I don't often develop savory recipes for the blog, but when I do it's really fun. Recipe testing = making dinner. How convenient! As much as I'd like to, I can't exactly eat chocolate chip cookies for dinner. Robert and I have enjoyed this risotto many times as I developed it, and we were definitely not upset about it.

Here's a secret for you: I had never made risotto before creating this recipe. Why, you ask? Because it takes too long. It's still on my bucket list of things to make, preferably on a lazy Saturday evening while sipping wine and listening to a podcast, but it hasn't actually happened yet. I've wanted to for a while now, but it's something you have to plan ahead for a little bit, and I think I was also a little scared to screw it up as a novice.

When Veetee Rice reached out to me about working together, I wondered what it would be like to make a "cheater's" risotto with ready-to-go rice like theirs. As it turns out, it's SUPER EASY and SUPER FAST. And this particular pumpkin version is really cozy and delicious. Eating it is like wrapping yourself in a warm fall blanket of tastiness.

Here are some tips for this recipe, although it's not hard at all: Prep everything before you start sautéing. This comes together very quickly once you start putting things in the pan, kind of like a fried rice. Just have it all prepped so the different components can get dumped in every few minutes.

Also, don't skip the toasted pecans - they're key to this recipe. They add that crunch factor and a different kind of sweet-savoriness. This risotto is great as a side dish but would also be wonderful topped with some roasted chicken and brussels sprouts. One night we made a stir fry with the leftovers and some pulled chicken we had, plus some onions and other various veggies. You can totally give this new life as leftovers because it's already packed with flavor.

Speaking of leftovers, I've also provided instructions for how to take your leftover risotto and turn it into arancini, aka little balls of risotto dipped in bread crumbs and baked until golden brown. They're wonderful dunked in warm marinara sauce, and it's a fun way to turn the risotto into something completely different.

I developed this recipe for the Virtual Pumpkin Party, a fun blogger party I started last year when I shared my pumpkin ginger cookies. Which, by the way, is still one of my favorite recipes. I haven't made them yet this year, so I need to fix that soon.

The idea behind this pumpkin party is to acknowledge that the internet gets bombarded with pumpkin stuff around this time of year, so let's embrace it and run with it, pushing ourselves to come up with new and fun ways to use up fresh pumpkin or canned pumpkin, depending on what you have or prefer to use. Aimee from the gorgeous Twigg Studios blog helped me to round up the troops this year, and we have just over 100 bloggers participating. Crazy! That's a ton of pumpkin recipes, and these people did not disappoint. We have everything from hummus to popsicles to dumplings to cocktails. (By the way, thank you SO much to everyone who participated - you guys are the best!)

You can find all of the participating recipes below, and here is last year's list if you want even more inspiration. You can also follow along on social media with our hashtag #virtualpumpkinparty. If you're a blogger and you're interested in joining for next year, please sign up using this form.

Happy pumpkin season!

