Sometimes the best comfort food can be so complicated to make. If we want something warm and hearty to enjoy after a long day, chances are, we probably don’t have the energy to put together an elaborate recipe. Take risotto for instance. This yummy fall food hits the spot — but it also requires constantly stirring. And even Ina Garten thinks it’s “annoying”! The Barefoot Contessa just shared her recipe hack for making a fuss-free risotto, and this is going to be on rotation all season long.
“You know when people say they like to come home and make risotto, they stir it? They find it relaxing?” Garten asked on a TikTok video shared by Food Network. “I think, ‘No they don’t, it’s just annoying!’” She decided to make this creamy Italian rice dish “differently,” yet, still just as delicious. Her secret? She makes it in the oven instead!
Start this “fantastic” recipe by putting rice and chicken stock in a Dutch oven, then baking it. “No standing, no stirring,” she said. “Set a timer and forget about it.” Sounds like my kind of dinner!
Once it’s done baking, Garten added several more ingredients that give it a huge boost of flavor. Think: white wine, Parmesan cheese, and more. She keeps the risotto warm on the stove while she adds these, then stirs “really vigorously” for two-to-three minutes to make it “creamy and thick.”
“Instead of stirring it for 25 or 30 minutes and adding a little stock and driving yourself crazy, you just stir for two to three minutes, which I have to tell you, is longer than you think it is,” she added. Garten adds some frozen veggies and other spices, then dishes up the finished dish which she says is just like “classic risotto.” Hey, anything that makes cooking easier without sacrificing taste is for us!
Fans were thrilled with this recipe hack. “This ‘baked’ risotto recipe of hers is bulletproof. Been using it for years. Won’t make it any other way,” one person wrote. Someone else said, “Definitely trying risotto this way.”
“Love ina for this! I loathe making risotto because of the involvement but it’s one of my favorites!” someone else said.
Garten has tons of recipe hacks that make preparing weeknight dinners easier than ever. This is definitely going to be one of our faves!
Get Garten’s full Easy Parmesan Risotto recipe HERE.
Before you go, check out Garten’s best dinner recipes below:
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