Risotto alla Zucca
Creamy risotto with sweet carrot and sage.
Ingredients
- 320 g Carnaroli rice
- 3 Carrot
- 1 Onion
- 100 ml White wine
- 1200 ml Vegetable stock
- 6 Sage
- 50 g Butter
- 60 g Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 tsp Salt
Method
- Finely dice the carrots and onion.
- Warm the vegetable stock in a small pot and keep it hot at a bare simmer.
- Cook the onion and carrot in half the butter over medium heat until softened, then stir in the rice and toast it for a minute until the edges turn translucent.
- Pour in the wine and let it cook off. Add the hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring, adding more only as each is absorbed, until the rice is creamy and al dente; season with salt.
- Off the heat, beat in the remaining butter and the parmesan until glossy, then stir through the sage.
- Serve on warm plates.
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About Risotto alla Zucca
Risotto alla zucca is a northern Italian risotto sweetened with squash, a comforting autumn and winter dish from the regions around Lombardy and the Veneto where pumpkin and gourds feature heavily in the cold-weather kitchen. This rendition builds its gentle sweetness from carrot cooked down with the onion, then folds in sage for its earthy, savory fragrance, all carried on creamy Carnaroli rice finished with butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The taste is mellow and rounded, the natural sugars of the vegetable balancing the salt of the parmesan and the richness of the butter, while sage keeps it from tipping too sweet. The texture is the usual risotto ideal: creamy and flowing, with grains that still have a little resistance at the center.
The technique here is textbook risotto, which is what makes it reliable. The carrot and onion are softened in butter first to build a sweet base, the rice is toasted for a minute until translucent at the edges, and then the hot stock goes in a ladle at a time, each absorbed before the next, so the rice releases its starch gradually into a creamy body. Finishing off the heat with a beating-in of cold butter and parmesan gives it gloss and richness, and the sage is stirred through at the end so its fragrance stays fresh. Served on warm plates, it makes a soothing vegetarian main, especially welcome in cooler months when squash and sage are at their best.
Risotto alla Zucca: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Risotto alla Zucca?
A serving has about 510 calories — 12.5g protein, 76.1g carbs, 15g fat, 3.1g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Risotto alla Zucca gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Risotto alla Zucca has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Is Risotto alla Zucca dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano. Swapping those for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How many servings does Risotto alla Zucca make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.