Baked Tomato Risotto

I don't know about you, but I love risotto. I fell in love with it some years ago. The only thing I really don't enjoy so much is standing over the stove trying to stir it for what seems like hours on end. Of course, it isn't really that long but to get the arborio rice to absorb the liquid does take some time. I have been looking for a recipe for risotto that isn't quite so labor intensive. Lucky for you all that I found one! This recipe is amazing. The rice turned out so delicious that I ate it every night for about a week. Please try this recipe because I am sure you won't be disappointed. I did have to make a few "adjustments" though. I had to cook this for more like 45 minutes rather than the 30 minutes that the recipe calls for. I wanted to be 100% sure that the rice was soft and chewy not hard and crunchy ~ yuck!

Baked Tomato Risotto

One 28 ounce jar of spaghetti sauce (I used Nature's Promise Parmesan Sauce)
One 14 ounce can of chicken broth (I suggest using low sodium broth or homemade)
2 cups of halved sliced zucchini (I used a can of zucchini)
2 tablespoons of minced fresh basil
One 8 ounce package of sliced mushrooms (I substituted 8 ounces of ground beef)
1 cup arborio rice
1 6 ounce package of shredded Italian cheese blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 3 quart casserole (I used a 9 x 13 inch pan) with nonstick spray.

Combine the spaghetti sauce, broth, zucchini, mushrooms and rice in a prepared dish.

Bake, covered for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir casserole.

Cover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more or until the rice is tender. Remove from oven, sprinkle evenly with cheese.

Bake, uncovered for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Makes 6 servings


Enjoy!

The Creative Cook