Slow Cooker Risotto

Slow Cooker Risotto allows you to enjoy the creamy texture and rich taste of risotto without all the love and attention.

Risotto tastes delicious but can be a bit of a pain to make. Standing over the stove, adding hot stock in batches may have been feasible pre-kids but its not so fun with hungry, tired children at your feet.

This no-fuss version, using the slow cooker, makes it so much easier.

A Few Notes on the Ingredients

• Risotto rice - to make risotto, you need to use risotto rice (Arborio rice), It has a higher level of starch on the surface which thickens the cooking liquid, making the risotto beautifully creamy.
• Stock - The better the broth, the better the flavour. Homemade is always a good choice, especially when cooking for babies (when controlling sodium levels is so important.)
• Vegetables - You can mix and match the veggies to suit taste. Grating allows the veggies to "melt" into the dish and are barely noticeable.
• Pesto - Used for added flavour and can be missed out, if prefered.
• Cheese - Freshly grated parmesan cheese is stirred in at the end and can be miss out. Make sure to use fresh parmesan, don't use the ambient cheese you can buy in the pasta aisle, it will greatly change the taste. 

How to Make Risotto in the Slow Cooker

1. Heat the butter and Oil, if your slow cooker has a saute function you can do it in the slow cooker. If not you will need to do this in a pan.
2. Saute the onion, celery, carrot and garlic - It's a great flavour base and sautéing brings out the sweetness and mellows the flavour.
3. Add bell pepper capsicum and zucchini and stir for a further min.
4. Toast the rice along with the vegetables, before adding the stock. You only need to do this for a minute or two.
5. Add Stock, there is no need to gradually add the broth and you don't need to pre-heat it either. Mix together the rice mixture, the stock and the pesto. Give it a stir, cover and set on high for a couple of hours.
6. Stir in peas and cheese and allow to cook for a final 10 mins.

Every slow cooker is different so the first time you make this dish you will have to monitor the rice. My cooker took 2 hours on high but this may differ depending on what temperature your cooker runs at.

The surface area of your slow cooker may also affect the result. The slow cooker I used has a wide base, if you are using a smaller based, deeper cooker you may find you will have to stir the rice a couple of times to make the cooking of the rice more even.

Slow Cooker Risotto for Baby

If using regular stock, pesto and cheese then this risotto may be a little high on sodium levels.

You can use homemade stock or buy low salt/baby stock cubes. I was never keen on the flavour they produced but that being said, when I used them the boys never complained. Another option would be using a reduced-sodium stock and watering it down.

You may wish to skip the cheese to reduce the sodium levels.

Risotto is a great rice for babies, the sticky texture makes it easy for them to grab little bites to feed themselves.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

• Leftover risotto can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to two days.
• Not recommended for freezing as the texture of the rice can become grainy.

• Reheat in a pan over medium heat. The risotto will thicken once cooled so may require a little extra stock. (Usually around ¼ cup of stock per cup of risotto)
• Transforming leftover risotto into something completely new is a great alternative to reheating. Why not try these baked risotto balls.

Frequently Asked Questions

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