Pumpkin And Mushroom Risotto With Spinach

Mushrooms, spinach, celeriac and parsnip rice are cooked in a creamy pumpkin and broth sauce to produce this healthy nutrient dense pumpkin and mushroom risotto, made in just 25 minutes, half the time of regular risotto. Making risotto without traditional arborio rice and using diced celeriac and parsnip instead makes it a grain free allergy friendly meal the whole family will love that’s gluten free and dairy free. Perfect as a meal on its own or as a side dish to accompany numerous different foods.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you I will earn commission if you click on a link and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full disclaimer here. First published 9 October 2021. Last updated 3 October 2022.

For other fall recipes you may love these Pumpkin Spice Milk & Latte Recipes and Grain Free Porridge with Apple & Pear.

Jump to section:-

• Benefits of this recipe
• Ingredients
• Equipment needed
• Step by step instructions 
• Ingredient substitutions & variations
• Storage
• Diet requirements 
• Other fall & pumpkin recipes
• Other healthy allergy friendly recipes
• Recipe card

Benefits Of This Recipe 

• Dairy free and allergy friendly. This recipe uses pumpkin purée to make the risotto ultra creamy and indulgent. It’s the perfect healthy allergy friendly alternative to butter, cream and cheese that traditional risottos use.

• Grain free. Grains like rice contain anti nutrients which can make them difficult for some people to digest. It’s why they’re excluded on aip, paleo and whole30 diets. Although you can sprout rice before cooking it to remove the anti-nutrients, similar to these How To Sprout Chickpeas and How To Sprout Buckwheat posts, this recipe uses celeriac and parsnip rice as a simple and quick alternative.

• Quicker and easier to make than traditional risottos. Making risotto from scratch can be lengthy, requiring us to stand over the stove gradually adding the stock a ladleful at a time and stirring the rice regularly until each bit of liquid is absorbed for 20-30 minutes. Celeriac and parsnip rice is considerably easier and quicker to cook. It cuts the total cooking time in half, allowing you to have a nutrient dense risotto ready in just 25 minutes, that’s just as warm and comforting as traditional risotto.

• Kid and adult friendly. It’s a nutrient dense meal the whole family will love. 

Related Post: 20 Healthy Food Swaps 

Ingredients 

• Pumpkin purée (UK Link/US Link). Pumpkin is such a classic autumn and fall flavour. The purée makes the risotto ultra creamy and indulgent. This recipe uses tinned pumpkin purée which is ready to use straight away, saving you time and energy having to roast a pumpkin and then blending it to make purée yourself. 

• Bone broth (UK Link/US Link) or vegetable broth (use vegetable broth to make the risotto vegan and vegetarian).
  • Regular stocks and gravies may contain gluten and dairy, with even free-from products containing inflammatory added sugar, vegetable oils, preservatives, additives and emulsifiers. Bone broth is a great alternative as it is:-
    • Free from major allergens, preservatives and emulsifiers,
    • Contains collagen, which helps heal and strengthen the gut lining, 
    • High in numerous essential amino acids, like glycine and glutamine, which reduce inflammation and improve digestion.
  • However, many broths contain spices like black pepper that aren’t suitable for the autoimmune protocol. Australian Bone Broth Company’s or Trader Joe’s are two that are autoimmune protocol friendly.
  • To make a vegetarian and vegan pumpkin risotto, use vegetable broth instead. Most store bought vegetable broths contain nightshades like tomato and pepper, so if following a nightshade free diet or the autoimmune protocol, either make your own Gluten Free Broth From Vegetable Scraps or use bone broth.

• Mushrooms. I use closed cup mushrooms as I find these held their shape and firmer texture best when sliced and cooked.

• Spinach 

• Celeriac and parsnip. Used as a grain free replacement for rice. It’s easily made into rice by pulsing the vegetables in a food processor until it resembles rice sized pieces. 

• Onion and garlic cloves

• Dried ground sage & thyme to provide warm flavourings classic hearty flavourings that pair really well with pumpkin and mushroom.

Equipment Needed

• Weighing scales (UK Link/US Link)

• Measuring jug (UK Link/US Link)

• Measuring cups and spoons (UK Link/US Link)

• Chopping knife (UK Link/US Link)

• Food processor (UK Link/US Link)

• 14 inch/5 quart pot (UK Link/US Link)

• Mixing spoon (UK Link/US Link)

Step By Step Instructions

• Make the celeriac and parsnip rice by adding the celeriac and parsnip to a food processor and pulse until rice sized pieces are formed.

• In a pot, add 2 tablespoons of filtered water or broth. Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic, sage and thyme and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms have softened and are fork tender, adding more filtered water/broth when needed.

• Stir in the celeriac and parsnip rice and broth. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook for 10 minutes until all the broth has been absorbed, stirring occasionally, adding more broth if needed. 

• Turn the heat down to low and stir in the pumpkin purée and spinach. Cook until the spinach has wilted and the pumpkin purée is warmed through.

• Transfer the risotto to bowls and serve.

Ingredient Substitutions & Variations

• Spinach can be replaced with any other dark leafy green, such as kale or chard. If using an alternative, add it to the pan with the celeriac and parsnip rice.

