no stir butternut squash orzo “risotto” with crispy roasted mushrooms

Our second favorite orange gourd stars in this wonderful autumn side dish that I actually ate as part of my lunch today. Not that you asked.

The thing that usually deters me from butternut squash is the slicing difficulty. My knives at home are good enough for most culinary projects. The butternut squash is a special type of hell. For one, the shape makes it difficult to stand the thing upright to get good slicing balance, which might translate to mangling a hand rather than halving the vegetable. Not ideal.

The skin of a butternut is also quite thick and hard to permeate. You can eat it, but it’s not texturally appealing, and most recipes recommend you peel the exterior before baking or boiling or whatnot.

I usually vouch for a hands-on approach to a recipe, start to finish. Chop, mince, dice, slice, all from scratch. Butternut squash is my exception. Honestly, screw buying a whole one. Just get bags of cubed squash for a recipe like this. Slashes prep time but no fingers removed in the making of dinner. If you lose a finger making dinner, the lack of a digit makes future dinners far more difficult to manage.

Point made? Ok. Let’s cook.

Sauce Base Magic

A bit of prep goes into creating the butternut puree that eventually meets with tender orzo for a delightfully herby, creamy concoction. As long as you listened to my advice to buy bagged squash cubes, the rest is truly a breeze.

The squash, as well as a container of shiitake mushrooms, get tossed in maple syrup, chili powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Spread the two evenly on a big baking sheet, then slip in some smashed (not minced) garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs randomly alongside and on top. Roast at 425 for 20 minutes, or until the squash is pretty tender. Let cool completely. We averted slicing your hands off, now let’s not burn them in exchange.

When you can handle the squash comfortably, throw the pieces into a food processor along with the garlic. Pluck the rosemary leaves free from the stem, discard the stem, and add to the processor. Blitz until smooth. Perhaps you’ll need a bit of water to thin out, but that’s pretty much it.

For the mushrooms, just chop them up roughly and let them hang out.

Pasta Rice

That’s essentially what orzo is, you know? Durum wheat rice.

Heat up some olive oil in a skillet and saute a couple shallots, then toast the orzo in the pan for 2-3 minutes. Pour in some broth or water, heat the boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the orzo 10-15 minutes until most of the water is absorbed and the pasta is tender. Don’t try to shortcut and rapidfire boil the pasta: you’ll end up with sad mooshy orzo.

The final steps? Fold in the butternut squash puree, some parmesan, and coconut milk. The orzo turns gooey and the cheese softens into a happy spread of melted goodness. You know that sound food makes when it’s extra creamy, a slosh almost like seawater against a barrier? This orzo emits that frequency.

If you’re planning ahead, bookmark this for Thanksgiving. Orzo is one of my favorite pastas to incorporate into a dish. The squat little carb absorbs any manner of flavor and can be adapted to whatever level of fanciness you please. I suppose this could be considered “fancy,” as I’d imagine you correlate risotto with some posh little Italian hole-in-the-wall. At least I do.

Without spoiling your trade secrets, you can serve your guests ~risotto~ and snigger as they marvel at the depth and complexity of your creation and gasp “this must’ve taken hours!” No. No it did not. Happily.

Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!

Got more cubes of butternut to use? Try these:

Spicy Butternut Squash Alla Vodka Pasta with Garlicky Breadcrumbs

Apple Cider Glazed Baked Salmon with Butternut Squash Quinoa Pilaf

Chili Maple Butternut Squash Tempeh and Roasted Corn Tacos

no stir butternut squash orzo "risotto" with crispy roasted mushrooms

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Calling it "risotto" is politically incorrect, but when you put it in quotations, you're in the clear. Right?

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 8 oz shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 1/2 cups orzo
• 2 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup canned full fat coconut milk

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Toss butternut squash and mushrooms with maple syrup, chili powder, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spread onto the prepared baking sheet. Arrange garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs in the pan. Roast 20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and let cool until easily handled.
• Pick the rosemary leaves from the stems and add to a food processor with the butternut squash and garlic cloves. Whip until pureed. You may need 1-2 tablespoons of water to get the right consistency. Move the mushrooms to a cutting board and roughly chop into 1/4 inch-ish pieces.
• Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Saute the shallot until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Pour in the orzo and toast 2-3 minutes, then add the broth or water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, cover, and cook 10-15 minutes until most of the water is absorbed and the orzo is soft. Moderate your heat level frequently: you don't want the liquid to boil off too quickly. If it does, add additional broth or water 1/2 cup at a time.
• Dump in the butternut squash, coconut milk, and parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese melts and the orzo is creamy. A few small chunks of butternut squash are okay. Divide onto plates and sprinkle with the roasted mushrooms.

Keyword butternut squash, fall, orzo, pasta, side dish