Butternut Squash Risotto

Servings: 3

Ingredients:

  • 200 g Butternut Squash, small cubes (about 3 cups)
  • 25 g Shallots, diced (1 medium shallot)
  • 1 tbsp Avocado Oil
  • 3 Spicy Italian Chicken Sausage Links, small cubes
  • 4 cups Low Sodium Chicken Stock
  • 1/2 cup Arborio Rice
  • 15 g Gouda Cheese, freshly shredded
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
  • Dash Salt
  • 1 tsp Fresh Chives, diced

Directions:

  1. Prep all of your ingredients because once you start cooking you will be doing a lot of stirring and will not have time later. Peel you butternut squash with a vegetable peeler, slice in half and scoop out all of the seeds. The slice the squash into small bite size cubes. Dice your shallot, cut your chicken sausages into small pieces about the same size as your squash, and shred your cheese.
  2. In a medium sauce pot heat the chicken stock not boiling, just warm and allow it to sit there on the hot burner until you have used all of the stock. You always want to add warm liquid to your rice when making risotto.
  3. On separate burner, heat a deep saute pan to medium low heat, add the avocado oil to the hot pan and immediately add the shallot. Cook the shallot in the oil for about 2 minutes until the shallot starts to become soft.
  4. Add the rice to the saute pan and stir to coat with the oil in the pan, cook 2 – 3 minutes, until the rice has turned a pale golden color. Then pour in 1 cup chicken stock. Turn the heat up to medium, so your liquid begins to simmer but not boil.
  5. Stir the rice consistently until the broth has been absorbed, then add another 1/2 cup of warm chicken stock. Continue adding chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring consistently until the broth is absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup. It will take about 25 minutes for all of the chicken stock to be absorbed.
  6. 15 minutes into the cook of the rice you will add the cubed butternut squash and chicken sausage to the rice. This give the squash and sausage the remaining 10 minutes to cook and infused the rice with these flavors.
  7. Season your risotto with the garlic powder, black pepper, and salt at the same time as adding the squash and chicken sausage.
  8. Once all the chicken broth has been absorbed, the butternut squash has soften, and the sausage has warmed scoop the risotto in your serving bowls.
  9. Garnish with a sprinkle of freshly shredded cheese and dice fresh chives.

Kcals: 300 / 19.9g P / 34.6g C / 10.2g F