Pumpkin Risotto with Pancetta is a flavorful spin on a classic Italian dish.
This comfort food staple gets a hearty seasonal spin in this recipe. First, you crisp the pancetta, which is uncured Italian bacon. Then, the drippings are used to saute the onions, garlic, and Arborio rice. After a splash of white wine, you use the traditional process of gradually stirring in your stock until the rice is tender and creamy. Once you reach that stage, you add the pumpkin puree, grated Parmesan, fresh thyme, and pancetta. What a delicious combination!
Pumpkin Risotto with Pancetta
Tips & Tweaks
Serving Size: I made half the recipe (since I’m a party of one), and it made four 1-cup servings. So, the full recipe will make about 8 cups. In the recipe, I indicated this serves four (because that’s what the original recipe says), but I think you can easily stretch it to six servings because it’s quite filling.
Cooking Pancetta in Water: Don’t skip cooking the pancetta in water! I have used pancetta in multiple recipes and have never heard of this technique. I was skeptical and considered skipping this step. But after doing some research, I learned that it helps to render the fat and keeps the pancetta from getting over-crisped in the process. It works really slick! I will add this as an initial step when I make my Turkey Roulade with Mushroom-Pancetta Stuffing.
Stock: You can use vegetable stock or chicken stock. I used chicken. I ended up needing about one ladle more to finish cooking the rice, so I used water at the end. There is plenty of flavor in this recipe, so feel free to do the same if you don’t have quite enough stock. Or do what I typically do, and make a little extra.
Salt Factor: Between the stock, pancetta, and Parmesan, there is a fair amount of salt in this recipe. The source recipe specified adding 1 tsp. of salt at the end. I changed that to salt to taste. I recommend tasting the risotto after all the other ingredients have been added and then gradually adding more salt until it’s to your liking.
Exploring Risotto Possibilities
My husband (God rest his soul) was a traditionalist when it came to risotto and most recipes in general. He loved it when I made my Morel Mushroom Risotto, which called for subtle flavors to allow the morels to shine. So I thought about him as I stirred and headed into more adventurous territory. But this version was a gourmet treat, and I loved the fall vibe.
Broiled Shrimp
I needed a quick and easy protein for my meal, so I whipped up some shrimp skewers seasoned with lemon and thyme.
Directions – I tossed clean, raw jumbo shrimp in a bowl with a generous drizzle of olive oil, some lemon zest, dried thyme, salt, and pepper (it’s not rocket science, so add the quantities that you prefer.) Then I put the shrimp in the frig until I was halfway through adding the stock. I threaded them onto skewers and broiled them for 3 minutes per side. You can grill them if you have a sous chef (aka someone to lend a hand), but I was busy stirring risotto, so the oven was the best option.
Pumpkin Recipes
If you’re a pumpkin-lover like me, check out some of these additional sweet and savory pumpkin recipes.
Pumpkin Risotto with Pancetta
Ingredients
- 1 c. diced pancetta
- 1/4 c. water
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 c. diced yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 1/2 c. Arborio rice
- 1/2 c. dry white wine
- 5-6 c. hot chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 c. canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 tbsp. fresh minced thyme leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place pancetta and water in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 7-9 minutes until the fat is rendered, water evaporates, and pancetta crisps in the fat. Remove and place the pancetta on a paper-towel-line plate.
- Pour off fat, retaining 1 tablespoon. Let the pan cool for a few minutes. Wipe out any dark bits from in the pan. Add the 1 tbsp. of pancetta fat, olive oil, and onion. Saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.
- Add rice and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add wine and continue stirring until almost all wine has been absorbed, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the stock a ladle at a time, stirring frequently until each ladle is absorbed. Continue stirring and adding stock until stock is used up and rice is tender. Total cooking time should be about 20-25 minutes. Turn the heat off.
- Stir in pumpkin, cheese, butter, and half of the thyme and pancetta. Taste, and then season with salt and pepper. Top individual servings with remaining pancetta, thyme and additional Parmesan, if desired.
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