Baked Spring Veggie Risotto

Like every other person on the planet, I LOVE risotto! What I don't love is that it is an incredibly high maintenance dish that requires lots of stirring and watching and waiting. I wanted to find a way to create a easy risotto that has all the creamy comfort of the original with minimal work. The secret is to BAKE the risotto. Now I know you may be skeptical, and I was too, but after a bit of experimentation, I created Weeknight Risotto.

Now I couldn't resist making some other healthy modifications to this dish, so there is no butter, minimal cheese, and I substituted healthy pearled barley for traditional arborio. Barley is a wonderful whole grain that creates a creamy texture to the dish. I used spring vegetables as an inspiration and added leeks, peas and asparagus. A bit of lemon juice and some fresh Parmesan add intense, light flavor.

This is one of those dishes that feels so bad, but is really so good. It's light, simple and you throw everything in the oven and serve. I topped it with some fresh Parmesan and an herb gremolata.

And now onto the giveaway ... 


And the winner of the Cast Iron Skillet Giveaway is: Lauren from The Hippie Dog Company

Congrats Lauren! And thank you to everyone who entered. This was such a blast that I'm planning another giveaway for next month. Stay tuned! 

Read more for the Baked Risotto Recipe!!!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium leek, rinsed, trimmed and sliced
1 cup pearled barley
3 cups of low sodium veggie broth, divided
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup shelled peas (fresh or frozen)
1 lb bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed, washed and cut into 1-2" chunks
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (plus more for garnish)
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, washed and chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley, washed and chopped


Gremolata: Mix all ingredients together and set aside until time to serve
2 tbsp fresh parsley, washed and chopped
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, washed and chopped
2 tbsp lemon zest

Step by Step Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. In a cast iron skillet or dutch oven, saute onion and leek in olive oil on medium heat, 6-7 minutes, stirring frequently
3. Add barley, lemon juice, salt, pepper and 2 cups of broth, cover and bake for 15 minutes
4. Remove from oven. At this point, most of the liquid should be absorbed.
5. Stir in remaining 1 cup of broth, peas, asparagus, Parmesan, rosemary and parsley
6. Cover and return to oven. Bake for another 15 minutes
7. Remove from heat and serve sprinkled with Parmesan and garnished with 1 tbsp gremolata