Turkey Pumpkin Risotto

Every thanksgiving I find myself with heaps of left-over turkey and one can have only so many turkey sandwiches so I decided I needed to find a good go-to recipe for turkey leftovers.

My mum always had made Turkey Divan each year but last year I tried it out on Shawn and he's not a huge fan. Luckily I wasn't that attached to Turkey Divan so I was able to shake off the shadows of my childhood memories and start my search for a new recipe. And then I thought of it.

Chicken Pumpkin Risotto...


When I was in Australia living with my Aunt and Uncle I was treated to some of the most amazing cooking I have ever had. My aunt is amazing. Every night she would pump out a 3-part dinner that was different than the day before, healthy and ridiculously delicious. If I could be 1/10th of a cook she is... but that's prob not gonna happen. So I will settle for stealing one of her recipes.

Just to set some things straight first: in Australia they refer to Butternut Squash as 'pumpkin' and measure ingredients by weight (inconvenient I know, luckily Chelsey has a food scale) and I obviously swapped turkey for the chicken. The other thing is the picture... I forgot to take a picture of the dish until Shawn and I had devoured half of it so this is why the food looks a lil pushed off to the side, promise it tastes so much better than my pictures suggest.

In Canada we tend to think of pumpkin/butternut squash primarily for deserts but Australia taught me that it can shine in savory dishes. And here's the main thing, this is delicious! It seems like such a fancy dinner but here's the even better thing. It's so easy! It's the easiest risotto you will ever make. Hands down. So if you find yourself with lots of extra turkey then you need to try this.

INGREDIENTS*

2 c.      Arborio Rice

5 c.      chicken stock

120 g.  butter (I never use the whole amount)

700 g.  diced pumpkin (butternut squash)

700 g.  turkey leftovers

1/4 c.   freshly grated Parmesan 

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 190 C (oh ya, they actually use Celsius on their oven...)

2. If you are not using turkey leftovers or a precooked chicken then you will want to cook the meat as to your liking.

3. Combine the rice, chicken stock, diced pumpkin, and chicken in a casserole dish that has a lid.

4. Cook for 30-60 minutes (once the pumpkin is tender and the stock has been absorbed it is done)

5. Mix in the fresh grated parmesan and add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper and a touch of salt. 

6. Enjoy and bask in the glory of how delicious and easy this whole thing was.

*this recipe makes ALOT so if it's just you and your hubby or for just a few people, try halving the recipe so you won't be eating leftovers for 3 weeks.