Acorn Squash Risotto with Rainbow Chard

This vibrant Acorn Squash Risotto features short grain brown rice, and gets its color from tender squash coupled with rainbow chard leaves and stems. Serve this acorn squash recipe as a plant-based appetizer, main dish, or side. It will be a crowd-pleaser in any instance!

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As the weather starts to get cool, veggie-loaded risottos are one of my favorite things to make!

Here in Minneapolis, we’ve been enjoying a gorgeous October, with temperatures in the high 60s and all day sunshine. But that’s about to change tonight. There’s snow in the forecast for Saturday, and I’m not too happy about it…

Even by Minnesota standards, an October snowstorm is rare and unwelcome! The only silver lining in this whole debacle is that I can really dive into cold weather food.

This Acorn Squash Risotto would be the perfect thing to hunker down and enjoy with snow falling out the window. It’s so warm and comforting! But if you don’t live in the Midwest, don’t worry, you can still enjoy it even without the unseasonable weather.

How to Make Acorn Squash Risotto (with brown rice!)

Unlike classic risottos, this recipe does not require constant stirring. You’ll still need to whirl your spoon around in the pot from time to time, but you can mostly prep this dish and forget it about it while it’s cooking.

This is partially because the recipe calls for short grain brown rice, which has a higher starch content than regular brown rice and makes for a perfectly creamy risotto.

Plus, short grain brown rice is a little more nutritious than arborio rice (which is typically used in risotto), since it has the whole grain intact.

To make this risotto:

• Dice a shallot and 3 garlic cloves. Cook them in a pot with some olive oil.
• Slice an acorn squash in half and remove the seeds. Then dice it into chunks. The squash eventually gets tender enough that is essentially disappears into the risotto, giving it a beautiful orange color. So it doesn’t matter what size your chunks are, and you also don’t need to peel it.
• Add the squash to the pot and cook for a few minutes before adding the vegetable stock and rice. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally.
• Uncover the pot after this time is up and stir in the chopped rainbow chard leaves and stems. Let the risotto simmer, uncovered, for another 5-10 minutes, or until more of the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the parmesan cheese and lemon juice. And enjoy!
• You can also roast the acorn squash seeds to use as a garnish, if desired. Simply rinse them off to remove any flesh, pat dry, then toss in olive oil and sea salt. Spread them out on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes at 300 degrees F.

Here are a few FAQs when it comes to cooking with acorn squash.

Is the skin on acorn squash edible?

Acorn squash skin is edible, but it’s important to cook it well enough so that it’s tender and easy to eat. Since the squash disintegrates into this risotto dish, you don’t need to peel it.

The skin is very high in fiber and provides a ton of nutrients, so that’s another reason to leave it on!

Is acorn squash healthy?

Similar to other winter squashes, acorn squash is loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and energizing complex carbohydrates. One cup of acorn squash provides 37% of the Daily Value for vitamin C. It’s also high in magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, and vitamin A.

Lastly, this recipe is an excellent reason to try rainbow chard, especially if you are not used to cooking with this leafy green or you need to use up extra chard that you have on hand!

Rainbow chard is also incredibly nutritious, and provides a large amount of potassium, magnesium, and plant-based calcium.

What to Serve with Acorn Squash Risotto

Risotto can be an appetizer, main dish, or side. It would go well with baked fish, chicken, turkey, or pork if you decide to make it as a side.

For other veggie-loaded risottos, check out: Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Brown Rice Risotto or Baked Brown Rice Risotto with Asparagus. And for more dishes with the headliner veggies, you may like the Maple Swiss Chard Salad with Turkey or Lentil Stuffed Acorn Squash.

I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.

📖 Recipe

Stay warm!

Lizzie