Cauliflower Pumpkin Risotto (Paleo, Whole30, AIP)
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This cauliflower pumpkin risotto is a delicious autumn side dish! It’s the perfect balance of savory or lightly sweet and is paleo, whole30, and AIP compliant.
I just love pumpkin season. Pumpkin is often seen as just another sweet treat but in reality, it can be a great ingredient for savory dishes. Pumpkin soup, pumpkin chili, and this cauliflower pumpkin risotto!
Risotto is one of those dishes that I never really took full advantage of when I was eating grains. I started to regret that when I went grain free, but not for long! Even though risotto is a rice-based dish, it’s easy to make grain free with cauliflower rice. Not only does this simple swap make it grain free, but it instantly ups the nutrient density and makes this a much healthier dish than traditional risotto.
Risotto is one of those dishes that seems super fancy and complicated, but it really doesn’t have to be! This risotto is simple to make but still impresses your family and friends regardless.
The Ingredients You’ll Need for this Cauliflower Pumpkin Risotto
Cauliflower rice
Cauliflower rice is the swap for rice in this dish. You can buy pre-riced cauliflower from stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts, and even Target, or get a whole head of cauliflower and rice it in the food processor.
Pumpkin
Gotta, have the pumpkin this time of year right? I used canned pureed pumpkin.
Chicken Broth
Chicken broth gives added flavor and body to the risotto. Chicken broth is mild and pairs better with the flavors for this dish, but you can also use a very mild flavored vegetable broth or beef broth.
Bacon
I’m always for adding bacon to savory dishes. The bacon adds some extra fat and protein, and flavor! You don’t need the bacon, but trust me… you’re going to want it.
Dried cranberries
Make sure to get a sugar and oil free variety of dried cranberries like these.
Sage and parsley
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Cauliflower Pumpkin Risotto (Paleo, Whole30, AIP)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil, sub avocado oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2.5 cups cauliflower rice, pre-riced, or riced in the food processor
- 4 tbsp pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 strips cooked bacon, chopped
- 1 tbsp dried cranberries, unsweetened and not added oils
- 2 tsp parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil in a deep skillet on medium heat.
- Add the yellow onion and saute until the soft and transparent.
- Pour in the broth, cauliflower rice, and pumpkin puree and season with salt, and sage. Stir well to combine.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the broth is mostly absorbed by the cauliflower.
- Remove from heat and top with dried cranberries, bacon, and parsley.
Notes
Delicious! Great flavors and texture. The bacon gave it a nice salt and smoke flavor along with the sage for an excellent savory side dish. I like the savory use of pumpkin too. I added 1 tsp. Nutritional Yeast to give it cheesiness. Used Pomegranate Seeds in place of the cranberries since I couldn’t find cranberries that didn’t have sugar in them. So good. Non AIP friends loved it! Thanks so much Michelle!