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Baked Risotto Primavera

Spring 2004, The Essential EatingWell Cookbook (2004)

Your rating: None Average: 4.3 (9 votes)

This updated spring classic calls for nutty-tasting short-grain brown rice instead of the traditional white arborio. Because the cooking time is longer with whole-grain rice, this risotto is cooked in the oven rather than on the stovetop, eliminating the need for almost constant stirring.



READER'S COMMENT:
"This was really good. I really like the nuttiness of the brown rice and boy does it taste rich! I had to cook it about 10-15 min longer than the recipe called for. As a cheese lover, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I found...
Baked Risotto Primavera Recipe

Makes: 6 servings, about 1 cup each

Active Time:

Total Time:

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 cup short- or medium-grain brown rice, (see Ingredient note)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 2 14-1/2-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth, or 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 8 ounces asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
  • 1 cup sugar snap peas, or snow peas, trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 cup diced red bell pepper, (1 medium)
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, (3 1/2 ounces)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
  • 1-2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or ovenproof high sided skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in rice and garlic; cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in wine and simmer until it has mostly evaporated. Add broth and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven.
  3. Bake until the rice is just tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
  4. Shortly before the risotto is done, steam asparagus, peas and bell pepper until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
  5. Fold the steamed vegetables, Parmesan, parsley, chives, lemon zest and pepper into the risotto. Serve immediately.

Tips & Notes

  • Ingredient Note: Use short- or medium-grain brown rice, available in natural-foods stores and large supermarkets, to achieve the characteristic creamy risotto texture. Lundberg Family Farms (www.lundberg.com) sells an excellent short-grain brown rice. Another source is dannysorganic.com.

Nutrition

Per serving: 267 calories; 8 g fat ( 3 g sat , 3 g mono ); 11 mg cholesterol; 35 g carbohydrates; 12 g protein; 4 g fiber; 607 mg sodium; 458 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (110% daily value), Vitamin A (30% dv), Calcium (25% dv).

Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 1/3 vegetable, 1 lean protein, 1/2 fat


More From EatingWell

Recipe Categories

Type of Dish
Main dish, vegetarian
Ethnic/Regional
Italian
Mediterranean
Ease of Preparation
Moderate
Total Time
More than 1 hour
Servings
6
Preparation/ Technique
Bake
Saute
Steam
Meal/Course
Dinner

Season
Spring
Summer
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