Pumpkin Risotto with Bacon and Pine Nuts

This is my first submission to Allrecipes! This is a delicious, comforting risotto with the perfect balance of flavors. I love to experiment in the kitchen. My family loved this recipe, and I hope you do, too. It takes a lot of stirring and patience, but it's well worth it. Please let me know what you think!

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 451 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 small onion, minced
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ⅓ cup pine nuts
• 1 ½ cups Arborio rice
• 1 cup mashed pumpkin
• 6 cups hot chicken stock
• 3 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Cook and stir pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant and toasted, 2 to 5 minutes.

Step 2

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat; cook and stir onion in hot oil until soft, 4 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and pepper; cook and stir until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir Arborio rice into onion mixture; cook and stir until rice is coated with oil and lightly toasted, 1 to 3 minutes.

Step 3

Pour white wine into rice mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until wine is completely absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour hot chicken stock into rice mixture 1 ladle-full at a time, stirring until liquid is completely absorbed before adding the next, 3 to 7 minutes per ladle-full.

Step 4

Stir pumpkin, butter, and nutmeg into rice mixture until well-combined; remove from heat. Add Parmesan cheese, bacon, chives, and basil; stir until cheese is melted.