No-Stir Risotto
Risotto is a true Italian classic, tender arborio rice suspended in a creamy sauce made with chicken stock, cheese, butter, and the rice’s own starch.
It seems like a lot of people are scared of cooking risotto or think it’s not worth the effort to be standing over the stove, constantly stirring risotto for 30+ minutes to beat that starch out of the rice and contribute to that creamy consistency, but today I am going to show you a near-foolproof method for cooking risotto that requires very little stirring at all.
You might be thinking, how can you possibly achieve that creamy risotto texture without stirring? The thing is, there will be some stirring done, but not with our hands.
Instead, we are going to dump the rice and stock into a pot, bring that to a simmer, then move that to a hot oven and let it take care of the rest. The simmering in the oven will continuously and evenly stir the rice and allow it to release its starch perfectly.
Still with me, here? Alright, let’s cook!
No-Stir Risotto
Servings: 4
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 lemon
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of arborio rice
3 1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth (low sodium)
Salt
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 cup of frozen peas, thawed
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat.
Use a Y-peeler to remove two 1-inch strips of the zest from the lemon, being careful to remove as little of the white pith as possible, then add the lemon zest strips and the onion to the hot melted butter and cook until the onions begin to soften about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant.
Stir in the rice, chicken broth, and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot, then transfer to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is very tender.
The broth won’t be fully absorbed, but this is good because that’s what’s going to contribute to risotto’s signature creaminess.
I know this goes against everything you likely know about cooking risotto, but I promise you that once you give this method a shot, you’ll find yourself making creamy risotto in less than 30 minutes!
Plus, it’s a good way to trick your friends into thinking you worked very hard to make risotto from scratch and can then use that to convince them to do the dishes.
Once the rice is tender, let it rest for about 5 minutes so the starch in the rice can relax a bit and you will have extra time to finish the rest of dinner.
Carefully open the lid and stir in the parmesan, peas, and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste*. Stir until the butter and cheese is melted and a creamy sauce has formed. (You may need to add more water if it seems to thick for you)
Cut the lemon in half, and squeeze half of it into the risotto. Remove the strips of lemon zest, dump the risotto onto a serving platter or divide into shallow bowls, and top with more parmesan and the parsley.
*I’ll admit, I am not a fan of recipes that give you a set amount of salt and pepper to put into a dish. No disrespect, but it sort of tells me that the recipe writer doesn’t trust that people know how to season food to their liking.
You know how much salt you like in a dish, you know how much pepper you like in a dish, so add enough salt and pepper to get it to taste that way. If you’re not sure how much to add, then just add a little pinch of each, taste it, and add more if you want more.
That’s the key to becoming a great home cook, it’s always tasting what you’re making and adjusting accordingly. Doing this will make you a much more confident cook.
…Wait…what just happened? Did you just make risotto in less than 30 minutes? And did you do so without having to stand over the stove the entire time? Why, I think you did!
This risotto has the perfect creamy consistency that you expect from risotto in a fine-dining restaurant, and is living proof that a great risotto doesn’t have to be super fussy to make.
