Magic Butternut Squash Risotto

Plant-based risotto and BLW arancini sticks

Risotto is one of those meals that I find super versatile. It seems to adapt effortlessly to whatever seasonal veggies I have in the fridge, as well as a variety of herbs and spices (fresh or dried). The outcome always seems to be delicious to me. Once my children were weaning, I adapted my classic risotto recipe that I had enjoyed many times over the years to now suit my weaning baby. It is autumn at the moment so I am using butternut squash as the main vegetable, but feel free to substitute this for what is in season or in your fridge at the time!

Adapting for baby-led weaning

Well it was time to remove the wine(!) which I had always thought gave my risotto it’s amazing depth, but I was pleasantly surprised as it is still packed with flavour. I also switched to very low salt stock cubes as baby’s kidney’s are immature and can’t handle salt at this young age. When I chop my vegetables, I also take into account what stage of weaning my babies are at and adjust the size of the vegetables to suit their little hands and skills.

If you’ve followed my work recently you might already know that I’m a fan of baby-led weaning partly because family time is important to me, so I like to cook meals that the whole family can enjoy. It is also a great opportunity to role model healthy eating habits, as my weaning baby and toddler see me and my husband eating the same as them. This can also help with food acceptance too.

Why is my risotto magic?

My eldest daughter is 3 and a half years old now, but I remember the first time she ate risotto as a weaning baby she actually slept through for a few more hours that night, I was amazed! This had NEVER happened! She was a breastfed baby and normally woke frequently at night for snuggles & feeds.

I gave her risotto leftovers the following evening for dinner and she slept a bit better again and the third night too! I began to think risotto was ‘magic’… ha!

Of course, this trend didn’t continue, and I ran out of risotto too! But I have had happy connotations with risotto ever since (perhaps it was because I had a little extra sleep). I’m now weaning my second child and she enjoys it too. Although the risotto magic didn’t appear this time around but we still all enjoy it as a family.

So, on that note you might want to give my ‘magic’ risotto a try for your family and weaning baby. I know many people can think risotto can be time intensive and I’ve definitely felt like that when thinking of making it in the past. However, it is a labour of love for your family and in my opinion well worth the extra effort on the odd occasion. I also recently started making arancini balls with left over risotto and WOW they were amazing. I would suggest cook up a big batch and you can re-purpose the leftovers into snacks and meals that can be used for a couple of days afterwards.

Check out the recipes below for the original butternut squash risotto and then how to reinvent your leftovers in to the tastiest arancini sticks for little hands and balls for the grown-ups. You will not be disappointed! 

Top tip - I like to double the recipe below for a meal the next day and enough for arancini as well.

Nutritional benefits

Rice - provides a great source of carbohydrates, which your baby's body will use for energy for growth, development and being active and learning to move.

Canellini beans - I like to mix these in (or whatever beans you have on hand) to add some protein and also different textures for my little one to explore. You can cut the beans in half depending on what stage of weaning your little one is at. Beans are also a good source of fiber.

Butternut squash - is a great source of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin A and vitamin C. It's bright orange colour comes from the beta-carotene that the body converts to vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential for regulating cell growth, eye health and bone health. Whilst vitamin C is used for immune function, tissue repair and collagen synthesis. It also contains vitamin E, B vitamins, magnesium, potassium and manganese, the last three of which all contribute to bone health and are therefore great for your growing baby.

Herbs - are all packed with antioxidants and vitamins and can be a great addition to any meal to provide your baby with lots of exposure to different and interesting flavours. I vary the herbs I use depending on what's available, in this recipe my favourites are either sage, rosemary or parsley. Experiment and see which ones your baby enjoys!

Nutritional yeast flakes - provide essential vitamins and minerals, especially B12 used for keeping nerves and blood cells healthy.

Suitable for reheating within three days, not suitable for freezing

Butternut Squash Risotto

Course: Main course

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Serves 2 adults, 1 toddler and a BLW baby (with plenty left for arancini balls, see below).

Risotto ingredients

1.5 litres very low salt vegetable stock (I use one kallo stock cube made up with boiled water)

500g butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut in to large 1cm chunks or rectangles depending on how well your baby can grasp their food

2 onions, peeled and finely diced

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced

3 rosemary sprigs, leaves removed and finely chopped

350g arborio rice

200g cooked canellini beans (half a tin drained & rinsed)

40g vegan Parmesan, finely grated or nutritional yeast

Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Pepper to season

Method

• Put the stock to simmer in a large pan and add the butternut squash. Cook until soft.
• Heat oil in a large open pan, add onions and sauté gently until translucent.
• Scoop the squash from the stock liquid and add to the onions along with the garlic and rosemary and stir together.
• Add the rice to the squash & onion mixture and stir. Add a couple of ladles of the stock mixture to the rice. Stir until the liquid has been absorbed and add some more stock. Keep stirring and adding additional stock until all of the stock has been used. If you require more liquid use additional boiling water. The rice should be cooked through and the texture thick and creamy.
• Stir in the canellini beans and allow to warm through
• Take off the heat and stir through the vegan Parmesan or nutritional yeast and the parsley if using.
• Season lightly with pepper if you wish.

You can refrigerate the leftovers. When using ensure it is reheated thoroughly and then allow to cool before offering to your baby.

Baked Arancini BLW Sticks (& balls for the grown ups!)

Made fully plant-based and baked in the oven, these are a genuine delight...

Course: Main course

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

Suitable for storage in the fridge and eating cold, not suitable for freezing.

How to use up left over risotto… reinvent it into arancini sticks for baby-led weaning which I’m certain your baby will enjoy.

Arancini balls can be filled with any combination of chopped veg, herbs, lentils or vegan cheeses however I prefer to keep them plain for my baby and serve them with a yummy home made tomato sauce for dipping.

Note: Ensure the arancini have cooled before offering them to your baby.

Ingredients

Left over butternut squash risotto

Granary breadcrumbs or panko

3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

Flax egg made with 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds and approx 80mls water

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

500g passata (sieved tomatoes)

1 garlic clove, minced

Fresh basil leaves

Method

• Using two open bowls place the flax egg in one and breadcrumbs in the second (my breadcrumbs were made by placing my choice of bread on a baking tray and heating through until firm and toasted, this creates the perfect ‘stale’ texture to blitz in the food processor for breadcrumbs) You can opt for shop bought panko style breadcrumbs if you wish. Pour the nutritional yeast flakes in to the breadcrumbs and roughly stir them in.
• Taking a small handful of cold risotto which should feel firm and sticky. Mould in to a small sausage shape which would be a nice size to fit your baby’s small hand.
• Roll the risotto stick in the flax mixture and then place in the breadcrumbs and cover well.
• Place on to a baking tray.
• Repeat the process making enough sticks to serve to your baby and children and if you choose roll the risotto in to larger round balls for a more traditional shape for the adults and older children.
• Cook in a preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden, you may need to turn each stick and ball individually half way through the cooking time.

Whilst your arancini are cooking make the tomato sauce.

• Add oil to a large pan, on a medium heat add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds, don’t allow the garlic to burn and pour in the sieved tomatoes and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes (if you’re in a rush then this can literally be heated up and doesn’t require simmering time). Roughly chop some fresh basil and stir through.

Once the arancini balls are cooked, allow to cool as the centre of the sticks may hold the heat and serve with the tomato sauce.

I cooked some roast vegetable sticks such as courgette, baby tomatoes and yellow peppers to serve with my family's meal however you can serve this with your choice of salad items, steamed veg or roast veg. This adds colour and extra nutrients to the meal.