Risotto is usually made with rice, but did you know you can apply the same cooking method to other grains—like barley, buckwheat or quinoa—for equally creamy results? Here, Urvashi Pitre demonstrates with farro, making risotto with butternut squash and scallions from her new Instant Pot Miracle Vegetarian Cookbook. It’s luxurious but surprisingly light, and you barely have to stir a thing.

“I try to eat low-carb for the most part,” Pitre writes. “I also give away a lot of the food that I test for recipes, since I do a lot of cooking. Yeah, I didn’t give this one away. I ate and ate and ate this—until it was all gone and I had a bit of a tummyache! It is so good and just perfect for fall. It would make a great addition to your holiday table as well.”

_{Excerpted from Instant Pot Miracle Vegetarian Cookbook © 2020 by Urvashi Pitre. Photography © 2020 by Ghazalle Badiozamani. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.}

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Farro Risotto with Butternut Squash and Scallions

Servings: 4 servings

Time:

Ingredients:

1 cup pearled farro

3 tablespoons butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1¼ cups chopped scallions, divided

2 cups diced (½-inch) peeled butternut squash

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1½ cups water

½ to ¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Place the farro in a medium bowl. Cover with hot water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes; drain.

2. Select Sauté/Normal on the Instant Pot. When the pot is hot, add 1 tablespoon of the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic and allow it to sizzle for 5 to 10 seconds. Stir in 1 cup of the scallions. Select Cancel.

3. Add the squash, farro, salt, pepper, thyme and water. Secure the lid on the pot. Close the pressure-release valve. Select Manual and set the pot at High Pressure for 10 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, allow the pot to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes, then perform a Quick Release to release any remaining pressure.

4. Add the Parmesan cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Lightly mash some of the farro and squash. Serve garnished with the remaining ¼ cup scallions.

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