Twigg Studios • Sausage Stuffing Baked in a Pumpkin
Donuts, Dresses and Dirt • Pumpkin Spice Latte Popsicles
Cloudy Kitchen • Pumpkin Cake with Vanilla German Buttercream
Vegetarian Ventures • Smoky Pumpkin & Black Sesame Hummus
Eat Boutique • Pumpkin Scallion Dumplings
A Little Saffron • Pumpkin Stuffed Shells
Two Red Bowls • Pumpkin & Maple Caramel Baked French Toast
Wallflower Kitchen • Mini Pumpkin & Cinnamon Sugar Donuts
Wit & Vinegar • Pumpkin Butterscotch Banana Split
Style Sweet CA • Pumpkin Creme Brulee Cake
Nommable • Pumpkin Biscuits with Mushroom Thyme Gravy
With Food + Love • Cinnamon Raisin Pumpkin Seed Bread
Hortus • Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Sevengrams • Vegan Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
Jojotastic • 1 Pumpkin, 2 Ways: Pumpkin Trail Mix & Dog Treats
Grain Changer • Pumpkin Spice Baked Oatmeal
Girl Versus Dough • Pumpkin Cranberry Flax Crisps
Earthy Feast • Pumpkin Grits + Pumpkin Home Fries + a Fried Egg
Harvest and Honey • Truffled Pumpkin Papardelle Alfredo with Frizzled Sage
Tasty Seasons • Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake
Broma Bakery • Pumpkin Butter Pop Tarts
Tending the Table • Roasted Pumpkin and Barley Salad
The Sugar Hit • Super Soft Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Delicious Not Gorgeous • Waffles with Spiced Pumpkin Butter and Brown Sugar Walnut Crumble
Taste Love and Nourish • Pumpkin Bread Pudding
The Green Life • Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chunk & Hazelnut Skillet Cookie (Vegan)
Foolproof Living • Pumpkin Creme Fraiche Pasta with Sage
The Monday Box • Pumpkin Mini Bundt Cakes
Design Crush • Pumpkin Bourbon Hot Toddy
The Road to Honey • Pumpkin Pie & Chocolate Layer Cake
My Name is Yeh • Roasted Pumpkin with Yogurt and Hazelnut Dukkah
Give Recipe • Orange Chocolate Pumpkin Bread
Heartbeet Kitchen • Magic Vegan Pumpkin Pie Fudge
Beard and Bonnet • Marbled Pumpkin Muffins
Eat Within Your Means • Vegan Pumpkin Blender Muffins
Snixy Kitchen • Pumpkin Tapioca Pudding with Candied Pumpkin Seeds
Ruby Josephine • Moroccan Sweet Pumpkin + Beef Tagine
Lab Noon • Pasta Bake with Roasted Pumpkin and Saffron Sauce, Pistachio and Goat Cheese
An Edible Mosaic • Pumpkin Spice Chia Seed Pudding
Hey Modest Marce • Mascarpone Pumpkin Pie
Inspired By the Seasons • Pumpkin Applesauce Smoothie
CaliGirl Cooking • Pumpkin Praline Cinnamon Rolls with Spiked Cream Cheese Glaze
Sally’s Baking Addiction • Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
Well and Full • Spicy Chipotle Pumpkin Hummus
Appeasing a Food Geek • Cheese Fondue Stuffed Roasted Pumpkin
SweetPhi • Pumpkin Chili Biscuit Bake
Warm Vanilla Sugar • Buttermilk Pumpkin Doughnuts
Mademoiselle Poirot • Cinnamon-Pumpkin Mousse on Honey Panna Cotta topped with Hazelnut Brittle
Heart of a Baker • Pumpkin Sticky Buns with Vanilla Bean Frosting
Flourishing Foodie • Massaman Curry with Pumpkin and Chickpeas
Ginger & Toasted Sesame • Pumpkin Jeon
Lindsay Jang • Best Ever DIY Pumpkin Spiced Latte
Fix Feast Flair • Hokkaido Pumpkin + Sage Mac and Gouda
Will Frolic for Food • Pumpkin Kale Patties with Coconut Cilantro Rice
A Couple Cooks • Pumpkin Pecan Baked Steel Cut Oats
Vermilion Red • Pumpkin Pie Souffle
B. Britnell • Vegan Pumpkin Pie
Displaced Housewife • Brown Butter Pumpkin Donuts
Sweet Gula • Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
La Pêche Fraîche • Pumpkin and Condensed Milk Cakes
Kitchen Konfidence • Pumpkin Ricotta Gnocchi with Rosemary Brown Butter Sauce
Loves Food, Loves to Eat • Savory Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Kale & Caramel • Goat Cheese & Sage-Stuffed Pumpkin Challah
Okie Dokie Artichokie • Pumpkin Chorizo Chili with Sweet Potatoes + Pinto Beans
Salted Plains • Easy Pumpkin Bread
Liliahna • Chicken Legs with Pumpkin and Tortellini
TermiNatetor Kitchen • Whole Wheat, Pumpkin & Brown Sugar Brioche
Vermilion Roots • Sweet Rice Dumplings with Pumpkin
Celebrate Creativity • Pumpkin Mini Cheesecake Tarts
Serendipity Bakes • Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake
So Much Yum • Vegan Maple-Glazed Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts
The Brick Kitchen • Pumpkin, Pecan & White Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches
Lisli • Pumpkin Pie Cake
Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt • Pumpkin Pie Dip
Fig+Bleu • Pumpkin Granola
The Speckled Palate • Pumpkin Caramel Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies
Cook Til Delicious • Fall Cliche Cake (Pumpkin Spice Cake / Maple Cream Cheese Frosting / Apple Cider Caramel Sauce)
Floating Kitchen • Chicken and Pumpkin Chili
The Wood and Spoon • Pumpkin Pecan Cake with Burnt Sugar Frosting
Fork Vs Spoon • Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Lemon & Vanilla • Pumpkin and Coconut Caramel Flan
Dunk & Crumble • Pumpkin Chocolate Icebox Cake
Chicano Eats • Pumpkin Butter Pan de Muerto
On the Plate • Pumpkin Pancakes, Salted Caramel & Pecans
Rough Measures • Cosy Pumpkin Spice Latte (Caffeine and Dairy Free)
Brewing Happiness • Pumpkin Ginger Breakfast Cookies
A Butterful Mind • Pumpkin Cheesecake with Vanilla Whipped Cream
The Little Loaf • Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Fork to Belly • Pumpkin Gnocchi
The Little Epicurean • Chocolate Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie
Bourbon and Honey • Spicy Roasted Pumpkin with Honey and Feta
What to Cook Today • Spicy Pumpkin Noodle Soup
Food by Mars • Pumpkin Pie (Grain-Free, Diary-Free)
The Bojon Gourmet • Pumpkin Butterscotch Pudding
Oh Honey Bakes • Pumpkin Cake with Gingersnap Toffee
Long Distance Baking • Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake
The Jam Lab • Pumpkin Madeleines Dipped in White Chocolate
The Lemon Apron • Pumpkin Gingerbread Loaf with an Olive Oil Glaze
Sun Diego Eats • Thai Pumpkin & Sticky Rice Cakes
A Cozy Kitchen • Pumpkin Chai Scones with Black Tea Glaze
A Cookie Named Desire • Pumpkin Shrubs
Eating Clean Recipes • Vegan Pumpkin Chia Pudding
Kingfield Kitchen • Vegan Fresh Pumpkin Soup
Drink and Cocktail Recipes • Pumpkin Dirty Chai
The Pig & Quill • Pumpkin Sage Cannelloni (Dairy-Free)
My Lavender Blues • Pumpkin, Banana & Olive Oil Bundt Cake
Betty Liu • Pumpkin + Pear Butter Baked Goat Cheese
Happy Hearted Kitchen • Cinnamon Roasted Pumpkin with Tahini Yogurt + Hazelnut Dukkah
Live Eat Learn • Pumpkin Gingerbread Hot Cocoa
Jewhungry • Mini Pumpkin + Kale Mac n’ Cheese Pot Pies

