Ina Garten’s Butternut Squash Risotto Is The Ideal Thanksgiving Side Dish

To make this risotto a day or two ahead, here’s what you’ll need to do:

You’ll follow every step to a tee until you hit the end of Step #5; instead of cooking the risotto until al dente, you actually want to go just shy of al dente; when you take a bite, it should still feel the teeniest bit dry in the middle of each grain of rice.

Take it off the heat, mix in your butternut squash and parmesan cheese, and then spread it out on a sheet pan to cool to room temperature quickly. Once cooled, package it in the Tupperware container of your choosing and chill in the fridge for no more than 48 hours.

When it’s time to serve, spoon the risotto into whatever vessel you originally cooked it in with about 1 cup of chicken stock mixed in, to start. You’ll reheat it over low heat, adding splashes of stock as needed to loosen it, until hot. Then, add salt and pepper as needed until it tastes just right.

If you’re out of stovetop space, I’ve also successfully reheated this in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. Mix 1 cup of chicken stock into the cold risotto then microwave for three minutes. Check and stir every three minutes, adding splashes of stock each time, until hot. In my experience, it usually takes around four microwave cycles.