• Celeriac and parsnip rice can be replaced with other vegetables like sweet potato, swede, butternut squash, turnip, cauliflower, beetroot or carrot. Make the rice in exactly the same way by pulsing it into rice sized pieces in a food processor.

• If not following a grain free diet, the autoimmune protocol, paleo or whole30 diets or Elimination Diet Phase 1 where rice is avoided, then celeriac and parsnip rice can be substituted for any type of rice.

Storage

After being left to cool completely the risotto can be stored in a glass airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days or freezer for up to 3 months. Label the container with the date stored so you know when to use it by. 

To eat it:-

• From the fridge – remove from the fridge. Transfer the contents into a saucepan and heat over a medium low heat until piping hot all the way through and at least 165°F or 75°C when tested with a food thermometer (UK Link/US Link) (1), stirring occasionally and adding more broth if needed.

• From the freezer – transfer the risotto from the freezer to the fridge and leave to defrost overnight or for at least for 12 hours or until completely thawed. Then transfer the risotto into a saucepan and heat as detailed above, over a medium low heat until piping hot all the way through and at least 165°F or 75°C when tested with a food thermometer (UK Link/US Link) (1), stirring occasionally and adding more broth if needed. 

Diet Requirements

This pumpkin, mushroom and spinach risotto is:-

• Gluten free

• Dairy free

• Wheat free

• Soy free

• Egg free

• Nut free

• Seed free

• Oil free

• Grain free 

• Refined sugar free

• Nightshade free

• Vegan (use vegetable broth)

• Vegetarian (use vegetable broth)

• Paleo

• Autoimmune protocol (AIP)(use bone broth)

• Whole30

Other Autumn/Fall & Pumpkin Recipes

• Healthy Pumpkin Spice Milk & Latte

• Grain Free Porridge With Apple & Pear 

Other Allergy Friendly Recipes

• Healthy Turmeric Panna Cotta With Agar Agar

• Healthy Bliss Balls with Wild Blueberry and Lemon

• Chocolate Pancake Recipe Without Eggs Milk & Sugar

• Healthy Tropical Popsicles (Sugar Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free)

• Tomato Free Bolognese With Tuna (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

Contact Me & Follow Me On Social Media 

I hope you enjoy this pumpkin spinach and mushroom risotto. If you make it, I would love to see your risottos. Leave me a rating and comment below and tag me on social media – I’m on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube – and use the hashtag #lbhealthandlifestyle.

Recipe Card

Pumpkin and Mushroom Risotto with Spinach

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 2

Mushrooms, spinach, celeriac and parsnip rice are cooked in a creamy pumpkin and broth sauce to produce this healthy nutrient dense risotto, made in just 25 minutes, half the time of regular risotto. It's a grain free allergy friendly meal the whole family will love, that’s gluten free and dairy free. Perfect as a meal on its own or as a side dish to accompany numerous different foods.

Pin Recipe Print Recipe

US Customary – Metric

Equipment

• Weighing scales
• Measuring jug
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Chopping knife
• Food processor
• 14 inch/5 quart pot
• Mixing spoon

Ingredients

• 1 tin pumpkin puree
• 0.5 lbs mushrooms sliced
• 5.5 oz spinach
• 0.5 lbs celeriac peeled and chopped
• 0.5 lbs parsnip peeled and chopped
• 1 medium onion finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves finely minced
• 1.33 cups bone broth plus extra for frying. Use vegetable broth for vegan/vegetarian.
• 2 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp dried thyme

Instructions

• Make the celeriac and parsnip rice by adding the celeriac and parsnip to a food processor and pulse until rice sized pieces are formed.
• In the pot, add 2 tablespoons of filtered water or broth. Add the mushrooms, onion, garlic, sage and thyme and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms have softened and are fork tender, adding more filtered water/broth when needed.
• Stir in the celeriac and parsnip rice and broth. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook for 10 minutes until all the broth has been absorbed, stirring occasionally, adding more broth if needed. 
• Turn the heat down to low and stir in the pumpkin purée and spinach. Cook until the spinach has wilted and the pumpkin purée is warmed through.
• Transfer the risotto to bowls and serve.

Notes

Links. Above links are for US readers. Links for UK readers – pumpkin puree, bone broth, vegetable broth, dried sage, dried thyme, weighing scales, measuring jug, measuring cups & spoons, chopping knife, 5 quart pot, mixing spoon, food processor.

Storage. After being left to cool completely the risotto can be stored in a glass airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days or freezer for up to 3 months. Label the container with the date stored so you know when to use it by. 

To reheat to eat:-

• From the fridge – remove from the fridge. Transfer the contents into a saucepan and heat over a medium low heat until piping hot all the way through and at least 165°F or 75°C when tested with a food thermometer (UK Link/US Link) (1), stirring occasionally and adding more broth if needed.
• From the freezer – transfer the risotto from the freezer to the fridge and leave to defrost overnight or for at least for 12 hours or until completely thawed. Then transfer the risotto into a saucepan and heat as detailed above, over a medium low heat until piping hot all the way through and at least 165°F or 75°C when tested with a food thermometer (UK Link/US Link) (1), stirring occasionally and adding more broth if needed. 

Nutrition. Nutrition information is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is only intended for reference only.

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 140mg | Potassium: 1061mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 20203IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 11mg

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