Pumpkin Baked Risotto

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Oven-baked pumpkin risotto is just as creamy and delicious as its stovetop counterpart, but requires far less time standing over the stove. // SavvyEat.comOven-baked risotto is just as creamy and delicious as its stovetop counterpart, but requires far less time standing over the stove.

This post contains sponsored content. All opinions are my own.

Risotto is one of my favorite dishes to serve when we’re entertaining. I’ve never met anybody who doesn’t like a serving of creamy, cheesy rice with their dinner. I often dish it up as an entree and mix in some diced bacon or shredded poultry, but it also makes for a nice side.

The only downfall to risotto is the time it takes. It usually takes close to an hour to cook a big batch, and most of that time is active. You can’t walk away from risotto and let it simmer away on the stove on its own; instead, you have to stay in the kitchen with your wooden spoon, ready to stir the rice every few minutes.

While the results of all that effort are more than worth it, sometimes I want something a little simpler. When I’m entertaining, I’d much rather let the risotto cook while I prep the appetizers, dessert or a salad. And risotto made the traditional way doesn’t lend itself well to a weeknight dinner at all.

Arborio Rice for Risotto // SavvyEat.com

So today, I’m partnering with the Grain Foods Foundation to simplify the risotto-making process. I’m using the same Arborio rice, turkey stock and pumpkin puree I’d usually use for a fall risotto, but instead of standing over the stove for an hour, I’m sliding the whole pan in the oven to bake and bubble away in there.

The end result is just as creamy as its stovetop-cooked counterpart. The pumpkin still makes the risotto feel extra-cheesy, despite there only being a small amount of Parmesan stirred into the pan. Plus, now I can serve risotto with my holiday meals and still have time to prep all the other courses as well – I’ll just have the risotto in the oven and the sides on the stovetop and be able to prep the salad and drinks while everything cooks. I’d call this a win!

Pumpkin Baked Risotto // SavvyEat.com

 

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Pumpkin Baked Risotto

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

Pumpkin Baked Risotto

Pumpkin risotto baked in the oven is super simple to make. Now you can serve risotto with your holiday meals & have time to prep all the other courses!

Ingredients

  • 4 teaspoons olive oil
  • 2 small onions, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 cup Arborio rice
  • 2 1/2 cups turkey stock
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  2. Warm the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.
  3. Add the rice, and stir until the rice is fragrant, about 1 minute.
  4. Stir in the stock, pumpkin puree and Parmesan. Put the lid on the Dutch oven and bake at 300°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the risotto is creamy and much of the liquid is absorbed. Serve warm.
http://www.savvyeat.com/pumpkin-baked-risotto/

What’s your favorite grain-focused recipe for the holidays?

 
PS: This post was sponsored by Grains for Your Brain, which is backed by the Grain Foods Foundation. All opinions expressed here are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that help me run Savvy Eats.

Pumpkin Bread for Your Thanksgiving Leftovers

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These pumpkin bread rolls are both fluffy and nutritious, thanks to the pumpkin puree and whole wheat flour in the dough. Serve them at Thanksgiving dinner, or use them to create stellar Thanksgiving leftover sandwiches.

Pumpkin Bread for Turkey Sandwiches // savvyeat.com

Because I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year, I’ve issued myself two challenges. First is to find some great holiday dishes that I can cook in advance and contribute to the dinner, like tea-poached pears, Mexican hot chocolate roasted pecans and ginger-glazed carrots. The second challenge is to come up with unique ways to use Thanksgiving leftovers – that way, I can still cook some of my Turkey Day favorites to experiment with over the next two weeks!

Of course, when I thought of using Thanksgiving leftovers, turkey sandwiches were one of the first thing that came to mind. But these aren’t just any turkey sandwiches. For one, I made up two different flavored mayonnaises to spread on the turkey: a pepper jelly-mayo combo (1 part pepper jelly to 2 1/2 parts mayo), and a creamy cranberry spread that uses up some cranberry relish leftovers (1 part cranberry relish to 2 parts mayo). Plus, these sliders aren’t being made with regular bread rolls – instead, I’m using a homemade pumpkin bread.

I’m loving this pumpkin bread – the rolls are packed with pumpkin puree and whole wheat flour, so they have a lot more nutritional value than the standard bread rolls. At the same time, they are still light and fluffy, like all dinner rolls should be.

Pumpkin Bread Rolls // savvyeat.com

I used a combination of two Bob’s Red Mill flours for the bread: their Organic Whole Wheat and their Organic Unbleached All-Purpose, both of which are made from hard red wheat. The whole wheat flour adds a lot of nutritious vitamins and protein, but I prefer not to use it on its own in baking – it makes the final product too heavy and dense. That’s where the all-purpose flour comes in: it adds some lightness to the dough and makes for a fluffier bread. A combination of the two flours is perfect – it makes a nutritious bread that is still tasty and airy. For this bread, I used one part whole wheat flour to two parts all-purpose flour.

I spread each pumpkin bread roll with one of the flavored mayonnaises, and piled them with sliced turkey, Swiss chess and mixed greens. I think I have a new favorite turkey sandwich!

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Pumpkin Bread Rolls

Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 9 rolls

Pumpkin Bread Rolls

These pumpkin bread rolls are perfect for Thanksgiving leftover sliders. If you want to have enough bread to both serve at Thanksgiving dinner and to use with leftovers, consider doubling the recipe and baking two pans of rolls!

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing
  • 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Organic All-Purpose Flour (you may need a little more)
  • 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Flour
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves

Instructions

  1. Stir all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow to rest undisturbed for 10 minutes.
  2. Knead either by hand or with the stand mixer until the dough comes together in a smooth ball. If the dough seems sticky and can't be easily handled, add 1 more tablespoon of all-purpose flour and work it into the dough. Continue adding flour, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is smooth and soft.
  3. Cover the dough and place the bowl in a warm place until the dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  4. Punch down the dough, and turn it out onto a floured surface.
  5. Divide the dough into 9 equally-sized pieces and nestle them into a greased 8" round or square baking pan.
  6. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes to an hour. If you're prepping the dough in advance, you can refrigerate the rolls at this point, and allow them to come to room temperature before baking.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter, and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. The bread should sound hollow when tapped, and the crust should be golden-brown.

Make Ahead and Storage

Have leftovers? Here's how to store bread leftovers.

http://www.savvyeat.com/pumpkin-bread/

Want to try some Bob’s Red Mill flours for yourself? Click here to download a $1 off coupon for any Bob’s Red Mill product!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.