Baked Pumpkin Risotto

This Baked Pumpkin Risotto is made with brown rice, making it a healthier option than standard risotto. It's rich and creamy in spite of being vegan and dairy free, and since it's baked there's almost no stirring required.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Brown rice, Pumpkin, Risotto

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 15

Resting time 5

Total Time 1 35

Servings

Calories 292kcal

Author Katie Trant

Ingredients

1 ½ cups short grain brown rice
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree one 14oz / 425g can
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup white vermouth or white wine
5 cups vegetable broth hot
Parmesan cheese for serving optional, but highly recommended

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 200°C / 400°F.
Heat a 30cm / 12 inch cast-iron casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and then the diced onion.
Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until it has softened and is beginning to turn golden brown.
Add the garlic, and sauté for another few minutes until the garlic is slightly browned as well.
Add the vermouth to deglaze the pan, stirring to lift up any browned bits that are stuck to the pan, and then remove from the heat.
Add the rice to the dish with the onions.
Stir in pumpkin puree, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Stir the mixture to combine well, and then spread it out in an even layer in the casserole dish.
Pour the hot broth over top of the rice mixture, and gently stir. There should be a good layer of liquid over the top of the rice. Transfer carefully to the oven, as your dish may be very full. (Alternatively, I like to put the casserole dish into the oven and then pour the broth over top).
Bake, covered, for 60-75 minutes.
Test the rice and see whether it's cooked through. If needed, add up to 1 cup of extra liquid and bake for an additional 15 minutes (I like to check this at around the 65 minute mark).
When you remove the dish from the oven there may still be a layer of liquid sitting on top. This will continue to absorb as it cools.
Allow the risotto to stand uncovered for 10 minutes, and then, give it a good stir. The rice should be fully cooked, and the risotto quite creamy.
Serve hot with lots of freshly grated Parmesan or nutritional yeast to keep it vegan.

Notes

Nutrition values are an estimate only!
Do I have to use short-grain brown rice? That is how I've tested this recipe and how I believe it turns out best. If you want to use another kind of rice you may have to adjust the amount of liquid and / or the cooking time.
What's with the vermouth? I usually only have white wine around the house in the summer, but there's almost always a bottle of white vermouth in my liquor cabinet. Since vermouth is fortified wine, I find it works interchangeably with wine in most recipes.
I don't have an oven-proof skillet. No problem! You can use a deeper oven-proof pot like a Dutch oven, or if you don't have one of those, simply grease a casserole dish and transfer the risotto into there before baking.
My oven-proof dish doesn't have a lid. A tight layer over the top of your dish will do just fine.
Is this baked risotto recipe vegan? You bet! I like to top mine with shredded parm because I'm not vegan, but aside from that it's plant-based AF.
Is this pumpkin risotto recipe gluten-free? Yes ma'am. Unless you've discovered some new gluten-containing rice varietal that I'm not aware of.
I baked my risotto for the prescribed amount of time and the rice is still crunchy. That happens sometimes. Just stir in a little bit of liquid - a cup or so of vegetable broth or water - cover, and bake for another 15-ish minutes.
When I take the risotto out of the oven it looks super dry. Fear not! Often times a dry-looking layer forms on the top, but when you give it a stir you'll reveal the creamy goodness beneath. If not, feel free to stir in a bit of extra vegetable broth - it'll absorb into the rice as it rests.
When I take the risotto out of the oven it seems quite liquidy even though the rice is cooked. Just give it a stir and let the risotto stand for 5-10 minutes. That liquid should soak right up!

Nutrition