I went to a fancy schmancy restaurant once a few years ago and felt so sophisticated ordering the butternut squash risotto they had on special. It was rich and creamy and yummy and I remember thinking I would love to try and make it at home. I did eventually get the courage to make a risotto but I started out with just a simple Parmesan risotto. It wasn’t as scary as people had made it out to be but still it was a lot of work to stand at the stove that long just stirring. It’s one of those dishes you can do so much with by changing up what you add to it and it can make a satisfying main dish or side that can go with so many dishes. I knew I needed to find an easier way to add it to our line-up and find a way to make crock pot butternut squash risotto.
I remember so well when I was doing my morning blog search for recipes and happened to come across a recipe for risotto in the crockpot! I’m pretty sure I ran right out to the store and picked up the ingredients so we could have it for dinner. Again, it was just a basic risotto, but it was so exciting to throw all the ingredients in the crockpot and walk away. It was delicious and I decided at that point I could find a way create a crock pot butternut squash risotto recipe.
After a few versions I think I have finally found it! I could eat this for lunch all week and in fact I think I will! It would be really good paired up with a crisp green salad with a creamy dressing. Is it lunch time yet?…
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups arborio rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 12 oz bag frozen butternut squash
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons Gorgonzola cheese
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Mix the rice and olive oil in the crock
- Add remaining ingredients except for the cheese and butter
- Give it a stir and cover
- Cook on high for 2 - 3 hours
- Add cheeses and butter and stir to combine
- Let sit for just a few minutes for the cheese and butter to melt
Nutrition
Do keep in mind this will not not be quite the same texture as a risotto cooked on the stove. It will be a little softer but will still have the same great flavor without all the work!
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I made this, minus the garlic and onion (my boyfriend is at the 3 week point of Crohn’s flare).
And it was beyond delicious ! 2 hours was the magic spot for my slow cooker, creamy rich and so flavorful. It was a joy to have something new that fit his diet restrictions,& not bland for dinner tonight.
Even my Creole mother loved it and asked for leftovers to go….
(she would be the first to tell you mushy rice has no place in her home, except the garbage bin.)
Thank you, this recipe made a tonight a fun memory after a very hard, frustrating month.
I can not wait to make this again with the garlic & onion!
I’m so glad you loved it and were able to enjoy this with your family!
Hello! I am going to make this tomorrow and add chicken thigh fillets. I was thinking of putting all the ingredients except for the rice on in the morning, and cooking them on Low for 7-8 hours so the chicken is nice and soft, and only adding the rice towards the end so it doesn’t go super mushy. Would I still need to give the rice 2-3 hours to cook? And does it depend on the liquid etc? What would you recommend? Thank you!
Hey there! I haven’t tested out chicken with this recipe, but it sounds like it would make a yummy meal! You’ll still need the same liquid to rice ratio to properly make the risotto, so I’d still plan on 2-3 hours for that part. Alternativly you could pre-cook the chicken and add it at the end. Let me know how it turns out!
Can you double the recipe? Will it add cooking time?
Yes, you will need to use a larger slow cooker and the cooking time may increase slightly. I suggest just keeping an eye on it after the stated cooking time.
Can you use sweet potatoes instead of butternut squash?
I wouldn’t recommend it. The potatoes have a different consistency and starch content and wouldn’t work well in the recipe as written.
Question: can you use fresh instead of frozen butternut squash & if so would it change the cook time? Thanks!
Yes, you can but I can’t speak to the cook time as I haven’t tested this out yet.
What size slow cooker do you recommend?
A 5-6 quart is best for this recipe.
Hi there,
Is this suitable for freezing? I’ll have a lot of leftovers from this. I’ve made it before and is delicious!! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I don’t think it will freeze well. I would halve the recipe instead.
This was good, but if your not a fan of onions you might want to omit. I only like carmelized onions and even though they were cooking for 3 hours it’s still very onion-y! Next time I will either sauté before hand or omit in general. My husband who hates onions said he won’t eat this dish 🙁 otherwise it was good and very easy to make
Thanks for your feedback! I was reading through comments specifically to see if I should saute the onions ahead of time. 2 hours in the crock pot does not seem long enough to make the onions as soft as I would like them. Going to saute them first! I love the flavor of onion, but I think the crunch would ruin a creamy rissoto!
Made this at my desk today for the holiday potluck (premeasured/chopped this morning, threw it all in the crockpot at my desk, set to cook for 2.5 hrs on high, & done). It was perfect! I thought about doubling the recipe, but given the number of other dishes there’d be, I didn’t – I made the right choice as there was hardly any leftover.
Everyone who tried it, loved it!
Thank you!