I absolutely adore risotto. The creamy texture and the flexibility of the flavors draw me in. What I don’t like about it is how long it takes to make it and how you have to constantly stir, stir, stir for it to come out right. I set out a few weeks ago to try to adapt my favorite Butternut Squash Risotto for my slow cooker. 5 batches and 40 taste-testers later, I think I’ve finally come up with the perfect recipe.
A few years ago, when we lived above a grocery store in downtown Denver, I made a resolution to try cooking with a new-to-me vegetable each week. One of my favorite veggies from those new ones we tested was the leek. They have this sweet, mild onion flavor, but don’t make me cry when I chop them like onions do. (Yay!) I have a few tips for you when dealing with leeks. First, the only part you eat is the white and light green part, so look for those when you’re buying, not large fronds. Second, leeks are grown in sandy soil so you need to wash them twice before preparing them. The best way to do this is to wash the outside, slice them, then drop them into a large bowl of cold water and swirl them around. The sandy sediment will sink to the bottom and you just have to skim the clean leeks off the top of the water.
The next vegetable I fell in love with was butternut squash. It has a sweet flavor that adds to much to any dish. I think it’s a slightly less-sweet version of the pumpkin we all love so much this time of year. Many people shy away from butternut squash because it takes so much effort to prepare it to be cooked. I have a few tips for this veggie as well. First, you should note that Costco and several other places sell pre-cubed butternut squash. All the work has been done for you and it usually costs close to the same price as a whole squash-great for those last minute dinner options.
If you want to DIY the cubing, I recommend piercing the skin in a few places and popping it in the microwave for 5-10 minutes, letting it cool, then peeling the outside of the squash with a veggie peeler. Once peeled, stab the squash through the center with a large butcher knife and pull to one end, then do the same towards the other end. Scoop out the seeds, then cube the squash.
I roasted the squash a couple different ways when testing this recipe. I did one batch on the stovetop in a cast iron skillet and the other batch I oven-roasted. The oven-roasted batch turned out soft and great as a side dish, but I liked the stovetop version better once it was in the risotto because it held up a bit better when stirred into the rice.
What is your favorite “new-to-you” vegetable? Have any surprised you lately?
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Risotto
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 80
Description
A low-maintenance, slow cooker risotto recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 4 cups or 2lbs peeled, 1/2-inch cubes butternut squash (about half a large squash)
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- salt and pepper
- 3 cups 1/2-inch-wide slices of leeks (white and pale green parts only)
- 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 cups arborio (risotto) rice
- 7 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 cup chopped fresh basil (for serving)
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving
Instructions
- Heat Slow Cooker to High. Add 1Tbsp olive oil, garlic, and leeks and heat until leeks are softened but not brown.
- Add rice and thyme and stir to combine with leeks.
- Add all 7 cups of broth, close lid, and leave covered for 1 hour.
- While risotto cooks, brown or roast the squash cubes in remaining 2Tbsp of oil, sage, and salt and pepper until cooked through.
- After risotto has cooked for an hour, open the slow cooker and stir in the basil, cooked butternut squash and Parmesan cheese.
- Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Optional additions: bacon, sausage, or roasted pine nuts
- This works best in the taller slow cookers rather than the large wide ones. If the rice isn’t creamy enough for your taste, cook for a bit longer, but note that the rice will break down if left on high heat for too long.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
This sounds really wonderful. I’ve never tried the trick of microwaving the squash before trying to cut it up or making risotto in the slow cooker, but now I will.
That trick changed my views on squash. I used to dread it, but after learning how to soften it I use it all the time!
Does this recipe really only need an hour in the slow cooker? Minus the squash cooking of course. Other comparable recipes I’ve read go for two to three hours. I just want to verify before I enjoy the delicious fruits of your labor. 🙂
It really does just take an hour! The cooking temp may vary from slow cooker to slow cooker though, so check on it at 1 hour and you can always decide to cook it longer if the rice isn’t done to your tastes. When i cooked it much longer than that during my recipe testing it turned to mush, so I wouldn’t go for more than 1.25 hours without checking it. As I mentioned in the notes, I typically make this in one of the tall round slow cookers (mine’s a rice cooker/slow cooker combo appliance) instead of my huge oval slow cooker, so maybe the other recipes are using a giant one that would need more time? I’d love to hear your results when you make it.
I’m super lazy so I grate my butternut squash and then I divide it up into baggies and freeze it. Then I can toss it into any dish I think calls for it and it softens up quite easily.
That sounds like a neat trick. I really like the big cubes in this particular dish, but I can see it working well in a sauce. Thanks for sharing.
I made this last week and added cranberries and mushrooms — it was great! The rice was perfect in just about one hour.
Ooh! Mushrooms and cranberries sound like awesome additions!! I’m going to have to try that when I make up my next batch. And thanks for the confirmation on 1 hour working well for you too. I’m not sure how other recipes don’t make mush with their 2 hour cook times.
I tried this recipe, I have a large crock Pot, 6 Quarts, which I think was too large, because the risotto was not ready in 1 hour. Maybe a smaller crock pot would work better. I wound up transferring to a saucepan and simmering for about 1/2 hour longer and adding more chicken stock. Also I only used about 1/2 cup leeks and that was sufficient for me. Otherwise it was delicious!
Thanks so much for the feedback Jennifer! I’m glad you enjoyed it. In the recipe notes I mention that the tall round ones do tend to work better than the wide oval ones just because of the smaller surface area. I’ll update that to recommend a round 4qt cooker just so it’s clear. 🙂 I’ve definitely had mixed feedback on cook times on this recipe, and I’ve made it several times with just an hour, so I know that works for some, but not everyone. I’m going to guess it’s a combination of my living in dry Colorado, everyone liking their risotto a bit differently, and the differences between slow cooker sizes and temperatures. (No two seem to be the same.)
What size slow cooker does this recipe need? I have both a 4 qt & a 6 qt.
Also, I can’t have the cheese, do you think I could swap out a cup of the broth with coconut milk to add the creamy factor?
It works better in the taller slow cookers rather than wider, so I’d choose the 4qt assuming it’s the traditional circle and not oval shaped.
And I don’t think coconut milk would be a good addition to the savory flavors here. The parmesan is mostly added for salt and umami flavor. I’d just leave it out and add some nutritional yeast to taste instead.