I love it when I make something and then think of other ways to use the same ingredients. I was tidying out my freezer the other day (as you do!) and found a bag of frozen butternut squash that had been lurking in the depths of my freezer. Little Lady loves butternut squash but I haven’t used it for a while so I decided to attempt to make her some risotto. You know me well enough by now to know that I have no patience in the kitchen so I wasn’t going to stand there stirring my rice for hours to get the perfect risotto so I came up with my own version that, as usual, is far easier to make than the proper one. I then decided to experiment with the cooked risotto and see what, if any, finger foods I could make from it. So here is the result of my experimenting – Easy Butternut Risotto 3 ways!

Butternut Squash “Risotto”:

I can’t really call this proper risotto as I didn’t stir it for ages, it doesn’t use arborio rice and has no stock but its a creamy rice dish so that’s good enough for me

5 cubes of frozen butternut squash (about 200-300g fresh butternut squash)

100g rice (I used long grain but you could use any type)

75g grated cheddar cheese

3 tbsp cream cheese

75ml milk

Cook the rice until it is soft. Cook the butternut squash – I used the microwave for my frozen squash but you can also cook it in a pan with some water. Mash or puree the cooked squash until it is smooth(ish). Add the cream cheese and stir it well to mix it in. Add this mixture to the drained rice and then add the milk and the grated cheese and stir until it all comes together in a “risotto” type consistency. Not attractive but yummy!

Butternut Squash Risotto Muffins:

I love trying to make anything into a muffin so why should risotto be any different! This recipe uses the finished risotto from above but adds in one beaten egg into the mixture which helps the muffins set. Once you have mixed the egg into the risotto spoon the mixture into silicone muffin tins or well greased muffins.

Bake in the oven on 190 degrees C for 30 minutes or until the top of the muffin feels firm and springy to the touch.

Butternut Squash Risotto Balls:

I have lots of friends with children with egg allergies so I always try to find ways to make finger food without eggs. This recipe again uses the finished risotto but I then scooped up small amounts (make sure your hands are wet as this mixture is very sticky!) and rolled them into balls then rolled the balls in breadcrumbs.

Bake in the oven on 190 degrees C for 30 minutes turning half way until they are firm to the touch.

All these recipes can be frozen and defrosted at a later stage then warmed up.