Scallops Over Butternut Squash Risotto
with Lemon-Sage Brown Butter
- Shellfish
- Milk
What a powerhouse: every element of this recipe goes above and beyond in fitting in as much lush, decadent flavor as can be contained on a plate. It starts with scallops, pan-seared until they’re gloriously golden and tender. They’re perched on top of a butternut squash risotto, which has some seriously luxuriant overtones. A drizzle of sage brown butter sauce ties everything together in nutty, rich splendor—one bite, and you’ll be hooked.
Ingredients
3 unit
Mushroom Stock Concentrate
2 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Shallot
¾ cup
Arborio Rice
¼ ounce
Sage
8 ounce
Butternut Squash
1 unit
Lemon
8 ounce
Scallops
(Contains: Shellfish)
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
4 teaspoon
Vegetable Oil
3 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Salt
Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and dry all produce. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine stock concentrates and 4 cups water (7 cups for 4 servings); microwave until hot, 3-5 minutes. Thinly slice garlic. Halve, peel, and mince shallot. Zest and quarter lemon. Pick sage leaves from stems; thinly slice leaves.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot. Cook until softened, 1-2 minutes. Add rice; stir until translucent, 1-2 minutes. Add ½ cup stock; stir until liquid has mostly absorbed. Repeat with remaining stock—adding ½ cup at a time and stirring until liquid has mostly absorbed—until rice is al dente and mixture is creamy, 25-30 minutes.
While risotto cooks, toss squash on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast until browned and tender, 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, pat scallops dry with paper towels; season generously all over with salt and pepper. Heat a large drizzle of oil in a second large pan over medium-high heat. Add scallops and cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. Turn off heat. Remove scallops from pan and set aside, covered. Wipe out pan.
Melt 2 TBSP butter (3 TBSP for 4 servings) in pan used for scallops over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until butter is foamy and flecked with amber brown bits, 2-3 minutes. Stir in sage leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice. Turn off heat; carefully transfer to a small bowl. Once risotto is done, stir in roasted squash, lemon zest, Parmesan, 1 TBSP butter, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Taste and season risotto with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice if desired. Divide between bowls and top with scallops. Drizzle with brown butter. Serve with any remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: The combination of scallops, butternut squash risotto, and lemon-sage brown butter won many fans — rich, layered, and deeply satisfying 🍲. Some found the lemon or sage a touch overpowering; use both sparingly if you prefer a more subtle finish.
- Ease of prep: The risotto requires steady stirring and takes longer than stated — plan for 35–40 minutes and expect more hands-on time than a typical recipe.
- Suggestions: Start everything except the scallops first, then cook the scallops last to avoid overcooking them. A few reviewers added white wine during the risotto's stock-adding steps for extra depth, and one boosted creaminess with mascarpone.
- Leftovers: Risotto keeps reasonably well — one reviewer enjoyed leftover risotto with salmon for lunch the next day.
- Portions: Several reviewers felt the scallop count (around 7 for two people) was too low relative to the amount of risotto; a few wished for more squash as well.
Reviews from our home cooks
Wow, I've never made risotto before and this dish was so rich and delicious. I have comments: 1. The butternut squash was pretty burnt at this heat and duration. Lower heat and lower duration would've been better. 2. I'm dairy free so I substituted Daiya shredded mozzarella and it integrated really well with the flavors of scallop, sage, and squash. I'd love mushrooms cooked in butter with the sage as an upgrade for this dish. I also think three cloves of garlic would've been better. All in all, very satisfying, would cook again! I'm ordering scallops more often now, super yum! I would love garlic bread with this as a side
This is a delicious meal! The squash is a wonderful slightly sweet addition to the savory risotto. The scallops were good-sized, so the recommended cook time, which seemed like it would be too long, was on-point.
One of my favorites since I started ordering. I normally don't get excited about butternut squash, but the additions to it really made it delicious.. I love scallops and finally it did not take a lot of preparation which I like. Will order this again
Wow! This one was fun! Really expanded my cooking experiences with the risotto and scallops. Everything was yummy and I will definitely be trying this again!
This was so great! All these components are difficult to prepare and for my first time making risotto and pan seared sea scallops it came out perfect and delicious! Great instruction and I had fun making it.
Always love scallops and risotto. The brown butter sage taste is a nice accompaniment and complements the sweetness of the squash to keep it from being too sweet.
I'm still trying to get my Risotto game on par, but this ended up great. Your scallops are always on point and I added some shrimp that I still had left over.
Recipe was fair. The main problem was the quality of the ingredients. The scallops were stringy and chewy. I suspect they had been frozen at one point, allowed to thaw, and then was refrozen again before they were delivered. The squash was also cut too small and was too slimy to roast well. Part of it was burnt and it became mushy when mixed in to the risotto. I'm not sure what could be changed here. Perhaps larger, fresher pieces would have roasted better?
I liked the risotto with the butternut squash. The meal took some time to prep so it was helped that it was provided in cubes. I added some mascarpone to the risotto to make it more creamy along with the butter. The sage butter was also very good. I'm not sure it was worth the additional [MASKED] though, and I would not have ordered it if it weren't for discounts or credits.
Never would have thought of butternut squash with this. Excellent.
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