Baked Pumpkin Goat Cheese Risotto

Baked Pumpkin Goat Cheese Risotto is so creamy and full of fall flavors! Top it with dried cranberries, pepitas and extra crumbles of goat cheese for an easy fall side dish.

Thanks to my friends at Pacific Foods for sponsoring this post. As always all opinions are my own.

It’s hard to believe that it’s already November. I don’t know about you, but once it hits I start thinking about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday since I get to go all out on the cooking and there’s no stress about buying gifts like there is with Christmas. Hopefully you all are starting to think about your Thanksgiving menus because today I have a wonderful side dish to share, Baked Pumpkin Goat Cheese Risotto!

How often have you lined up all of the food to put on your Thanksgiving table and noticed that it was lacking in color? You’ve got the brown turkey and gravy. White potatoes and rolls. Then a hint of green from the green bean casserole and splash of ruby red from the cranberry sauce. It can look pretty blah if you don’t have any colorful table decor.

Luckily I’m here to brighten up your holiday table with this colorful, fall inspired risotto! Not only does it look and taste good, but it’s super easy to make since you’ll bake it rather than stand at the stove and stir for 30 minutes. Let’s face it, no one has time for 30 minutes of stirring on Thanksgiving.

What Do I Need to Make the Risotto?

• Shallot
• Garlic
• Brown arborio rice, may also be labeled at short grain brown rice 
• Fresh sage and rosemary
• Nutmeg and red pepper flakes
• Canned pumpkin purée
• Pacific Foods Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
• Dry white wine (optional, but recommended)
• Goat cheese
• Dried cranberries and pepitas

As you can see this is a vegetarian side dish, which is something I make sure there is plenty of on our Thanksgiving table. Whether you’re vegetarian or you’ll be having guests who are, this pumpkin goat cheese risotto is a great side dish or potentially a main dish to serve. 

The risotto is made with Pacific Foods Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Broth. There’s a lot of options out there when it comes to vegetable broth and I have to say, Pacific Foods’ broth has the best flavor. So often vegetable broth is so bland you might as well just use water. I also noticed after looking at the ingredients list on other brands random things such as yeast extract, sugar, potato flour and my favorite, natural flavoring. 

The only ingredients you’ll find in Pacific’s vegetable broth are water, carrots, celery, leeks, tomato purée, mushrooms, garlic, spices and sea salt. Real, flavorful, fresh ingredients that you don’t have to sit and google the meaning of.

If for some reason your store is out of the vegetable broth or you don’t need the risotto to be vegetarian, you can always substitute with their Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth that I used in this amazing Tuscan Chicken Tortellini Soup. FYI, the soup would be a great way to use your leftover turkey.

Why Should I Bake Risotto?

• Everything goes in one pot and into the oven for close to an hour. There’s minimal hands-on time compared to stovetop risotto, which leaves you with plenty of time to take care of other Thanksgiving meal preparations.
• The risotto consistency is just as creamy as it would be if you made it on the stove.
• Instead of stirring the risotto every few minutes like you would on the stove, you only have to stir it for about a 1-2 minutes after it comes out of the oven.

To get the maximum flavor and texture out of this Baked Pumpkin Goat Cheese Risotto it’s best to top it with dried cranberries, pepitas, extra crumbles of goat cheese and fresh herbs. The toppings really bring out the fall flavors and tie everything together. 

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Baked Pumpkin Goat Cheese Risotto

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallot
• 2 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
• 1 1/2 cups arborio brown rice (short grain brown rice)
• 4 cups Pacific Foods Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh chopped sage
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 4 ounces goat cheese, reserve one ounce for topping the risotto
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. In a large glass measuring cup whisk together a cup of the vegetable broth with the pumpkin. Set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed oven safe pot (or dutch oven) over medium-high heat. When hot, add in the shallot and sauté for a minute. Add in the garlic and sauté another 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the rice and stir everything together.
3. Pour in the pumpkin broth mixture along with the remaining 3 cups of vegetable broth. Add in the herbs, spices and season with salt and pepper. Stir together and cover with a lid. Bring to a boil.
4. Once boiling stir the rice then remove from the heat and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until the rice is tender and cooked through.
5. Remove the pot from the oven. Remove the lid and pour in the wine and goat cheese. Stir vigorously for 2 minutes until the rice is thick and creamy. If the risotto seems dry add more vegetable broth or water. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper then taste for seasoning.
6. Serve the risotto topped with extra crumbled goat cheese, dried cranberries, pepitas and more chopped sage and rosemary.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 195Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 193mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 4gSugar: 10gProtein: 6g