Pumpkin Bacon Risotto – A Scrumptious Dish to Dig into

Many of you out there may think that risotto is an Italian dish which is really difficult to prepare. Yet, I beg to differ. In fact, I think that it’s one of the biggest cooking myths out there. Take this pumpkin bacon risotto for example, not only is it an easy peasy dish to prepare, but it’s also great fun to make once you’ve mastered the basics!

I started preparing risotto with my mother a few years ago after trying it at a local Italian restaurant. Initially, I started by making a favorite of mine – mushroom and bacon risotto. And over the years, I’ve found that it’s fairly easy to make once you’ve got the process down to the tee. Fundamentally, all you need to create this dish is some time on your hands, a wee bit of patience and of course the right ingredients.

Once it’s done, you’ll be able to dig in and enjoy a scrumptious hearty meal which will make your neighbors jealous! Below you’ll find my recipe for pumpkin bacon risotto, complete with ingredients, directions and serving amount.
My inspiration behind the Bacon Pumpkin Risotto Dish

After the Christmas holidays and a much-needed vacation, I vowed I would eat less cake, bread and greasy foods. But alas the nearest Pizza Hut, located a mere 5-minutes away from the office, had been calling my name for the last week and I couldn’t bear it. I just had to go. So, I grabbed the vouchers that had been sitting on my desk for almost 3 weeks, dumped them in my pocket and off I headed with a friend  to the land of cheesy dreams and pizza.

Sure, it was tasty. I can’t argue with that; fast food almost never disappoints in that aspect. Yet, the large pepperoni and the medium Hawaiian pizza we scoffed down whilst fighting pangs of hunger left us both bloated and with feelings of guilt as we headed back to the office.

To top it off, once we arrived, 3 birthday cakes lay on the kitchen table just waiting to be cut and consumed ( If you think I’m exaggerating , you’re totally wrong here. We did in fact have 3 colleagues celebrating their birthday on the same day). So, as you can imagine, yesterday was not the day for healthy eating.

Today on the other hand is. This evening I decided to make a healthy pumpkin bacon risotto- a simple dish packed with loads of flavour. 

Our Pumpkin Bacon Risotto Recipe

3 cloves garlic

1 onion

1/2 pumpkin

3 slices of bacon

A dash of cream

Salt to taste

Pepper

2 spoons flaked Parmesan

1/2 cup white wine

1 tablespoon butter

Utensils: 

Pan

How to Make Pumpkin Bacon Risotto

1. Chop up the garlic, onion, parsely, bacon and pumpkin into small chunks.
2. Heat one spoon of butter in a pan and wait until it melts.
3. Lightly fry the garlic, onions and parsely.
4. Throw in the pumpkin and bacon to blanch for 5 minutes.
5. Next add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of risotto.
6. Stir the mixture and simmer.
7. Every so often stir the mixture to make sure the rice absorbs the water and doesn’t stick to the pan.
8. Once the rice is no longer hard, add a splash of cream and season with salt and pepper.
9. Add the Parmesan and stir until melted.
10. Serve with a few flakes of Parmesan on top if desired.

Boun Appetite, your pumpkin bacon risotto is now ready to be served and eaten 

Made this already? Try some other Italian favorites:

• Spaghetti alla Vongole with Cherry Tomatoes
• Mozzarella and Tomato Salad