My love of risotto began when I was living in California and having weekly dinner dates with my girlfriends. I was a vegetarian back in graduate school, partially because of budgetary constraints and partially because I don’t really love the taste of meat. I would scan the menu for the vegetarian options, select one quickly, and then go back to sharing a bottle of wine with my girlfriends. Please, allow me to reminisce those leisurely late nights in the city with my girls with my quick instant pot risotto in the suburbs. When I make my brown butter risotto with grilled artichokes, I think of a particular restaurant in Sacramento. Fancy lemon risotto can feel like a luxury, but what we really need is a simple recipe that we can riff on. I stir in peas and Parmesan cheese to this simple version, but I’ve also served it plain with oven roasted vegetables on top–mushrooms, bell pepper, and asparagus are great candidates. While I always recommend my lobster risotto for special occasions, this instant pot risotto recipe is faster and more weeknight-friendly. If you make it once, you’ll be a believer in just 7 minutes of cook time for a restaurant-style dish!
Instant pot risotto ingredients:
arborio rice: You really need arborio or Carnaroli rice to make risotto. The short rice grains release starch while cooking, making risotto creamy. No other rice will work. oil: Use olive oil to begin sautéing the vegetables. onions: Use 1 cup of diced yellow or white onion. It can frozen or fresh. garlic: Two cloves of garlic, minced bring so much depth of flavor. broth: Use a vegetable broth that you love the taste of, because it will season the entire dish. You can use chicken broth, but the dish will no longer be vegetarian. frozen peas: Add frozen peas as soon as you remove the lid from the instant pot; the residual heat will cook them through. Parmesan cheese: Freshly ground Parmigiano-Reggiano is the king of flavor. It brings salt and extra creaminess to the dish. Don’t use shelf-stable Parmesan cheese, please. butter: We add two tablespoons of butter to the risotto when it’s done cooking both to stop the cooking process and to make it even creamier. salt and pepper: of course. Even if you’re using regular (not low sodium) vegetable broth, we’re still adding salt. Serve the dish with extra freshly ground black pepper for garnish.
How to make instant pot mini risotto:
I hope this can be your next meal for Valentine’s Day while you enjoy any of these easy romantic desserts for two! I would love to be apart of your Valentine’s celebration!
*arborio rice: You really need arborio or Carnaroli rice to make risotto. The short rice grains release starch while cooking, making risotto creamy. No other rice will work.oil: Use olive oil to begin sautéing the vegetables.onions: Use 1 cup of diced yellow or white onion. It can frozen or fresh.garlic: Two cloves of garlic, minced bring so much depth of flavor.broth: Use a vegetable broth that you love the taste of, because it will season the entire dish. You can use chicken broth, but the dish will no longer be vegetarian.Parmesan cheese: Freshly ground Parmigiano-Reggiano is the king of flavor. It brings salt and extra creaminess to the dish. Don’t use shelf-stable Parmesan cheese, please.
Instant Pot Mini, 3 quart
