Three Cheese Risotto

I just love any type of risotto, especially when they include cheese—the more, the better. They are easy to make; cook in the oven freeing you up to do other things, and in our case, I can cook once and then with the addition of just a couple of ingredients, I can have two more completely different dishes.

This recipe is the perfect example. We enjoyed our Three Cheese Risotto (recipe follows) the first evening just as written.

Then, for round 2, I added a couple of thinly sliced mushrooms, sautéed in butter. I simply added enough of the risotto for two generous servings into the skillet with my sautéed mushrooms and added a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream to add to the creamy consistency. When heated thoroughly, we were good to go.

For round 3, again I placed enough of the original risotto in a deep skillet and again I added a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream and 2 cups of fresh, washed and dried baby spinach leaves. When the spinach leaves wilt and the extra liquid is absorb, the risotto is ready to be served with an entrée of choice.

If you want to cut down just a tad on calories, feel free to substitute almond milk or coconut milk for the heavy cream. This is a real keeper in my book.

Here is my recipe:

1 cups Arborio rice

3 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided

1/2 cup water chestnuts, sliced

1/2 medium carrot, shredded

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated

1/4 cup Asiago cheese, grated

1/4 cup Monterrey Jack Cheese

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream

1 teaspoon salt

Here is how I put this recipe together:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Place the rice, 3 cups of chicken stock, water chestnuts and carrot in a Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed, and the rice is cooked to a satisfactory bite.

3. Remove from oven; add the remaining chicken stock, Parmesan, Asiago, Romano, wine, butter, cream and salt. Stir vigorously 2 to 3 minutes until rice is thick and creamy.

4. This side dish is best served hot.

Author's Note: For a splash of color, sprinkle top with chopped parsley flakes.

Servings: 8

Oven Temperature: 350°F

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Nutrition (per serving): 276 calories, 136 calories from fat, 15.2 g total fat, 50.5 mg cholesterol, 707.3 mg sodium, 57.6 mg potassium, 21 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 12 g protein.

Author: Dr. Jacquelyn P. Horne

Copyright: 2013

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