Liz’s Kitchen: Pumpkin Risotto with Bacon Recipe

In my quest to use pumpkin in all of my Liz's Kitchens for the fall I dabbled into something that is attempted on Chopped all the time but rarely successful....risotto. I thought, why not just completely jump in with two feet. I found this recipe though Pinterest from Cooking and Beer and thought that the sweetness from the pumpkin would pair nicely with the saltiness of the bacon. The recipe seemed easy enough and had a "risotto shortcut" so you don't have to stand and stir non-stop. I will say this comes out salty, very salty, so you don't need to be liberal with your seasoning. Also, I will be honest, I did not taste the pumpkin...at all. It was a great thickener and the risotto still tasted great but there was not a hint of pumpkin. I don't know if the answer is to add more pumpkin or less of everything else. But if you want to try this for purely pumpkin reasons don't... if you love bacon and creamy risotto read on!

Pumpkin Risotto with Bacon

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cup diced yellow onion (about 1 1/2 medium-sized onions)
• 6 strips of bacon, chopped
• 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
• salt and black pepper (to taste)
• 4 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Chop up your onion and bacon and then heat up your oil over medium-high heat in a deep skillet. Add your onions and bacon and cook until the bacon is just starting to crisp.

Add the rice and some salt and pepper (go easy on the salt) and continue to cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.

Next, add the broth and continue to cook and stir for another 10 minutes. Then reduce to low heat and cover. Let the rice cook or 25 minutes or until tender.

For the last 5 minutes of cooking add in and stir the pumpkin puree.

Stir in the cheese, reserving a little for garnish and turn the heat back up to medium-high and continue cooking, uncovered, or until most of the liquid is absorbed, but the mixture is still creamy.

Dish and garnish with the remaining cheese and parsley. This goes great with a pork tenderloin! Enjoy! Get the original recipe here.