My very first dinner to blog was my Mexican Risotto. Based on your feedback, that recipe was a hit! Here is another version of risotto I’m sure you’ll love too. This is my Italian Risotto with Spinach…but hey, if your crew doesn’t groove on the spinach, leave it out. (I’ll never know!) I served this risotto with sliced turkey sausage, however, you can use any protein you love (steaks, chicken, pork…) or omit the meat altogether and have a vegetarian dinner. The choice is yours! The recipe is here…
Shopping List
1 cup Arborio rice
2 quarts chicken stock (not broth, stock…use veggie stock if you’re making this a vegetarian dish)
1 onion, chopped
3-6 (depending on your love for garlic) chopped garlic cloves
1 (10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of all of its water
1 (10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of all of its water
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Salt and Pepper, of course!
This meal should take you about 30 minutes from start to finish. Relax…risotto is a cinch!
In a large stock pot, bring chicken stock up to low simmer (not boiling, just a simmer…keep a lid on it to trap liquid inside)
In a separate pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat, add onion and saute 6-7 minutes. Add in garlic and cook an additional minute. Add in spinach and saute all together a minute or two. Stir in rice for another minute.
At this point, take a ladle and add 1 cup of your hot stock to the rice. Stir constantly for a minute or so. As the liquid evaporates, the rice will become super starchy and delicious. Stir pretty often, adding stock every time the majority of the liquid evaporates. You will continue doing this for about 18 minutes. Add stock, stir, wait for it to evaporate and add more. This will cause the risotto to fluff up and look creamy (without using any cream!) A lot of recipes will tell you to stir continuously…but you don’t need to. Just stir it around every few minutes and you’ll be fine.
After the rice is tender (take a bite!), stir in cheese and season with salt and pepper. You can also toss in a little basil or parsley now too.
I sliced turkey sausage and browned it on the stove, then added it to the finished risotto for a nice “one bowl” meal. This is also really yummy served along side steak, chicken, pork or fish too. Enjoy!
Amanda says
Wow! I'm excited about making my menu for next week! I haven't checked your blog in a few days and surprise, surprise!