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Acorn Squash Rice with Nutmeg & Toasted Herbs

This acorn squash rice is a mixture between a risotto and a soup, but requires half the effort of both. It screams fall flavors with toasted rosemary, sage and thyme, but is balanced perfectly with a little nutmeg and paprika to add some fun new layers of flavor.
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Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:45 minutes
Total Time:1 hour
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: acorn squash, nutmeg, rice
Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

  • 1 dutch oven
  • 1 blender

Ingredients

  • 1 cup wild rice
  • 1/2 cup brown rice
  • 300 grams cooked acorn squash about 1 small (500g raw) acorn squash
  • 150 grams white onion
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup sage leaves
  • 4 sprigs thyme
  • 2-3 sprigs rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes stored in oil
  • 1 cup vegetable stock
  • Olive oil as needed
  • Kosher salt as needed
  • Parmesan cheese as needed for topping

Instructions

  • Set your oven to 400°F.
  • Drizzle the onion and garlic with olive oil and wrap in foil wrap. This is so the onion will cook without adding any color, and so the garlic will roast until soft without burning.
  • Roast the acorn squash, onion and garlic at 400°F for 20-30 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
  • Toast the sage leaves, thyme and rosemary in a dutch oven for 1-2 minutes or until they are bright green and fragrant, set aside but reserve a few sage leaves for garnish.
  • Rinse the wild rice and brown rice and add to the dutch oven, cover with 2 and 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 20-30 minutes or until almost all of the water has evaporated.
  • When the squash, onion and garlic are out of the oven, add them to a blender, add in the toasted herbs, paprika, nutmeg, cayenne, sun-dried tomatoes and stock. Blend until very smooth. Season with salt as needed.
  • Pour the squash purée into the dutch oven with the rice and put the dutch oven on low heat. Stir to combine the purée with a bit of the cooking liquid that will be left behind. You want this to be right between a risotto and a soup, add vegetable stock as needed. Let this mixture bubble for a few minutes to help meld the flavors and remove any toughness leftover in the rice.
  • Scoop into bowls and top with a bit too much parmesan. Add sage leaves for garnish and serve warm!