Risotto is delicious, in our opinion – it’s a nice cross between rice and pasta, and since most risotto is simmered in broth and then mixed with butter, Parmesan cheese, and some other interesting ingredients, the cooking method makes it super delicious.  But sometimes risotto can be a little bit of a chore to make, because many recipes insist that you have to continuously stir until it’s done.  Thankfully we found this recipe in the New York Times, which has you bake the risotto so that the oven does all the work.  We liked using this easy method and adapting it for ourselves, but we also enjoyed throwing together all the veggies here to make a dish that was filled with bright green vegetables to give this risotto a healthy glow.

To make this, you’ll need:

• Olive oil
• A small onion
• Garlic
• Arborio rice
• A small bunch of kale
• 4 vegetable bouillon cubes
• A 4-ounce bag of spinach
• Frozen peas
• Parmesan cheese
• Butter
• A lemon

First, prep your vegetables by chopping your onion and a clove of garlic, tearing your kale into bite-sizes pieces, and measuring out a cup of frozen peas and thawing them in the microwave.  You’ll also want to bring 3 1/2 cups of water to a boil and dissolve in your bouillon cubes to make a broth.  Then warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and cook your onion for a few minutes until it’s softened.  Add in the garlic, cook briefly, then pour in a cup of the Arborio rice and toast it for a minute or so.

Place the kale in the pot and stir it around just until it’s wilted.

Pour in your broth and bring everything to a boil, then place the pot in your oven at 375°F and bake for 20 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Add in your spinach and peas and stir until the spinach is wilted.  Grate up 3/4 cup of Parmesan and mix it in along with 3 tablespoons of butter and the juice from your lemon.

And now you can serve the risotto with more slices of lemon and extra Parmesan on top.

We love how vibrantly green our risotto came out, thanks to the three vegetables in it.  And of course we enjoyed how rich and creamy it was too – and how easy it was to make.  We were a little apprehensive that sticking the pot in the oven and leaving it would result in burnt or stuck together risotto, but this method actually works and saves you a lot of effort.  This was a pretty easy meal, which you might not expect of risotto, but as you can see it turned out great – so don’t be afraid, this risotto is can be your go-to quick and impressive meat-free meal.