Creamy Vegan Orzo Risotto with Butternut Squash

An overhead shot of a creamy vegan orzo risotto with a slight orange hue. The orzo risotto is in a braiser-style pot and topped with crispy roasted brussels sprouts.

Creamy Vegan Orzo Risotto with Butternut Squash

Creamy and delicious, this butternut squash orzo recipe is made stovetop risotto-style. Topped with crispy miso-mustard Brussels sprouts, it’s a flavourful, comforting, and easy plant-based dinner recipe.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Italian

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cashew cream, dairy-free creamer, fall, fall winter, holidays, maple syrup, miso, mustard, nutritional yeast, orzo, pasta

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings -4

Calories 370kcal

Author Laura Wright

Equipment

Blender

Ingredients

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

1½ tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon light miso
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons grainy or yellow mustard
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

CREAMY BUTTERNUT ORZO

½ cup unsweetened non-dairy creamer OR rich non-dairy milk (such as cashew or oat, see notes)
1 cup puréed butternut squash OR cooked butternut squash cubes (see notes)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, fine dice (about ¼ cup diced shallot)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme leaves, minced
½ teaspoon chili flakes, or to taste (optional)
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ lb (227 grams) orzo pasta
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups vegetable stock, plus extra
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Instructions

CRISPY MISO MUSTARD BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, miso, maple syrup, and mustard until combined.
Place all of the Brussels sprouts on the lined baking sheet and pour the miso and mustard mixture over top. Season with salt and pepper and toss the sprouts to coat evenly in the mixture.
Slide the baking sheet into the oven. Roast the Brussels sprouts for 20 minutes or until tender and deep golden brown on the edges. Keep warm.

CREAMY BUTTERNUT ORZO

While the Brussels sprouts are roasting, make the creamy butternut orzo. First, make the butternut cream. In an upright blender, combine the non-dairy creamer, butternut squash, and nutritional yeast. Blend this mixture on high until completely smooth. Set aside.
Place a deep skillet or braiser-style pot over medium heat. Once it's hot, pour in the olive oil. Add the shallot to the pot and stir. Cook shallots until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, chili flakes (if using), and smoked paprika. Stir and cook until the garlic is quite fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the orzo pasta and stir to coat in the spices and shallots. Season the mixture liberally with salt and pepper.
Add the vegetable stock to the pot and stir. Bring the orzo to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, until orzo is soft, about 8 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot often. The orzo will want to stick to the bottom of the pot! Just keep stirring and adding more vegetable stock if necessary. You want to keep the consistency nice and fluid.
Once the orzo is soft and the mixture is starting to get creamy, add the butternut cream to the pot and stir to combine. Bring the orzo back up to a simmer. Add the lemon juice to the creamy butternut orzo and stir. Check the dish for seasoning and adjust if necessary (more salt, chili, lemon etc). Stir in the chopped parsley and top with the roasted Brussels sprouts. Serve immediately!

Notes

As with any recipe on my site that requires vegetable stock, I’d highly recommend making your own using my method here.
I like to cook a halved squash in the a 400 oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender. Then I scoop out all the flesh and use it in soups, baking, recipes like this, etc! You could also use a heaped cup of roasted squash cubes.
This recipe may behave differently with a gluten-free orzo or other tiny pasta. Regular wheat-based pasta lets off a creamy starch. If you’re using GF pasta, I’d start with only 1 ½ cups of the vegetable stock and add more as it cooks if necessary. I have heard that DeLallo’s GF orzo is great!
Some vegan “parm” would be delicious to serve alongside this dish! I have a recipe here. Some toasted sliced almonds would be such a lovely touch on top of this dish As well! About 1/4 cup would do the job.
For a quick non-dairy “cream” to use here, blend 1/4 cup raw cashews with 1/3 cup water in a high speed blender until smooth. I also like unsweetened nutpods creamer or a rich oat milk if you’re looking for a store bought option.

Nutrition