Oven Risotto

Written by on in Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

This is a long-standing favorite recipe of my husband’s, and if you’ve been over for dinner in the winter, I most likely have made this dish. I’ve been making this recipe for YEARS – what are the chances that one of my favorite food bloggers, Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, posts her own oven baked risotto recipe this week?!

My Uncle Mark made this risotto for me when I visited him in San Francisco during my spring break my junior year of college at Iowa State. Such a fun trip – as a Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management major, his goal was to take me to as many restaurants and bars in San Francisco that we could squeeze in that week. I fell in love with the city, and immediately fell in love with his recipe. We ate it with steamed crab from Fisherman’s Wharf and some sourdough bread, which was heavenly! Might have been the only meal we ate at home that week, and it definitely left an impression! I still have the index card I wrote his recipe on, and have morphed it into my own over the years.

What I love about this recipe is it lends itself to many different flavor options. We prefer roasted butternut squash, chicken and mushrooms in the fall and winter. In the summer, I make it with shrimp or scallops, tomatoes, asparagus and capers. It is vegan/vegetarian friendly. Experiment with flavors and make it your own!

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 cups arborio rice

  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (use good quality stock!)

  • 1 cup dry, white wine (optional)

  • 1 medium onion, diced

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

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Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  • In 4-quart Dutch oven or deep, oven-safe pan with lid, heat olive oil. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
  • Add rice to pot and stir until the grains are coated in oil. Add broth (you may sub 1 cup of broth with white wine – add wine first if using). Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring often to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  • Turn off heat and remove the pan from heat, cover, and put into oven to bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
  • Remove pot from oven and stir in parmesan cheese, leaving some for serving. Stir in optional ingredients and serve immediately.
  • For optional ingredients, I sauté or roast my vegetables and protein separately and mix them into the risotto once it comes out of the oven. If you need to heat the ingredients together, put back in oven covered for an extra 5 – 10 minutes.