Risotto is comfort food for late Fall. It’s creamy, warming and you can change what you put into it based on your mood. Thirty minutes and dinner is served. Faster than fast food, and a lot healthier. Arborio rice can be sometimes hard to find, and as well severely overpriced, in grocery stores. We buy ours via Amazon, for about half the price of Safeway.
Chickpea and Vegetable Risotto
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cups arborio rice
- 4½ cups warm vegetable broth
- 2 zucchini, quartered and chopped
- 8 ounces crimini or button mushrooms, quartered
- 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
Directions:
In a large/deep saute pan, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium. Add in onion, saute until tender. Add in garlic and rice, saute for a minute, stirring constantly. Add in 2 cups of the broth, stirring in. As it absorbs, add in more broth, ½ cup at a time, stirring often, until all the broth is absorbed.
Meanwhile, in a large fry pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high. Add in the zucchini, saute until golden. Transfer to a heat proof bowl. Add in the remaining Tablespoon of oil to the pan, add in mushroom, saute until golden brown and no liquid left.
Once risotto is done, stir in the vegetables and chickpeas. Take off the heat and let sit for a minutes, stir well and serve.
Serves 5 to 6.