Looking for a fancy side dish to dress up your meal? This Pecorino Romano Risotto is creamy, cheesy, and delicious! It does require some careful attention as it cooks, but once you taste it you will find it was well worth the effort!
Ingredients that you will need
- Pecorino Romano Cheese
- Arborio rice
- Chicken broth
- White wine
- Leek
- Butter
- Black Pepper
What makes this risotto healthy?
My Pecorino Romano Risotto is a good source of protein, calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamin A! There isn't any cream used in this recipe and the broth is low sodium. This keeps the saturated fat content down to 4 grams and the sodium content down to 213mg per serving.
How to make Risotto
First you will want to chop the leek and grate the cheese.
Not familiar with leeks? A leek is a vegetable with a mild, onion-like flavor. It is the stem/stalk that we will use (the light green/white part), which you will cut in half lengthwise and then slice crosswise into bite sized pieces. Be sure to rinse them well under water.
Pecorino Romano cheese is used in this recipe, simply because I LOVE the flavor, but you could always substitute parmesan. Grating your own cheese will result in a smoother product, as pre-grated cheese contains fillers, which don't melt all that well and may end up clumping.
Next, warm your chicken broth in a medium saucepan on the stovetop. It's super important to have all of your ingredients ready to go, as the risotto is going to require your constant attention.
Okay, let's get started! Add 1 tablespoon butter to a large saucepan and cook your leeks over medium low heat for 5 minutes, or until tender.
Add the rice and toast for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the white wine, and stir until all of the liquid has absorbed.
Add a ladle of the warm broth to the rice, and stir frequently until the liquid has absorbed. Repeat this process by adding 1 ladle of broth at a time. This will take ~15 minutes and you will be left with a creamy rice mixture.
Add the cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, and black pepper and stir until combined. Serve warm, and enjoy!
Perfection!
This dish pairs beautifully with my Lemon Garlic Chicken in a White Wine Sauce and Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts!
Did you make this recipe? If so, please leave a comment below! Find more great recipes by following my blog or visiting me on Facebook and/or Pinterest. 🙂
Pecorino Romano Risotto
Equipment
- Medium Sauce Pan
- Large Sauce Pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 4 cups Chicken broth, reduced sodium
- ½ cup White wine dry
- 1 cup Leeks chopped
- ¾ cup Pecorino Romano cheese grated
- 2 tablespoon Butter divided
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
Instructions
- Chop the leek and grate the cheese. Set aside.
- Warm the chicken broth in a medium saucepan.
- In a large saucepan melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium low heat.
- Add the leeks and cook for 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir frequently.
- Add the rice and toast for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the wine and stir frequently, until the liquid has absorbed.
- Add a ladle of broth to the rice and stir frequently until the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat this process by adding 1 ladle of broth at a time. Once the broth has all been added, you will end up with a creamy rice mixture. This process takes about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, and black pepper. Serve warm, and enjoy!
Notes
- When chopping the leeks, use the light green/white stalk (cut off the dark green pieces and the very bottom). Cut in half lengthwise and then into slices crosswise. Rinse well under water.
- Purchase a small block of pecorino Romano cheese and grate it yourself. This will result in a smoother product, as pre-grated cheese has fillers which do not melt as well and may clump.
- You may use any dry white wine. I used Pinot Grigio.
- The cooking process will require constant attention. The rice will need to be stirred frequently to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- I like to garnish this dish with a little fresh thyme.
I made this tonight, and it is excellent! First time cooking with leeks, and they go great with the pecorino romano. There is one ambiguity in the recipe I realized as I was cooking - it calls for 1 Tbsp of butter, but butter is added both before adding the leeks, and at the end. I checked another risotto recipe I've used, and wound up adding the 1 at the beginning, and 3 at the end, which worked great. Although looking at the nutrition facts here as well as on the cheese and butter, my guess is the intention was… Read more »
Glad you enjoyed it, Andrew! And thank you so much for picking up on the butter amounts. It should be 2 Tablespoons divided (one to cook the leeks and the other is stirred in at the end. I just adjusted the recipe!🙂
This was very easy to follow and delicious. Next time, I think I will add more cheese and less broth. 🙂
This is one of my favorite recipes! Glad you enjoyed.