Hope everyone had a good weekend! Mine was excellent and involved a lot of eating. That’s always a good thing. But I wanted to start off the week sharing one of my favorite recipes — which is also one of my favorite kitchen cheats.

If I go to a restaurant and see risotto as a side option, chances are I am probably ordering it. Cheesy carbs are the way to my heart.

I’d always been afraid to try risotto at home. Something about the stirring and the ladling intimidated me. But then I found a cheat, an easy way to make risotto where you can just set it and forget it.

Baked risotto. IN THE OVEN.

It’s all the same ingredients. It still takes about the same amount of time as a traditional risotto. But maybe a third of the effort.

I’ve tried a few different recipes, but the one from Kitchen Simplicity is by far my favorite. And it is very easily adaptable depending on what you want to make. Throw some mushrooms in there. Goat cheese? Why not. Eric liked it when I mixed in some shredded carrots. Do whatever you desire. It pairs well with many things. I’ve done it with red wine short ribs and scallops.

Do you have any favorite kitchen cheats?

Simple Baked Risotto from Kitchen Simplicity

1.5 cups arborio rice
4.5 cups chicken stock (I use chicken bouillon since I always have it on hand)
1 cup finely grated parmesan
2 tablespoons butter (You can add margarine or another substitute)
salt and pepper, to taste

Stir together the stock and rice in a 10 cup baking dish, cover tightly with foil. Bake at 355ºF for 40 minutes or until rice is al dente and most of the stock has been absorbed (it will still be quite loose and wet). Stir in parmesan and butter until creamy. Season with salt and pepper.