Anyone out there looking for complicated tedious recipes? Anyone? I didn't think so!!! With fast food, drive through window service, and convenience foods flying off the shelf, what was my butternut loving brain thinking when I posted the recipe for that gorgeous Spinach Butternut Risotto Cake a year ago?
It's a thing to behold, a savory and colorfully stratified "cake"
It's a thing to behold, a savory and colorfully stratified "cake"
that satisfies the comfort food beast in us all. Winter does that...turns us into heat seeking, carb' craving beasts, waiting by the oven with fork in hand, hoping for crisp edges and saucy satisfaction. And though last year's Spinach Butternut Risotto Cake delivered all that, it proved to be one of those "Do I really want to get that involved right now?" recipes. I could tell...it's a "looks pretty, sounds yummy, and we'll just leave it on the page" kind of recipe that belongs in a big, photo rich, coffee table cook book.
But I tell you, it's too good to leave there on the page! Trust me on this one, roasted butternut squash and spinach, encased in rich risotto never found better balance than a tangy marinara sauce! It's a cozy kind of plate that's a little kinder to your "bottom line". (And haven't you had enough pasta?) If you'd like to add a sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese, go for it! Perhaps some pine nuts...absolutely! And mushrooms...a definite contender. How about a dusting of nutritional yeast....whaaaaa??? Yes, I said nutritional yeast, my new favorite thing! But that's for another blog!
So here, just for you is a simpler and faster recipe that sacrifices nothing nutritionally, and delivers total satisfaction for the carb' craver in you! To speed things up, I use thawed frozen spinach, squeezed it out and lightly seasoned it with a bit of salt and garlic powder. I still made the risotto and roasted the butternut squash, but traded the spring form pan for a deep dish pie plate, making it a less tedious construction job. The original recipe includes feta cheese. In the interest of "simple", I skipped it here and results are still delicious!
As for the tomato sauce, no doubt a fresh chopped herb, garlic and onion sauce is best, but I offer here a quicker version, no slicing and dicing needed!
I hope this entices you to give it a try!
But I tell you, it's too good to leave there on the page! Trust me on this one, roasted butternut squash and spinach, encased in rich risotto never found better balance than a tangy marinara sauce! It's a cozy kind of plate that's a little kinder to your "bottom line". (And haven't you had enough pasta?) If you'd like to add a sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese, go for it! Perhaps some pine nuts...absolutely! And mushrooms...a definite contender. How about a dusting of nutritional yeast....whaaaaa??? Yes, I said nutritional yeast, my new favorite thing! But that's for another blog!
So here, just for you is a simpler and faster recipe that sacrifices nothing nutritionally, and delivers total satisfaction for the carb' craver in you! To speed things up, I use thawed frozen spinach, squeezed it out and lightly seasoned it with a bit of salt and garlic powder. I still made the risotto and roasted the butternut squash, but traded the spring form pan for a deep dish pie plate, making it a less tedious construction job. The original recipe includes feta cheese. In the interest of "simple", I skipped it here and results are still delicious!
As for the tomato sauce, no doubt a fresh chopped herb, garlic and onion sauce is best, but I offer here a quicker version, no slicing and dicing needed!
I hope this entices you to give it a try!
Easy Spinach & Butternut Risotto Pie
Makes 1 deep dish pie
Make the 4 components, recipes follow:
Tomato and Bay Leaf Risotto
Roasted Butternut Squash
Spinach Filling
Quick Marinara Sauce
To assemble the pie, butter a deep pie dish and coat it with bread crumbs.
Carefully spread half of the risotto (recipe follows) on the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. Crumble a layer of spinach (recipe follows) over the risotto. Distribute the butternut squash (recipe follows) evenly over the spinach, and top with remaining spinach, pressing the spinach into the squash a bit.
Mix the 2 eggs with a 1 tbsp water and pour over the butternut spinach filling. Spread the rest of the risotto over the filling to cover completely. Cover with foil.
Bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 minutes, removing foil cover after 30 minutes.
