Broccoli and Cheese Risotto is a dish that is full of comfort, flavor and will bring back memories of your childhood, but in a more wholesome way.
Broccoli + Cheddar + Rice = perfection
Broccoli Cheese Risotto
This cheesy vegetable risotto will keep you coming back for you! After you this try this recipe, I am pretty sure you’ll come back and let me know that you know love risotto! I created this recipe because we love vegetarian dishes with broccoli.
Growing up, we ate a lot of foods that were from a box. The foods were probably inexpensive and they were easy to make.
Seriously, one of my favorite comfort foods growing up was a rice dish that came in a rectangular box! Rice + Roni = yummy in my tummy!
When I was a kiddo, I loved rice a roni risotto type of dishes. Granted, it was more of a boxed risotto, but I’ve recreated this cheesy risotto from scratch!
Broccoli is one of the vegetables that my kids adore. So I try to create as many dishes with broccoli as possible!
Broccoli Cheddar Risotto
Fast forward to the present day and my family has some food restrictions. We also try to make as much "scratch" food as we can and not to eat from a box.
However, sometimes life gets crazy and we do. That is okay. It is all about balance.
I recently set out to recreate one of my childhood favorites! It turned out just as a I remember it tasting, but I used fresh ingredients. I think you will love this broccoli risotto recipe just as much as we do!
Vegan Broccoli Risotto
We LOVE cheesy risotto recipes! This broccoli risotto does have dairy in it but you can easily sub out the cheese for your favorite dairy free substitute! It is easy to make vegan broccoli risotto with a few adaptations!
It works, I've done it! The addition of fresh parsley adds a delightful flavor to the dish, be sure to use it!
This dish is actually quite easy to prep! For the broccoli portion I boiled the broccoli then diced it up before adding it to my rice mixture!
What about the rice?
I have found that the key to good risotto is great rice. In our risotto recipes we generally use Lundberg White Arborio Rice. For us we like this rice because it is certified gluten-free. Wondering what Arborio Rice is?
It is actually a traditional rice used when cooking creamy Italian dishes! If you want a creamy texture with your rice, Arborio Rice is the rice to use!
The key to risotto is patience and stirring. Just take your time with this dish, there is no need to rush! Be sure to stir so your rice doesn't stick!
Did somebody say leftovers? Oh yes! This dish creates some stellar leftovers that you are going to want to eat the next day!
While this recipe is vegetarian and we use vegetable broth, you can certainly use chicken broth if you are a meat eater. Don’t have white wine on hand? You can skip the step of adding wine to the risotto. We love adding in a dash of wine to our risotto but it isn’t 100% needed.
We used olive oil in this recipe but it can also be made with other oils. We have recently had great success using avocado oil in our recipes! The trick to risotto is to cook stirring. You are going to be stirring for the majority of the time its cooking over medium heat.
We also add salt and pepper to this recipe, once it’s completed. It is important to add salt and pepper to taste. It is amazing what a little S+P does! We LOVE all variation of risotto especially this vegetable risotto.
How to make broccoli and cheese risotto:
- Splash the 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into a pan. Heat the pan to a medium heat, saute the chopped green onions and onions. Once onions are cooked, add dry rice and saute for 1 minute.
- Next, add your wine to the pan. Let the liquid cook down for about 1 minute. Next, add 2 cups of veggie broth. Let the broth cook down while you continually stir to avoid any burning. Once the liquid has been cooked down, add 2 more cups. Continue with this process until all your liquid is gone and your rice is soft. This process should take about 20 minutes.
- Finally, season with salt and pepper, stir in the cooked diced broccoli and cheese.
- ENJOY!
Broccoli and Cheese Risotto
Ingredients
- ½ c green onion diced
- ½ onion diced
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 cups arborio rice
- ½ cup white wine
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 c broccoli cooked, finely diced
- 1 c shredded cheddar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Splash the 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into a pan. Heat the pan to a medium heat, saute the chopped green onions and onions. Once onions are cooked, add dry rice and saute for 1 minute.
- Next, add your wine to the pan. Let the liquid cook down for about 1 minute. Next, add 2 cups of veggie broth. Let the broth cook down while you continually stir to avoid any burning. Once the liquid has been cooked down, add 2 more cups. Continue with this process until all your liquid is gone and your rice is soft. This process should take about 20 minutes.
- Finally, season with salt and pepper, stir in the cooked diced broccoli and cheese.
- ENJOY!
Notes
Nutrition
We love our risotto and adding the green gives it a visual appeal and also a great to get in your green veggie. I don't purchase prepared box sides or dinners, I get so much more satisfaction out of doing something from scratch. This recipe is on my "to-make" list.
Thank you for your kind words! Enjoy!
I should get started on making risotto. I'm sure I will like it.
Yes, I bet you will!
Proper comfort food bet this tastes amazing with the addition of cheese too.
Yes it does! Thanks for stopping by!
I love risotto. I know most people have it as an appetizer/starter....I love it for the meal. It is a great side dish!!
Yes, we love it for a meal too! YUMMMMM
Who doesn't love risotto? The addition of broccoli is the best idea I've seen to "yum" this dish up. A will do.
Thanks so much!
There is not enough stock in this recipe. The standard risotto recipe uses 5 cups for 1 and 1/2 cups of rice. So you will probably need more like 7 cups.
Thanks Shannon, I appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment. Yes, we've made this with up for 6 cups for our standard risotto types of recipes. We found that we enjoy the rice, just after it gets soft but still holds a touch of firmness. You certainly can adjust to your liking. That is the best thing about recipes. Love that we can make them our own. Thanks again for stopping by, I value your input!