Although us grads usually love a quick, easy and affordable meal (and rightly so)… having access to a full kitchen means we can finally take our time to cook something a little more technical, and a lot more special. So why not impress your whole family with my ‘Carbonara Risotto’?
While this recipe does take a bit more time and effort than your usual go-to, I promise it’s so worth it – and the praise you will get? Inevitable.
So, if you’re once again stuck asking yourself, “What on earth am I having for dinner?” — let me introduce you to Carbonara Risotto… delicious, impressive and the ultimate crowd-pleaser.
(And something that can be adapted to whatever your taste preference is).
You can choose to add any of your favourite veggies, and there’ll be more than enough to go around – whether that means feeding the whole family or freezing the leftovers for yourself at a later date.
If you were shopping at Morrisons, for example, this is what I would be picking up:
Luckily, a few of the ingredients you’ll need should already be lurking in your cupboards – garlic, salt and pepper. Maybe you even have a stock cube already and some leftover cheese in the fridge – anything you have will do!
For just £11.65 you can cook up this meal (serving 4) and still have leftover ingredients which you can incorporate into your other meals throughout the week… or use to make another risotto.
Here is how I cook it up:
- Prepare your mushrooms – by peeling and roughly slicing them – and boil the kettle and add a stock cube to a jug, ready.
- Once prepared, put olive oil in a warm frying pan and then add your sliced mushrooms.
- As they soften, add your bacon lardons to the pan and cook through.
- Add some garlic, salt and pepper and mix well.
- Now put your dry rice in the pan and fry off for 1-2minutes.
- Whilst cooking, add your boiling water to the jug and stir thoroughly.
- Add the boiling water to the pan – enough that it is just under the level of the contents – and turn the heat down to simmering.
Note: with this dish, patience is key. It takes time… but trust me it is worth it.
7. Once the majority of the water has been absorbed by the rice, you will need to add more. Slowly continue this process until the rice is soft.
8. Once cooked, add a little more water and then start stirring through the spinach.
(I would recommend doing this in handfuls – otherwise it can get messy.)
9. Once all the spinach has been added, all of the water has been absorbed, and everything is cooked through, turn the heat all the way down, and add your cheese of choice.
10. Stir through.
And as simple as that, the most delicious risotto is ready! I mean it was always going to be great – combining arguably two of the best Italian dishes together.
And even better, if you want to watch the process – you can find this on both my Instagram and TikTok page. So, why not go and check it out now?
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