges.
In a heavy pot on the stove
- First
6 slices of DICED BACON cooked UNTIL CRISP, moved to paper towels, LEAVING ABOUT 1 TBSP FAT IN THE POT. For safety, COOK BACON UNTIL CRISP.
- 3 minutes
1 small FINELY CHOPPED SHALLOT for 2 MINUTES, then 1 1/2 cups ARBORIO RICE TOASTED 1 MINUTE in the bacon fat, and 1/2 cup DRY WHITE WINE added if using, cooked until nearly absorbed.
- About 20 minutes
5 cups of LOW-SODIUM CHICKEN BROTH, KEPT WARM, ADDED ABOUT 1/2 CUP AT A TIME, STIRRING GENTLY AND ALLOWING EACH ADDITION TO ABSORB BEFORE THE NEXT, UNTIL THE RICE IS CREAMY AND AL DENTE. Half a cup at a time is the technique: small additions and gentle stirring release the starch that makes risotto creamy.
- Off the heat
2 tbsp UNSALTED BUTTER, 1/2 cup FINELY GRATED PARMESAN and 1 tsp FRESH THYME LEAVES stirred in, with 1/2 tsp SALT and 1/4 tsp PEPPER to taste.
Half in, half on top
HALF THE BACON AND HALF THE ROASTED PUMPKIN FOLDED IN - gently, so the cubes stay whole - and the risotto SERVED TOPPED WITH THE REMAINING PUMPKIN CUBES, BACON, PARMESAN AND A THYME SPRIG, as the photograph shows. Leftovers are COOLED PROMPTLY AND REFRIGERATED rather than left at room temperature.
Success Tips
- Keep the broth in a pan at a low simmer next to the risotto.
- Wait until each addition is nearly absorbed before adding the next.
- Stop at al dente — the rice keeps softening as it rests.
Serving Ideas
Four bowls of creamy risotto topped with roasted sugar-pumpkin cubes, crisp bacon, finely grated Parmesan and a thyme sprig.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use butternut squash?
The recipe is written for sugar pumpkin, roasted in cubes. Butternut squash would change the dish.
Should the pumpkin be stirred into the rice?
Only half, folded in gently so the cubes stay whole. The rest goes on top. The pumpkin is never puréed.
How do I store leftovers?
Cool them promptly and refrigerate — cooked rice shouldn't sit at room temperature. Reheat with a splash of broth.
