Slow Cooker Pumpkin Risotto

This wicked easy Slow Cooker Pumpkin Risotto Recipe will take all the fear out of cooking risotto. Risotto, that yummy gourmet comfort food, has intimidated a lot of cooks, including me. After seeing an enraged, cursing Chef Gordon Ramsey throw a sauté pan full of risotto into the garbage while Hell’s Kitchen competitors look on with wide eyed shock, you definitely get the impression that you should be terrified to attempt risotto.

pumpkin bowl full of pumpkin risotto setting on a brown wooden table next to wooden spoon and pumpkin seeds

Risotto made the conventional way is time consuming!

Risotto also gets a bad rap because it is very time consuming, needing to be stirred and added to constantly for at least 20 - 25 minutes. What busy Mom has that kind of uninterrupted time on her hands while getting a meal ready? But if you really think about risotto, and why it needs time and attention, it really lends itself to crock pot cooking. Yes, I know that there are going to be “Risotto purists” who will think that my method is a sacrilege. My reply to them is, “get over it”, no one says you have to do it this way. Just keep stirring and enjoy your recipe. I'm just suggesting there is another way. Anyone who has had my version of risotto hasn’t complained. I rest my case.

white ceramic bowl full of pumpkin risotto setting on a wooden table

Add the pumpkin chunks to your pumpkin risotto at the end of the slow cooker time.

It's Pumpkin recipe time. I love cooking with pumpkins. So I have developed my own Pumpkin Risotto, which can add a whole new flavor to Thanksgiving dinner. It can make any ordinary evening dinner an event. At the end of this article, you'll find links to a few of my other pumpkin recipes and my Slow Cooker Recipes. I love using my CrockPot year round. A slow cooker is a great solution to a busy work day for any mom. To make this recipe a "chunky pumpkin risotto", you must simultaneously roast pumpkin chunks in the oven for about 30-45 minutes adding them to the crockpot at the end of the slow cooker time. If added at the beginning or even in the middle of the process, they might dissolve into the risotto. Plus the roasting adds great flavor to the pumpkin and adds another flavor profile to the dish.

For more Wilderness Wife Pumpkin Recipes go to these posts -

Creamy Slow Cooker Pumpkin Risotto

Pumpkins, pumpkin, pumpkin recipe, pumpkin recipes, pumpkin risotto recipe, slow cooker pumpkin recipes

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Try this pumpkin recipe for a new autumn side with great flavors. It will enhance any fall meal with a very comforting and filling dish.

Author: The Wilderness Wife
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 mins

Ingredients

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3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Divided
½ Medium Onion, Finely diced
1 Clove Garlic, Finely diced
1 ⅔ cup Arborio Rice
1 ½ c. pumpkin puree or 1 (15 Oz.) Can Pumpkin Puree (Not Pumpkin Pie Filling!)
½ tsp. dry sage
1 tsp. Dried Rosemary
1 (32 Oz.) Carton Chicken Broth (if you want to make this vegetarian, use vegetable broth)
½ cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 cups Roast Pumpkin cut into 1 inch cubes

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Instructions

In a sauté pan, sauté the diced onion in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until almost translucent. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer.
Use the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to oil the inside of a crock-pot.
In the crock pot, gently combine the sautéed vegetables with the Arborio Rice. Be sure the rice is coated with the olive oil.
Add pureed pumpkin, herbs and chicken broth and stir to combine.
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, stir once at the 2 hour mark.
After 4 hour cooking is completed, stir in the grated Parmesan cheese and roasted pumpkin chunks (For info on roasting pumpkin see directions below). Stir it all together, cover and let sit for another 5 - 10 minutes, then serve and enjoy.
Instructions for Roasting a Pumpkin -
Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
Quarter, seed, and peel the pumpkin.
Cut into chunky 1" cubes.
Place pumpkin into a large & sturdy roasting tray.
Add the olive oil, salt, pepper & cumin - mix well, making sure that all the pumpkin pieces are coated in olive oil.
Bake in the oven for about 30 to 45 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft & also tinged brown at the edges.

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Risotto Recipe