Bacon and butternut baked risotto

This easy recipe for oven baked bacon and butternut risotto is served with feta and rocket. Ready in under an hour, and no constant stirring required! 

This Bacon and Butternut Baked Risotto is so delicious, served with fresh rocket and feta scattered on top. The risotto is baked in the oven so it takes the hassle out of standing at the stove and stirring the whole time like you would with a standard risotto. 

This is a great family recipe and my two young sons love it (after they remove the rocket). It's always so good when you put effort in to dinner and your kids eat it.

How to make this easy baked risotto:

Start on the the stove top by sautéing onion then frying bacon. Stir in the arborio rice and add the chicken stock - too easy! You can use any flavour stock you like. This recipe would also work well without the bacon for a vegetarian option. 

Cube the butternut pumpkin then add a drizzle of olive oil until coated and bake on a non-stick oven tray, turning once during cooking. Your risotto will be ready after 35 minutes covered in the oven, about the same time it takes to cook the pumpkin. 

Finish off the risotto by stirring through butter and grated fresh parmesan cheese. Then scatter over the roasted pumpkin cubes, fresh rocket and crumbled feta. 

If you love the idea of a baked risotto, don't go past my recipes for Baked Chicken and Bacon Risotto as well as Baked Risotto with Mushroom and Sausage.

Common questions about Bacon and butternut baked risotto:

Is this a good meal for entertaining? This is the perfect dish to impress your friends at a dinner party.  Serve it into bowls at the table or let your guests help themselves. You could bulk up the meal with some crusty garlic bread on the side. 

What kind of pumpkin should I use? Butternut squash or any kind of pumpkin would work well in this recipe. 

Can I make this recipe vegetarian? Yes it turns out super delicious, just leave out the bacon after sautéing the onion at the start.  

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*Disclaimer*
If you want to make this recipe gluten free: Always check the label on processed foods, including sauce bottles.

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Bacon and Butternut Baked Risotto

Yield: 6 serves

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

A delicious risotto filled with bacon and cooked pumpkin, topped with feta and rocket.

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Ingredients

• ½ butternut squash / pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 200g bacon rashers, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1½ cups arborio rice
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 25g butter
• ½ cup grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
• 50g fresh rocket leaves
• 50g feta

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC fan bake. 
2. Peel and cube the butternut then coat in 1 Tbsp olive oil, spread onto a non-stick oven tray and bake for 40 minutes or until golden, turning once during cooking.
3. In an ovenproof dish, sauté onion with 1 Tbsp olive oil for a few minutes, add bacon and brown. Add crushed garlic and stir through.
4. Add rice and pour stock in slowly while stirring it all together. Cover and put into oven.
5. Cook for 35 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking.
6. Remove from oven and add butter and parmesan. Fold together until butter has melted.
7. Scatter over roasted butternut cubes and fresh rocket. Crumble over the feta. 
8. Season to taste and serve immediately with more freshly grated parmesan.

Notes

Always check the label on processed foods, including sauce bottles, to ensure they are completely gluten free.

• You can leave the rocket off if you have fussy kids!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 429Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 1059mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 21g

Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.