I’m such a fan of 5 ingredients crockpot recipes, and 5 ingredient skillet recipes aren’t far behind!
These 5 Ingredient Risotto Recipes’ Easy Variations are based on one quick and easy side dish you can whip up for any meal with little preparation and amazing results.
A great risotto recipe is a must-have in any home chef’s recipe box.
A great risotto can be eaten on it’s own, or used to elevate a perhaps boring main dish into a stunning meal. If you’ve ever had a gritty or soggy risotto, you need to give one of these 5 ingredient risotto recipes’ easy variations a try!
Now, when you’re doing any 5-ingredient recipe, those ingredients need to be great quality. Fresh butter (not margarine), quality broth (whether homemade or store-bought), and fresh Arborio rice are essentials in a 5-ingredient risotto recipes, easy ingredients to source at your local grocery store.
While you can use almost any cheese in a risotto, I personally think a non-processed cheese is the difference between a risotto and some sort of casserole. The texture is incomparable, let alone the flavour.
You don’t need to buy a top shelf Parmesan (or other medium to hard cheese), I often buy the big container of Parmesan shavings from Costco which is great quality and super convenient when I want to add a bit of extra flavour to soups or add a sprinkle on top of the kids’ meals. Choose what works for you and your budget.
One of the secrets to a great risotto is sauteéing the rice slightly before adding the broth.
You can do this in either butter or oil – I like to use a good quality olive oil or coconut oil for flavour and because it won’t brown as quickly as butter, but that’s adding a sixth ingredient. Butter will do just fine.
And finally, the best part about this simple recipe are the 5-ingredient risotto recipes’ easy variations:
- you can add some veggies to the sauteéing stage
- use a beef or fish stock instead of chicken stock
- change out the cheese that you use
- bake the dish for a few minutes afterwards for a crispy top
- use the risotto to make arancini balls
Feel free to get creative! Which variations would you try with this easy risotto recipe?
5 Ingredient Risotto Recipes Easy Variations
Don't miss out on this 5 Ingredient Risotto Recipes Easy Variations!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2-3 Tablespoons butter
- Salt to taste
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil optional
Instructions
Heat either 1 Tablespoon butter or 2 Tablespoons oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Once fully heated or melted, add your rice and sauté for 1 minute. (I prefer to use oil for this, but in the interest of keeping this recipe to 5 ingredients, you can use butter.)
Add the chicken stock, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, uncovering to stir and check the consistency a few times. When the stock is almost fully absorbed into the rice, uncover and stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking to the skillet and burning.
Once the stock is fully absorbed, take the skillet off of the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and butter. Season with salt to taste. (This is one recipe that needs salt to really bring out the flavor.)
Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 325Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 740mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 10g