Baked Risotto
Creamy, cheesy, hearty. What’s not to love about Risotto? Nothing, she’s perfect! Thank you Northern Italy for creating probably one of my favorite Italian dishes. A genius idea of blending rice, broth, butter, cheese, veggies, all cooked together in a holy matrimony. Next to homemade pasta and pizza, this was my favorite meal to prepare and it was no brainer at all. I followed chef Kay Chun’s Baked Risotto with Greens and Peas posted on the NYT Cooking by simply whipping everything up in one large deep skillet and then directly popping it right in the oven below me. So no, this isn’t my recipe. But I got to see first hand what constitutes a perfectly hearty risotto. Thank you NYT for my future ideas!
The touch of lemon and freshly grated parmesan cheese is a fun taste and really brings the dish together. I’m a huge fan of peas and it’s incorporation in this recipe made it stand out with the greens. My kale came out a bit darker than anticipated but worked out a nice contrast with the bright peas and spinach. Overall, this was a perfectly consistent meal!
This is a perfect side dish with some garlic bread. But this also works as a main course by throwing in some mushrooms for that meaty taste. I’m thinking of prepping up some arancini with this or repurposing them in something breaded.
What You’ll Need….
Like I’ve mentioned before, this is not my recipe. I’ll simply add the recipe with some of my thoughts on the side.
The Equipment:
Dutch oven/ large pot or skillet: You’ll be using either one to cook the rice, onions, garlic, kale, and spinach in broth before transferring it to the oven to bake. I thought my Dutch oven wouldn’t be large enough to fit all the ingredients so I cooked and baked it in a large stainless steel skillet.
Food scale/ Measuring cup: I love weighing out my ingredients much more than measuring them out in a cup. It offers much more consistency in my recipes, but please feel free to use a measuring cup if that’s easier for you and/or if you don’t have a food scale available.
Wooden spoon/silicone spatula: To stir up your ingredients. If either are not available for you, feel free to use any big spoon that’s available for you.
Oven: Before you start prepping your ingredients, preheat your oven to 275 degrees.
Garlic and Onion
Place your dutch oven/skillet over your burner, turn the heat over medium, drizzle some olive oil, and let that baby get nice and hot. Toss in the onions first and sautee until their soft and fragrant. Then add in some minced garlic and only cook for a minute until they’re fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Whirl and stir occasionally.
The Toasted Rice
Under the same medium-low heat, toss the rice and add some salt and pepper to begin layering some of the seasoning. Make sure you stir around occasionally and cook for 2 minutes until you see the rice a little toasty.
Confession: this part scared me. I’m not used to seeing rice being cooked without water. But this is why it’s important to trust the process and yourself and pray it doesn’t stick and burn. Toasting just adds another layer of taste for this dish. While its subtle, you do taste it. I’ll never cook rice the same after this.
The Greens
Sprinkle in the kale (hold the spinach for later) and add in a little more salt and pepper for a second layer of seasoning. Stir around until the leaves have wilted, under the same medium-low heat.
This part was fun for me to watch how the colors started to pop out of the pan.
The Broth
Add broth and bring the contents to a boil under high heat. Once it boils, stir it around a bit, cover with the lid and bake away for 20 minutes.
The Finale
By now your risotto should have gone from a brothy soup to a creamy goop :). The rice has done its magic by soaking up all the ingredients like a sponge and tenderized in the oven. Now its time to bring it all together in a flavor bomb.
Stir in the spinach and peas until the spinach has wilted. Then toss in some freshly grated parmesan, butter, and lemon juice and stir. You should be getting a saucy and creamy consistency. For a final touch, sprinkle some salt flakes, a little pepper, some parmesan, and some love once you serve them in a bowl.
And as you savor and take all that in, I’ll leave you for a third serving for myself. Enjoy!
Baked Risotto
Servings: 4 | Cook time: 30
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 Cup chopped yellow onion
1 Small garlic clove, minced
7 Ounces (1 cup) Arborio rice
Kosher sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Ounces (4 cups packed) of kale
3 1/2 Cups low-sodium chicken or veggie broth (I used veggie broth for this one)
4 Ounces (4 packed cups) baby spinach
1 Cup frozen peas, thawed
3 Ounces (3/4 cup) grated Parmesan
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place your dutch oven/skillet over your burner, turn the heat over medium, drizzle some olive oil, and let that baby get nice and hot. Toss in the onions first and sautee until their soft and fragrant. Then add in some minced garlic and only cook for a minute until they’re fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Whirl and stir occasionally.
Under the same medium-low heat, toss the rice and add some salt and pepper to begin layering some of the seasoning. Make sure you stir around occasionally and cook for 2 minutes until you see the rice a little toasty.
Sprinkle in kale (hold the spinach for later) and add in a little more salt and pepper for a second layer of seasoning. Stir around until the leaves have wilted, under the same medium-low heat.
Add broth and bring the contents to a boil under high heat. Once it boils, stir it around a bit, cover with the lid and bake away for 20 minutes.
Stir in the spinach and peas until the spinach has wilted. Then toss in some freshly grated parmesan, butter, and lemon juice and stir. You should be getting a saucy and creamy consistency. For a final touch, sprinkle some salt flakes, a little pepper, some parmesan, and some love once you serve them in a bowl. Enjoy with a side of bread or as a main course!
