Pumpkin and Sage Risotto – without grains or dairy!

Pumpkin Sage Risotto

Yeah, I know. Pumpkin. Please. The barrage of pumpkin-spice-ification is neverending. And it’s not even Thanksgiving yet.

But! It occurred to me while I was idly wondering in the line at Starbucks why so many people drink SYRUP in their coffee out of choice that pumpkin, the real kind, would be a great way to add some yummy creamy richness to a meal. The kind of creaminess that I used to love in risotto and which I’d always assumed I could basically never eat again since going Paleo. Of course while I was thinking about all this deliciousness I was asked for my order and promptly blurted out “risotto”. Yup. Coffee people look at you very strangely when you don’t order coffee. And that is the story of how this grain and dairy free version of risotto came to be. Awesome. Also awesome? This is a one pot weeknight meal that is great as lunch the next day. Or breakfast. I’m not picky.

The most annoying part of this, however, is that I only own a mini food processor. Which always makes me mad when I want to rice a cauliflower. ‘Cause doing it in 5 batches is tedious and I drop cauliflower crumbs everywhere. Here’s my baby processor in action. Pulse it, don’t puree, people.

And here’s a good closeup of the cauliflower so you can see the texture. It’s kinda pretty!

While I was cussing at cruciferous vegetables, I was also heating up a little oil in a large pan. So I could add my diced onion and pepper and saute away merrily.

Once the onion started taking on a little color, I had to go find my cauliflower again.

And add it to the pan.

With seasonings and stock.

Then I simmered everything while covered so that the cauliflower would soften. Then I uncovered the pan to cook off the leftover stock.

Then I added the pumpkin and coconut milk and simmered while covered some more. Once the cauliflower was almost cooked through, I uncovered the pan and cooked it for a few more minutes to thicken it up and get it to risotto consistency. Noms!

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Pumpkin and Sage Risotto – without grains or dairy!

No grains are required in this Paleo pumpkin and sage risotto, as it uses cauliflower in place of rice. The pumpkin keeps the creamy texture without dairy!

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1/2 bell pepper, diced
  • 1 head of cauliflower, riced in food processor or grated
  • 1/2 cup stock of your choice
  • 1 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
  • 2/3 cup coconut milk
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • Fresh sage and nutmeg to taste
  • Oil of your choice

Instructions

  1. Roughly chop the cauliflower and pulse in food processor until rice-sized. Set aside.
  2. In a large pan, saute your diced onion and pepper in a little oil until softened.
  3. Add the cauliflower, sage, seasonings, tomato paste and stock to the pan and simmer covered for 10 minutes.
  4. Uncover the pan and cook off any remaining liquid.
  5. Add the pumpkin puree and coconut milk, simmer covered for 5 minutes.
  6. Uncover and thicken to risotto-like creaminess, 5 – 10 minutes.
  7. Top with grated nutmeg and serve.

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