Baked Pumpkin & No Stir Brown Rice Risotto

I've been searching for a brown rice risotto recipe where you don't have to stir for twice as long and ended up with this winner. Pumpkin gets baked while risotto bubbles happily away on the stove top without having to stir constantly. It helps if you soak the brown rice overnight.

Ingredients
takes 30mins to cook & about 15mins to prep

• 1/2 medium pumpkin, skin removed & diced into 2cm squares
• fresh herbs (optional)
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large red onion, finely diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cups of brown rice - soak in cold water overnight, then drain & rinse
• 3 cups of vege stock
• freshly grated pepper & sea salt 
• Parmesan cheese - omit if vegan
• to serve: chopped spring onions, fresh herbs - whatever you like throwing on top of a risotto

Instructions

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200'c. Line a baking tray with baking paper and scatter pumpkin evenly across. Drizzle with some olive oil & fresh herbs, season and bake for 20 -25 minutes. Put aside to use later or turn oven off before pumpkin is fully cooked & leave pumpkin inside.
2. In a large pot cook the onions & garlic with the olive oil over a medium heat until softened (3 - 5min). Stir in the rice.
3. Add the vege stock and bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and allow to bubble/simmer away for 25-30 minutes until rice is cooked & most of the liquid is absorbed. Let it sit for around 5 minutes before adding in the pumpkin & gently stir everything in.
4. Serve with your choice of toppings & enjoy!