I had some cooked butternut squash left over after I made the butternut squash lasagna, so I decided to make a risotto with much of the same ingredients I used in the lasagna.

Again, I went with a Martha Stewart recipe and altered it according to what I had in my pantry.

Butternut Squash and Mushroom Risotto

Makes approximately 4 servings

Prep time: 1 hour, Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of butter

1 1/2 pounds of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 cup of Arborio rice

1/2 cup of water or dry white wine

2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) of chicken or vegetable broth, mixed with 1/2 cup water and heated

1/2 cup of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (I prefer crimini or baby portabello mushrooms)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh sage

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over a medium heat and add squash. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the edges soften (about 6 to 8 minutes). 

Add Arborio rice and stir until the rice is coated. Add 1/2 cup of water or white wine and cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Reduce heat to medium-low, then add 1/2 cup of hot broth and water mixture. Cook, stirring, until almost all of the liquid has absorbed, and toss in the chopped sage. Add the remaining broth mixture, a half cup at a time, stirring until the liquid is absorbed before adding more. This should take 35 to 40 minutes in total. With your last 1/2 cup, add the mushrooms.

Stir in the Parmesan and 1 1/2 teaspoons of coarse salt, and garnish with more Parmesan and sage before serving, if desired.