The most delicious, seasonal pumpkin risotto – full of fresh thyme, white wine, a little butter, honey for some sweetness, lots of parmesan cheese, and topped with crispy bacon & black pepper. It is the perfect side dish for any meal this time of year!
pumpkin risotto – the details
The pumpkin risotto starts off by rendering diced bacon slowly until crisp. A quick trick to make dicing raw bacon easier is to throw it in the freezer for 45 minutes or so to firm up. It’ll cut much, much more easily. Once the bacon is crisp, some onion gets cooked in the hot bacon fat.
Fresh thyme gets thrown into the pot, and then the arborio rice goes in. I like to toast the rice for a minute or so before starting the liquid-addition process. If you’ve never made risotto, the process involves slowly adding liquid to the rice and allowing the rice to absorb the liquid and expand as you stir.
It’s a simple process but takes a little bit of time to stir (trust me, it’s pretty relaxing though). You’ll want to make sure to heat the stock first so you’re not adding cold liquid to the pot and slowing the process down.
To make this risotto special and perfectly seasonal, we’re adding in a little pumpkin puree! I like to whisk the pumpkin into the hot stock before ladling it into the soup for the most even incorporation.
I initially made this by roasting fresh pumpkin, blending it up into a homemade puree, and using that for the risotto. While you can absolutely do this (I have a roasted pumpkin process in this pumpkin soup recipe), I found myself wanting to make this risotto on a weeknight and dreading cutting up a whole pumpkin. I just wanted to get right to the risotto and have dinner done in 30 minutes or so. So…I tried it with store-bought pumpkin puree and honestly it was JUST as good.
Probably due to the final finishing touches – a little butter, some honey for a subtle sweetness, and lots of grated parmesan cheese for a salty, nutty bite. All of these ingredients, plus the crispy bacon on top, makes for truly the most delicious risotto!
My suggestion? Swap out the whipped potatoes in this braised short rib dish and serve the meat over this pumpkin risotto instead. The BEST combination.
PrintPumpkin Risotto with Bacon & Parmesan
creamy pumpkin risotto with crispy bacon, white wine, fresh thyme, a drizzle of honey, and lots of parmesan cheese
servings: 4
Ingredients
- ½ lb bacon, diced
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 qt stock (vegetable or chicken)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 small bunch fresh thyme sprigs, tied in kitchen twine
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 cup arborio rice
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp honey
- ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add the bacon to a 5-6qt Dutch oven (or heavy-bottomed pot) in an even layer over medium heat. After about 3 minutes (once the bacon starts to release some fat and sizzle) turn the heat to medium-low. Continue to cook until crisp, about 12 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Add the diced onion to the hot bacon fat. Sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes until softened. Meanwhile, heat the stock in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until just barely simmering. Whisk in the pumpkin puree. Keep the liquid warm over low heat.
- Add the sprigs of thyme, a pinch of salt, and a few cracks of freshly cracked black pepper to the onions. Stir in the arborio rice. Allow to toast for a minute or so.
- Add the white wine. Use a wooden spoon to stir until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Start to ladle the heated stock into the pot, one ladle (or about a ½ cup measurement) at a time, stirring after each addition until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue until you’ve added all of the liquid. This process should take about 20-25 minutes or so.
- Remove the sprigs of thyme. Stir in the butter, honey, and a ½ cup of the parmesan cheese. Once the butter and cheese have melted, serve the risotto immediately. Garnish with the crispy bacon, remaining ¼ cup of parmesan, and more black pepper.
shop the dish: pumpkin risotto with bacon & parmesan
This is sooo good. I was worried the pumpkin would be overpowering, but I actually will add more next time. Delicious dish full of fall flavors!
So glad you loved it, Hannah! Thanks for the feedback, and I’m glad you thought the pumpkin worked well. A little extra sounds good in my book 🙂
This was lovely. Perfect for the first snowy eve. I used a butternut squash that I had grown, and added some “fresh dried sage” that I had from last summer and the teeniest pinch of nutmeg, as others suggested. I left out the honey, but I think maybe my squash was a bit more sweet after roasting than the pumpkin might be? It was wonderfully creamy.
Hi Kim! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback, and I love your modifications. I definitely want to try it with butternut squash. Glad you enjoyed! -Kayla
Just made this today and it was absolutely fantastic. Not even 3 hours later and the entire pot is gone- Its the perfect fall comfort food, and so easy to make!
This is AMAZING. I sadly didnt have fresh thyme and it was still great! I also used Pancetta instead of bacon. Incredible 10/10
Added sage & nutmeg per the other comments, used closer to 2-3 cups of pumpkin purée in the broth (and could’ve easily used more since the flavor is so mild), and used Trader Joe’s pumpkin butter instead of honey. I made this in advance for Friendsgiving and, although we didn’t eat it immediately so it wasn’t as creamy as I would’ve liked it to be, it helped to 1) undercook it beforehand so it’s al dente, 2) cool it immediately to stop further cooking, and 3) pick the cooking back up after transporting it and adding the rest of the broth and then the cheese, butter, and pumpkin butter right before serving. Still came out really good and super flavorful!!
Would love to take this to Thanksgiving at a friend’s house How would I keep the creaminess ?
How does this reheat? Wondering about making ahead for a thanksgiving side dish
We made it last week, and we warmed up the leftovers on the stove and it was still just as good!
This is one of the best dishes I’ve ever made! Tastes like restaurant quality! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Can I make this without bacon?
Do you ever drain the bacon fat after cooking the onions in it?
This is probably the best thing I’ve ever made in my life!! Added 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and lots of fresh sage. A perfect comforting meal for fall— delicious. ?
This is probably the best thing I’ve ever made in my life!l! Added 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and lots of fresh sage. A perfect comforting meal for fall— delicious. 🙂
Love the addition of sage and nutmeg. For clarity, you add purée to warm vd tick?
So sorry. Comment is wrong. You added purée to the warm stock?
I made this recipe for dinner last night and it was SO delicious. Easy to make and totally worth the patience of making risotto.