Baked Brown Rice Risotto

Brown rice is one of my favourite foods; my husband calls it my comfort food.  I can easily just sit down to a bowl of plain brown rice as I love the flavour and texture.  To me it just feels like I'm eating something that is so good for me.  Many people I know don't enjoy brown rice, preferring highly processed white rice which, although still a sound food choice, doesn't offer the same nutritional value as brown rice.

This risotto is so easy to make and uses brown instead of white rice, making it highly nutritious meal option.  There are many variations and the possibilities are really endless once the basic risotto is made.  I also love that it can be a one pot meal making it a great choice for weeknight dinners.

Basic Risotto Recipe (serves 4)

What you will need:

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 leek or 1 large onion or 2 small onions, finely chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, finely diced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (substitute with stock if you don't have or want to use wine)
• 3 1/2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
• olive oil

What you need to do:

For this recipe you would ideally use an ovenproof dish with a lid that can also go on the stove top.  If you don't have one then you'll need to use a large saucepan or medium frying pan and then transfer into a casserole dish to go into the oven.

1.  Pre-heat an oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 

2.  Fry the leek or onion in some olive oil until it just begins to soften but doesn't brown.  Add the celery and cook until both are soft.

3.  Add the brown rice and stir for one to two minutes.

4.  Add the wine and cook, stirring, until most of the wine has been absorbed.  Add the stock and bring to the boil.

5.  Cover and transfer to the oven.  Cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked.

6.  If you are eating plain then leave to stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.  Add salt, pepper and/or herbs to taste. If you are adding other ingredients then follow the directions below for different variations.

Tuna Risotto

Make the basic recipe and remove from the oven after 50 minutes.  Drain a large tin of tuna in oil and mix through the risotto.  Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let stand for five minutes.  Add 1/3 cup of chopped parsley and some freshly ground black pepper, mix well and serve.

Mushroom Risotto

Make the basic recipe but at stage two, add one or two cups of chopped mushrooms and some fresh thyme.  Continue the recipe as above.

Italian Porcini and Herb Risotto

Before beginning, add a small packed of dried porcini mushrooms to a cup of boiling water and allow to rehydrate.  Begin preparing the basic recipe.  After step two, remove the mushrooms from the soaking liquid BUT RETAIN THE LIQUID.  Add the mushrooms just before adding the brown rice.  When adding the stock, use the mushroom soaking liquid and reduce the stock amount accordingly (ie. only use 2 1/2 cups of stock if you have 1 cup of mushroom liquid).  At the end of the cooking time, mix through a selection of fresh herbs such as parsley, oregano or basil.

Roast Pumpkin and Pine Nut Risotto

Prepare the basic recipe.  Meanwhile chop some pumpkin into 2cm pieces.  Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.  You can also add herbs if you like.  Roast until golden.  Toast some pine nuts leave aside.  Stir the pumpkin through the risotto after step 5 and add the pine nuts just before serving, or sprinkle on top to garnish.


The variations are only limited by your imagination.  Enjoy.