Serve with Quick Marinara Sauce (recipe below)
Tomato and Bay Leaf Risotto
1 small onion, small diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
4 Tb olive oil
1 bay leaf
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes or plain tomato sauce
1 Qt water or vegetable broth/stock
In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil and the onions, garlic, salt and pepper, and sweat on medium to low heat until transparent. Do not brown the onions. Add the bay leaf and rice, and stir to heat and coat each grain with the oil. Add the tomato sauce while stirring on medium heat. Continue to stir while adding about a cup of the water. On medium heat, continue to cook while stirring. When most of the liquid is absorbed, add another cup and repeat until the entire quart has been incorporated into the rice and absorbed until the result is a creamy starchy risotto base. Add additional salt and pepper if needed. The entire process cooking your risotto will take about 25- 30 minutes.
Butternut Squash
1 small to medium butternut squash, cut into small dice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
In a large pan, toss butternut squash with oil, salt and pepper. Roast in 400 degree oven until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven.
Spinach Filling
1 lb frozen spinach, thawed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs, in a separate bowl, with 1 tbsp water to loosen them up a bit
Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach. In a small bowl, mix the spinach with the salt and garlic powder. Set aside. In a separate small bowl, scramble the eggs with the water and a touch of salt.
Quick Marinara Sauce
1 28 oz can of peeled ground tomatoes (I love Pastene brand)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or to taste)
1 Tbsp onion flakes
1 Tbsp dried basil leaf
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaf
1/4 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil until warm. Remove from heat and add the onion flakes and the garlic powder, allowing them to soften and "bloom" a bit, for a few minutes. Do not burn! Add the tomato sauce and the rest of the dried herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer on low for 1/2 hour. Remove from heat. This sauce is always better the next day.
Makes 1 deep dish pie
Make the 4 components, recipes follow:
Tomato and Bay Leaf Risotto
Roasted Butternut Squash
Spinach Filling
Quick Marinara Sauce
To assemble the pie, butter a deep pie dish and coat it with bread crumbs.
Carefully spread half of the risotto (recipe follows) on the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. Crumble a layer of spinach (recipe follows) over the risotto. Distribute the butternut squash (recipe follows) evenly over the spinach, and top with remaining spinach, pressing the spinach into the squash a bit.
Mix the 2 eggs with a 1 tbsp water and pour over the butternut spinach filling. Spread the rest of the risotto over the filling to cover completely. Cover with foil.
Bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 minutes, removing foil cover after 30 minutes.
Serve with Quick Marinara Sauce (recipe below)
Tomato and Bay Leaf Risotto
1 small onion, small diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
4 Tb olive oil
1 bay leaf
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes or plain tomato sauce
1 Qt water or vegetable broth/stock
In a medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil and the onions, garlic, salt and pepper, and sweat on medium to low heat until transparent. Do not brown the onions. Add the bay leaf and rice, and stir to heat and coat each grain with the oil. Add the tomato sauce while stirring on medium heat. Continue to stir while adding about a cup of the water. On medium heat, continue to cook while stirring. When most of the liquid is absorbed, add another cup and repeat until the entire quart has been incorporated into the rice and absorbed until the result is a creamy starchy risotto base. Add additional salt and pepper if needed. The entire process cooking your risotto will take about 25- 30 minutes.
Butternut Squash
1 small to medium butternut squash, cut into small dice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
In a large pan, toss butternut squash with oil, salt and pepper. Roast in 400 degree oven until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven.
Spinach Filling
1 lb frozen spinach, thawed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs, in a separate bowl, with 1 tbsp water to loosen them up a bit
Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach. In a small bowl, mix the spinach with the salt and garlic powder. Set aside. In a separate small bowl, scramble the eggs with the water and a touch of salt.
Quick Marinara Sauce
1 28 oz can of peeled ground tomatoes (I love Pastene brand)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or to taste)
1 Tbsp onion flakes
1 Tbsp dried basil leaf
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaf
1/4 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil until warm. Remove from heat and add the onion flakes and the garlic powder, allowing them to soften and "bloom" a bit, for a few minutes. Do not burn! Add the tomato sauce and the rest of the dried herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer on low for 1/2 hour. Remove from heat. This sauce is always better the next day.
RSS Feed