Warm vegetable broth in a small pot over low heat. It doesn’t need to simmer, but should be warm to the touch/ above room temperature.
3 cups vegetable broth
Add olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Stir in diced onion and minced garlic. Cook until the onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
3 tablespoons olive oil, ½ cup onion, 2 cloves garlic
Next, stir in Arborio rice and toss to coat the rice in oil. Allow the rice to “toast” for 1 minute.
1 cup Arborio rice
Stir in miso paste, fresh thyme leaves, ground sage, ground nutmeg and black pepper. Add white wine and stir continuously until the wine is mostly absorbed into the rice.
1 tablespoon miso paste, 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, ¼ teaspoon ground sage, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¾ cup white wine
Once most of the liquid is absorbed, begin adding in the vegetable broth in ½ cup increments. Stir continuously until most of the liquid is absorbed before adding in the next ½ cup of broth. The liquid is ready to be added when you scrape your spoon across the bottom and there’s no liquid pooling behind the spoon (see video for visual).
3 cups vegetable broth
Continue adding the vegetable broth ½ cup at a time, stirring continuously until all the vegetable broth is absorbed. This process takes about 30 minutes.
Then stir in canned pumpkin puree, fresh spinach and fresh lemon juice. Stir until the spinach wilts down. At this point, taste the risotto and add salt if needed (often depends on how salty the vegetable broth is).
1 ½ cups canned pumpkin puree, 2 cups fresh spinach, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt
Serve!