Really love risotto but don’t think you have the time or energy to make it? Let this Baked Risotto with Roasted Veggies come to the rescue. It’s truly a risotto lover’s lifesaver!

Honestly, it really doesn’t bother me to stand and stir a pot of risotto—I find it oddly relaxing, but it’s not for busy weeknights when you can’t spare the 45 minutes needed to add ladlefuls of broth to a pot that needs constant stirring. In our house, risotto is pretty much a weekends-only kind of treat. But with this almost hands-free baked version, that’s a thing of the past. Let’s hear it for weeknight risotto!! It’s sad to see how little it takes to make me happy!!

And the fact that this comes topped with a whole lot of tender roasted veggies = even more happiness. Here, I used a mix of butternut squash, sweet potato and red onion, ‘cause we’re still in that limbo state between winter and spring, but you could really roast any veggies you like, making this an extremely versatile dish too.

You’re gonna adore the way the softened, caramelized veggies perfectly balance out the creamy, cheesy, chewiness of the risotto. It’s the ultimate comfort food! Yum!!

And speaking of risotto, you only do the teensiest bit on the stovetop. The majority of the cooking takes place in the oven right alongside the veggies, which gives you time to maybe pour yourself a little wine from the bottle you’re using for the risotto (don’t want that to go waste, do we?), put up your feet and unwind which we could all use a lot more of in these crazy times!!😘😘

Baked Risotto with Roasted Veggies

Makes 2-3 servings

Prep Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

For the Roasted Veggies

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-sized chunks

• 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks

• 1 or 2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges

• Olive oil

• Salt and pepper

For the Risotto

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• ¾ cup Arborio rice

• ¼ cup dry white wine

• 2-2 ½ cups chicken broth or water

• Couple of pinches of kosher salt

• Pinch of black pepper

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

The Recipe

1. To make the Roasted Veggies: Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place veggies on a large rimmed baking sheet and toss with oil, salt and pepper. Spread out into an even layer, place into the oven on the upper rack and roast for 25 minutes . Give them a good stir, turn down the temp to 400ºF and roast for another 20-25 minutes, until extremely tender and caramelized.

2. When veggies have been roasting for about 25 minutes, it’s time to start the risotto. Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large ovenproof saucepan that has a lid that fits tightly, over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for about 3-5 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent. Add in the rice and stir to coat well. Add in the wine and cook for about 1 minute, until wine has evaporated. Stir in 2 cups of the broth or water, the salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Now cover the pot and place in the oven on the lower rack (veggies will still be cooking on upper rack). Let cook for about 20 minutes and check. You want the rice to be tender and the liquid to be almost entirely evaporated. If it’s not, recover pan and cook for another 5 minutes.

3. Remove risotto from oven and stir in the remaining ½ cup of broth or water as well as the butter and cheese. Ladle risotto into bowls, top with roasted veggies and serve immediately, with additional Parmesan on the side.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from The Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland. I tinkered around with some proportions and veggies.