This post was sponsored by Veetee Rice. Thank you for supporting the brands that help to keep Cake Over Steak running smoothly.

Forks pictured are from For the Chef.

Illustration at top created with Photoshop.
Prints of my illustration (along with other products with my work on them) are available in my Society6 shop.

Quick Pumpkin and Kale Risotto + Arancini

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup raw pecans
olive oil
fresh sage leaves (about 20)
1 leek, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp dry or semi-dry white wine
Two 9.9-oz packages of Veetee Basmati and Wild Rice
1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock (or water, no big deal)
2 cups packed kale, thinly sliced
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

For the arancini:

leftover risotto
1 cup panko bread crumbs
marinara sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

Place the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in a 275-degree oven for 5-10 minutes, until fragrant and browned. Let them cool down for a few minutes and then roughly chop them. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sage leaves to the pan and spread them out. Fry until crispy, using tongs to flip them over occasionally. This should only take a few minutes. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once they've cooled, give them a rough chop and set aside.
Add more oil back to the skillet if it seems too dry and turn the heat to medium. Add the leek and cook for about 3 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute while stirring. Add the wine and cook until it's cooked off.
Add the rice, 1/4 cup stock, kale and nutmeg. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to break up the rice and incorporate everything. Add more stock if it seems too dry.
Add the pumpkin, mascarpone and parmesan. Stir until combined and warmed through.
Stir in a portion of the chopped sage. Salt to taste. Remove from the heat.
Serve warm, topped with toasted pecans and crispy sage.

To make the arancini:

Heat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the panko bread crumbs on a large plate or shallow bowl.
Scoop a tbsp-sized amount of the risotto and form it into a ball. Roll in the bread crumbs and place on the baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the risotto.
Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
Serve with warm marinara sauce.