Creamy, rich and super flavorful Butternut Squash Farro Risotto, folded in butter and Parmigiano and finished with fresh sage. If you never made risotto, this is the recipe to try!
While this recipe for risotto is made in the instant pot, I also have a super delicious stove top butternut squash risotto, if you want to prepare it that way.
INSTANT POT SUNDAY SERIES – WEEK ONE
Welcome, welcome friends… I am super excited to be running this series, starting today and hopefully continue to create fresh content every Sunday throughout the winter season. But before we go any further, I would like to share with you the kind of value I am hoping to give you through this series of curated recipes.
Why Instant Pot?
For those of you who don’t know, an Instant pot is a multi-cooker that has several functionalities such as slow cooking, sautéing, pressure cooker, rice and yogurt maker, among a few other handy capabilities. Aside from it being a solution for those who don’t have enough storage for several appliances, it is also much cheaper to invest in ONE appliance and a step-up in safety, when it comes to pressure cookers.
After a thorough research I decided to purchase this Instant Pot, which is the one I will be using for all recipes in this series. However, other brands carry very similar functionalities and all recipes in this series will be totally compatible with your Instant Pot.
Why Sundays?
Call me boring but there is nothing else I rather be doing on a Sunday then spending time at home with my family. Sunday is the perfect day to invest on a meal, and perhaps cook something that will make your week a little easier.
What to expect?
Recipes focusing on seasonal ingredients, warming dishes, a few Holiday favorites and definitely all the things you wouldn’t expect to ever use your Instant Pot for (just wait until the cheesecake come out!). So if you got one of those we are going to put it to good use! Or get one here!
But most importantly, expect to HAVE FUN, learn, create memories with your family and eat good food!
About This Recipe
Oh yeah, the recipe right! How is a Butternut Squash Farro Risotto for a start? This recipe is everything we love about Fall! This is a great season to start incorporating winter squashes to your dishes so I made sure this wasn’t just another risotto recipe, but one for the book! Simple, yet rich, flavorful and super creamy, this Butternut Squash Farro Risotto makes for an excellent Fall recipe for a family meal or if you have company and want to serve a tasty meal.
I actually grew these beautiful butternut squashes pictured above. Most squashes around this time should be super delicious but the one trick I like to offer when buying a butternut squash is to check the flash by either removing the steam or making a small pinch-sized cut on the body, if bright orange the squash is ready to use.
For this recipe we will be using the sauté and rice functions of the Instant Pot. It’s really easy to switch from one function to another as you move along the recipe, and super convenient to have all steps done in one pot, less clean up and cooking with a flow.
Butternut Squash Farro Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 1/2 cups farro pearled (cooks quickly)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3 cups butternut squash cubed
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese grated
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- fresh parsley and/or sage
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on sauté mode and add in oil and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until translucent (about 5 mins). Add farro, stir for another 2 minutes. Add water and salt, stir and allow to cook until most of the water is absorbed.
- Then add the butternut squash and chicken stock. Close and lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Turn the steam release handle to sealing position. Press rice and cook at low pressure for 12 minutes.
- When the time is up, utilize the quick pressure release and then open the lid. Turn off and unplug the pot.
- Add cheese and butter, fold to combine. Garnish with fresh parsley and/or sage and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
There was way too much fluid in the recipe. When it was done cooking I poured out over a cup & then let it sit in the hopes it would absorb the rest. It did absorb the rest. The squash was a bit too soft. If I make it again I will definitely use 1c less broth and might take 2 minutes off of the cooking time.
Sorry to hear TL yet glad it worked out in the end. I will try to re-test this recipe and update on whatโs needed
Also had a lot of stock left. Had to drain a lot
thanks for the feedback Stephanie. I have already re-tested this recipe but have to yet update it.