This indulgent Seared Scallops and Butternut Squash Risotto is filled with roasted squash, crispy sage, freshly grated parmesan cheese and wild mushrooms.

Welcome to my Cooking with Friends series! This spring, as I work on cookbook projects that keep me very busy, I’ve invited some of my favorite blogger friends to share recipes with you. I hope you’ll have just as much fun cooking and baking with them as I do.

Today, I’m welcoming Taylor Stinson from The Girl on Bloor. Taylor is a fun, lively, creative 20-something city girl who’s always seeking for the best and most delicious eats–in Toronto, where she lives, or in her own kitchen. Today, she shares a delicious dinner recipe you’ll want to make again and again: Seared Scallops and Butternut Squash Risotto. Enjoy!

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This Seared Scallops and Butternut Squash Risotto is one of my go-tos when I’m craving something rich and indulgent for dinner. Filled with roasted squash, crispy sage, freshly grated parmesan cheese & wild mushrooms, this dish will leave you swooning!

No matter the weather, this is the type of meal that you can can appreciate cozying up inside for. Grab a blanket, light a bunch of candles, dim the lights and pour yourself a glass of wine or two.

Besides being the most romantic meal in the world, this Seared Scallops and Butternut Squash Risotto is the perfect combo to serve for a dinner party. It’s sure to impress your guests and show off your culinary skills, and the great news is that you don’t need to be a professional chef to pull together these complex, rich flavours.

Risotto is relatively easy and straightforward to make, and you don’t need a ton of ingredients either. As long as you make sure to use fresh parmesan cheese and never stop stirring the pot, this risotto recipe is a no-fail, guaranteed stunner.

Here are some basic tips to making the perfect pot of risotto:

• Use arborio rice – the starch will blend with the broth and wine, which accounts for the creaminess of this dish
• Use shallots, not onions, for that rich garlicky flavour
• Use a dry white wine, such as pinot grigio
• Add in broth bit by bit and let the rice absorb it over time. That’s why you need to stir it so much!

And of course, the scallops are super easy to perfect as well. First of all, wait until the oil is smoking hot before putting the scallops in the pan – the high heat will create a hard sear on either side. Second of all, don’t leave the scallops to cook for too long. You should be looking at approximately 30 seconds per side for the smaller, Argentinian scallops that I used in this recipe. They should also be the last thing you cook before topping the risotto with them.

And let’s not forget the crispy sage: fry some leaves in butter, and use them as a garnish for the risotto. Just talking about this recipe has my mouth watering!

What’s your favourite way to enjoy risotto? I promise this recipe is no-fail; you’ll have a gourmet restaurant-quality dish in no time!

Get the recipe from The Girl on Bloor: Seared Scallops and Butternut Squash Risotto

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Taylor Stinson is a big city girl in her mid-twenties creating healthy, easy recipes for busy people. Forever in search of the latest, greatest trends in food and drink, she works as a recipe developer, food photographer, prop stylist, social media strategist and brand consultant. She has lived on and off one of downtown Toronto’s best-known, longest streets, and has a Master’s degree in Journalism from Ryerson University. In her spare time, she loves listening to CBC Radio and NPR podcasts, and exploring all the food and drink Toronto has to offer.

Make sure to follow Taylor through her blog or on social media:

• Blog: The Girl on Bloor
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Pinterest

All photos in this article: © Taylor Stinson.