Keto Pumpkin Cauliflower Rice Risotto with Bacon and Parmesan

How it is made

1. Prepare the vegetables

   · approx. 10 minutes

   Done	Amount	Icon	Ingredient
   Check off cauliflower	500  g	🥦	cauliflower approx. 1 small head, florets coarsely grated
   Check off Hokkaido pumpkin	250  g	🎃	Hokkaido pumpkin unpeeled, cut into small 1 cm cubes

   Break the cauliflower (500 g) into florets and grate it to rice-grain size on the coarse side of a box grater or briefly in the food processor. Wash the Hokkaido (250 g), remove the seeds and cut it unpeeled into small 1 cm cubes.

2. Render the bacon

   · approx. 5 minutes

   Done	Amount	Icon	Ingredient
   Check off bacon	120  g	🥓	bacon streaky, cut into small cubes

   Render the diced bacon (120 g) in a large pan over medium heat until crispy. Remove and set aside; the fat stays in the pan.

3. Sauté the aromatics

   · approx. 3 minutes

   Done	Amount	Icon	Ingredient
   Check off butter	40  g	🧈	butter approx. 3 tbsp, 10 g of it for the sage
   Check off shallot	40  g	🧅	shallot 1 shallot, finely diced
   Check off garlic clove	1  clove	🧄	garlic clove finely chopped

   Add the butter (20 g) to the bacon fat and sauté the diced shallot (40 g) and the chopped garlic clove (1 clove) in it until translucent, without letting them brown.

4. Cook the cauliflower and pumpkin

   · approx. 10 minutes

   Done	Amount	Icon	Ingredient
   Check off vegetable broth	150  ml	🥣	vegetable broth low sodium

   Add the cauliflower rice and pumpkin cubes and sauté for 2 minutes. Pour in the vegetable broth (150 ml) and cook covered over medium heat until the pumpkin cubes are tender and the liquid is almost absorbed. The cauliflower should still have a slight bite.

5. Stir until creamy and season

   · approx. 3 minutes

   Done	Amount	Icon	Ingredient
   Check off heavy cream	100  ml	🥛	heavy cream whipping cream, 30% fat
   Check off Parmesan	80  g	🧀	Parmesan freshly grated, 20 g of it shaved for serving
   Check off lemon juice	10  ml	🍋	lemon juice approx. 2 tsp, replaces the white wine
   Check off salt	0.3  tsp	🧂	salt season only at the end, bacon and Parmesan are salty
   Check off pepper	0.5  tsp	🧂	pepper freshly ground
   Check off nutmeg	1  pinch	🍽️	nutmeg freshly grated

   Reduce the heat and stir in the heavy cream (100 ml), butter (10 g) and grated Parmesan (60 g) until the risotto binds into a creamy mass. Season with lemon juice (10 ml), salt (1/4 tsp), pepper (1/2 tsp) and nutmeg (1 pinch), and do not let it boil again.

6. Fry the sage and plate

   · approx. 4 minutes

   Done	Amount	Icon	Ingredient
   Check off sage	5  g	🍽️	sage approx. 12 leaves

   Fry the sage leaves (5 g) in the remaining butter (10 g) in a small pan until crispy. Divide the risotto among warmed plates and serve with the diced bacon, the sage leaves and shaved Parmesan (20 g).

celebration You did it! Enjoy every delicious bite.

Why does pumpkin risotto work on keto?

A classic pumpkin risotto reaches 55 to 65 g of carbs per serving mainly because of the rice; the pumpkin plays almost no part in that. Here grated cauliflower takes over the role of the rice and, at around 2.4 g of usable carbs per 100 g and 125 g per serving, contributes about 3 g. Hokkaido pumpkin sits at around 4.5 g per 100 g; the 250 g in the recipe are spread across four servings, so a good 60 g and about 2.8 g per person. Heavy cream, shallot, broth and Parmesan add another 1.7 g, which puts a serving at about 7.5 g net carbs. That is at the upper end for a keto lunch, but less than an eighth of the classic version. The creaminess comes not from starch but from fat: butter, heavy cream, Parmesan and bacon deliver 35 g per serving, around 75% of the calories. The recipe skips white wine because it brings carbs and alcohol; a splash of lemon juice at the end takes over the acidity. The values for the individual ingredients can be looked up in the German Nutrient Database (BLS).

Source: Max Rubner Institute – German Nutrient Database (BLS) , FDDB Nutrition Database

How do I serve and vary the pumpkin risotto?

Serve the risotto right away on warmed plates, adding the crispy bacon, sage leaves and freshly shaved Parmesan only on top - in the pan the bacon would go soft. In practice, the grating size of the cauliflower makes the difference: the coarse side of a box grater or a few short pulses in the food processor give you rice-grain-sized pieces; grated too finely, it turns into mush. The Hokkaido cubes should be small enough at 1 cm to soften in 10 minutes, and they stay unpeeled. In October, a small, heavy Hokkaido with a dry stem is worth seeking out; it is firmer and sweeter than the large storage pumpkins that reach stores from December.

Nutrition values

Note: Nutrition values are estimated averages per 100 g and per serving and may vary depending on ingredients, brands, portion size, and preparation. They do not replace individual nutrition or medical advice.

FAQ