Risotto with pumpkin and bacon

Serves: 4

Time to make: 45 mins

Ingredients

More weights & measures

1 ½ cups arborio rice

olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup chopped pumpkin (cut in 1cm cubes)

2-3 rashers bacon or a sausage

2 cups salt-reduced chicken stock

2 cups water

parmesan or other cheese, grated

coriandercilantroX or parsley, chopped (to garnish)

Instructions

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1 Heat stock in a saucepan and set aside on the stove at a gentle simmer.

2 In another pan, sauté onion and garlic in oil, add bacon and sauté (keep moving around the pan) until the fat runs.

3 Stir in the chopped pumpkin and arborio rice. Mix well until rice is coated in the oils and the pan is drying out. Add a couple of ladles full of hot stock and stir occasionally while the stock is absorbed.

4 Repeat the process until the rice is soft and creamy and the pumpkin tender. Don’t slosh all the stock and water in at one go, as the rice needs the heat and stirring to release the starch that produces the distinctive creamy texture. Stir regularly, not constantly.

5 When the risotto is soft and creamy, check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if required. Finish with a sprinkle of grated cheese.

6 Serve in bowls with some chopped fresh herbs, salad and crusty bread.

HFG tip

To cut pumpkin, place in a plastic bag and throw hard against a concrete path. The pumpkin will split in half. Scoop out the seeds and discard, cut the pumpkin into wedges, then pare off the skin.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 375 cal

Kilojoules 1590 kJ

Protein 12 g

Total fat 5 g

Saturated fat 2 g

Carbohydrates 70 g

Sugar 5 g

Dietary fibre 49 g

Sodium 720 mg

Calcium 60 mg

Iron 1 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.