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Looking for a meal to impress your friends and family this fall? This Butternut Squash Risotto is the perfect recipe to do just that. Creamy, cozy, and full of autumnal flavours, this squash risotto recipe is vegetarian (and easily made vegan!) and packed with roasted butternut squash and tender mushrooms. It’s the ultimate dish to welcome the season.
Making risotto is a labour of love, but trust me, the result is always worth it. This recipe features Nozeco, a non-alcoholic sparkling wine that I love using to deglaze the pan, offering all the depth of flavour without any alcohol. This dish is rich, comforting, and filled with warm, hearty ingredients like butternut squash, arborio rice, and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Whether you’re cooking for a cozy night in or hosting friends, this butternut squash risotto will be a hit.
As someone who has been sober for almost 13 years, it feels beautiful and inclusive to be able to enjoy a sparkling wine like Nozeco as it’s totally alcohol-free. Nozeco has opened up my ability to use sparkling wine in my recipes and enjoy a toast with friends. I love introducing it to my friends and loved ones. My mister made a powerful choice to quit drinking when he met me and he says it was an easy choice and it’s one that I am so very grateful for. This non-alcoholic bubbly wine is the perfect accompaniment to this risotto. I use it in the dish to deglaze the pan, giving that gorgeous depth of flavour that cooking with wine does but without the alcohol! Such a win.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the cubed squash and sliced mushrooms on a baking tray. Toss with melted butter (or olive oil), thyme, salt, and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes until the squash is tender and the mushrooms start to brown. Set aside.
Peeling and cutting butternut squash can seem intimidating, but with a sharp chef’s knife and a little technique, it’s easy. Start by cutting off both ends of the squash; this will give the squash a sturdy base to balance on when cutting. Stand it upright on a flat surface and use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin, then cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. From there, cut the flesh into cubes, ready to roast!
Heat a large deep-sided pan over medium heat. Add a little olive oil, chili flakes, and diced onion. Sauté until the onion starts to soften, then add minced garlic. Cook until fragrant, then deglaze the pan with Nozeco, scraping up any bits from the bottom. Add in the arborio rice and stir, toasting it for 1-2 minutes.
Slowly add two ladles of vegetable broth to the rice, stirring until absorbed. Continue adding the broth a little at a time, stirring constantly until the rice is creamy and tender. This process can take up to 30 minutes, but be patient – it’s worth it!
Stir in the remaining butter, baby spinach, and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold in half of the roasted butternut squash and mushrooms, reserving the rest for garnish. Plate the risotto, top with the remaining squash and mushrooms, and serve.
This butternut squash risotto is rich and hearty enough to be a meal on its own, but it pairs beautifully with a side of roasted vegetables or a crisp salad. If you’re serving it as part of a larger meal, consider offering a light side dish to balance the richness of the risotto.
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*Macros are provided as an estimate for convenience. Your final numbers will vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and how you portion the recipe.
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2 Responses
Stranded alone at home after the Midwest snow storm I made a vegan 1/4 recipe for myself subbing ingreds as needed. It was such a treat. Used a combo of maitake and sliced button mushrooms and needed about 1/2 again of the broth. Delicious!
Hey Judy! Thanks so much for sharing your modifications to this recipe and taking the time to rate and review! So happy that this meal comforted you during the snow storm <3