LEMON RISOTTO – RICH, CREAMY & BURSTING WITH FLAVOR ($10 or Less Meal)

 

I love making and eating risotto, which is a creamy Italian dish consisting of cooked rice, broth, and other ingredients such as vegetables, herbs, or meat. Typically I make mushroom risotto which is so hearty and warming, it’s one of my go-to cold weather one-pot meals. 

We recently cooked a special dinner of lobster tails and filet mignon and I wanted to make risotto as a side but something lighter and brighter than my mushroom version. Since lemon pairs well with lobster I decided to make a lemon risotto which I thought would work well with the meal. 

After trying several different recipes our favorite one came from one of my favorite cooking magazines, Bon Appetit.  It’s creamy and rich and bursting with the tartness of lemon. Here’s the recipe, which will now be a staple in our home.

Lemon Risotto

Makes 6 first-course or 4 main-course servings for approx. $9.50

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

3 1/2 Tbsp. butter

1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 large shallots, chopped

2 cups arborio rice

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

4 tsp. grated lemon peel

DIRECTIONS:

Bring broth to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cover to keep warm.

Melt 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter with oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until tender, about 6 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine and stir until evaporated, about 30 seconds.

Add 1 1/2 cups hot broth; simmer until absorbed, stirring frequently. Add remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more and stirring frequently until rice is creamy and tender, about 35 minutes.

Stir in cheese and remaining 2 Tbsp. butter. Stir in parsley, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Season risotto with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.

* I enjoy reading and trying recipes from magazines and cookbooks. There are times I will sub ingredients to make the recipe more affordable, use different but similar ingredients that we enjoy more or are easier to find at the store, or leave the recipe exactly as it is because it’s so delicious “as is”…this is one of those recipes. I wouldn’t change one thing!

**Pricing info – I always buy my broth at the Dollar Tree because they carry gluten-free and it’s $2 to $3 less than the grocery store. We keep boxed red and white wine in the fridge for cooking purposes, which helps keep costs down and I buy my arborio rice in bulk which again, saves money.