A Risotto Recipe You’ll Want to Make Over and Over Again

There’s nothing better than risotto – aka the rice version of mac and cheese (and who doesn’t love mac and cheese?). It’s creamy, cheesy, and satisfies just about every palate. Since it’s so rich and decadent, adding beets is the perfect ingredient to include in the dish. The beets sweeten it up just perfectly, not stealing the spotlight from rice. Ugh, I love this dish so much and very excited to share it with you all.

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How to cook risotto?

Okay, I know that risotto can be intimidating to make since it does require a bit of care. But, this recipe really is easy and I promise you can do it — even on the first try. The thing about risotto is you have to stir it often – which I find pretty therapeutic. The reason for the constant stir is you want the grains of rice to rub against one another so they produce starch. The breakdown of the starch is what gives this beloved dish its creamy texture.

Pro tip: Never rinse rice your rice when before making risotto since the starch is what gives the dish its creamy texture.

Speaking of starch…this leads me to my next point as to why it’s important to choose the right rice to make risotto. You want to use a short grain rice that is starchy – for instance Carnaroli or Arborio rice.

I know you might be inclined to rinse the rice before cooking, but do not rinse this type of rice. The reason we rinse rice (say that 3x fast!) is to get rid of the starchiness. And, if we do that with either aforementioned rice, we won’t achieve that creamy goodness that makes risotto, well, risotto.

The great thing about this dish is the ingredients are all simple and you’re likely to have them in your pantry. And, the risotto can all be cooked in one pan (win!). Either a medium sized dutch oven or braiser work perfectly for risotto. In under 30 minutes you can have delicious creamy risotto on your table. It’s so much easier than you think.

I look forward to seeing you make this dish! When you do, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram at @KrispxKristin.

Beet Risotto Recipe

Yield: 2-4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, diced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup of canned beets
• 1 cup of Arborio rice 
• 2 tbsp red wine
• 3 cups stock (any stock will do)
• 1/2 cup beet juice from can
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp of fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Add olive oil to pan with butter over low-med heat and drop in your shallots. Cook for about 1-2 minutes.
2. Add your garlic. Cook for another minute. Don't let it burn.
3. Add you beets and cook for about 4 minutes. As they soften, break them in half with a wooden spoon.
4. Add your rice and toast it for about 4 minutes.
5. Deglaze the pan with red wine.
6. Add one cup at a time to the rice and stir until liquid is just about absorbed. Continue with each cup of broth and beet juice. Keep stirring periodically until all liquid is absorbed. This should take between 20-25 minutes.
7. Add parmesan cheese and lime juice.