Healthy Oatmeal Risotto with Baked Butternut Pumpkin

Instead of traditional rice, this risotto is made with healthier chopped oats. It contains much less starch, but thanks to the pecorino-romano sheep cheese, the risotto will turn out to be creamy like a classic! Chopped oats are first fried with onions and garlic, then cooked in white wine for a few minutes, and only after that, it is poured with broth (chicken or vegetable) flavored with fresh sage and cooked until tender. Oat Risotto with baked butternut pumpkin topping is served. Sprinkle some fresh parsley with extra grated cheese and enjoy.

Summary

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon. chopped oats
• 5 tablespoon. peeled butternut squash, cut into medium cubes (about 0.7 kg.)
• 0.25 Art. extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoon. lightly salted vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 small bunch of sage
• 2 medium shallots, finely diced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 0.5 tablespoon. white wine
• 45 gr. pecorino-romano cheese, finely grated (about 1 tablespoon.) 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 220 ° C.
2. Toss the butternut squash with 2 tbsp olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon. salt and 1/4 teaspoon. black pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake until soft, until the pieces are browned in places, about 40 minutes, turning the baking sheet upside down in the middle of baking.
3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the broth with 2 tablespoon. water and heat until the liquid almost boils. Tie the sage with kitchen string and place it in the broth. Set aside the pan.
4. In a low-sided saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons over medium heat. l. olive oil. Add shallots and sauté, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until clear and tender, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
5. Add oats, 0.5 teaspoon. salt and 1/4 teaspoon. black pepper and stir to distribute evenly. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until completely absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 3 tablespoon. warm broth and simmer, stirring constantly until most of the liquid is absorbed, 8-10 minutes.
6. Add 2 more tablespoon. broth and simmer, stirring constantly, until the oats are soft but still slightly springy, 10-12 minutes. At this point, there will be enough liquid in the pot, which looks like a runny sauce. It will thicken as soon as you add cheese.
7. Remove the pan from heat and add half the cheese and half the parsley. Adjust the consistency of the risotto by adding more broth as needed. Divide the hot risotto into four warm bowls and top with some baked pumpkin. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and parsley and serve.