5 Meals for Less Than $10 That Kids Will Love

Butternut Squash Risotto

The power player in this kid-friendly plate is the butternut squash, which will load your kid up with tons of vitamins and minerals, like fiber, potassium and vitamin A.

Prep time: 1 hour (mostly roasting time)
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4, with leftovers
Costs: $9 (plus an extra $6-$8 if you need to buy a bottle of white wine—you can use the same bottle as for the tomato soup above, or use white wine vinegar if you have it on hand)

Ingredients:
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine or white wine vinegar
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
 
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, toss the squash cubes with the olive oil and lay them out in one layer on the sheet. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until tender enough to be speared with a fork.
 
Start the risotto about 10 minutes before the squash is done: In a wide saucepan warm the butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. About 4 minutes.
 
Add rice and stir until it is coated with the butter and well-mixed with the onion. Then, add the wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan by scraping up any browned bits.
 
Simmer the wine until it has completely evaporated. Then, add a half cup of the chicken stock and stir until it is completely absorbed. Continue adding the chicken stock by the half cup until it absorbed, about 10 minutes.
 
Once all the chicken stock has been added, cook until the rice is tender to the bite, about 5 minutes.
 
Remove risotto from heat and add parmesan and butter. Stir until completely absorbed.
 
Finally, stir in the roasted butternut squash cubes and serve.