For this tasty side dish or hearty vegetarian main dish, sweet bell peppers are stuffed with creamy Arborio rice risotto flavored with a touch of basil pesto sauce. This dish can also easily be made with hollowed out tomatoes or even zucchini if you wish. A dramatic presentation, and a dramatic delight for your taste buds.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Stuffed Peppers with Creamy Pesto Risotto
Ingredients:
- (4) bell peppers, bottoms slightly trimmed so that they stand upright, top 1/4-inch removed and ribs and seeds removed
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- For the risotto:
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- ½ cup Arborio rice
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 3-4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- ½ cup homemade or store-bought pesto sauce
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a small baking sheet with olive oil spray. Arrange the peppers on the baking sheet; drizzle each with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until just tender.
- To make the risotto, Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add in the onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add in the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute to toast the rice and coat each grain with oil. Add in the white wine and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the liquid has evaporated.
- Now, with about 1/2 cup of chicken broth at a time, ladle in the broth and stir, until the broth has evaporated. Then continue adding in the broth and cooking the risotto until it is al dente and puffed up. (This can take anywhere from 15-25 minutes….but keep stirring!)
- Season the risotto with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat an stir in the 1/4 cup of cheese and the pesto sauce.
- Spoon the risotto into the baked peppers and serve warm, with a sprinkling of more cheese if desired.
Tagged: arborio rice, creamy pesto risotto, Parmesan cheese, pesto risotto, risotto, risotto stuffed peppers, stuffed peppers, sweet peppers
Leave a Reply