Summer Vegetable Risotto

I had a lot of leftover vegetables in my fridge last night and decided a risotto would be a perfect dinner to incorporate them into. Risotto is time consuming, but actually very simple to cook. It's one of mine and my family's favorite dinners.

I had asparagus, yellow squash, an orange pepper from the garden and mushrooms in my fridge and they all went together very nicely in this risotto. You can add any leftover vegetables that you may have, such as carrots or even fennel.

I cooked up some chicken and added it to my dad and mom's servings, but I thought the risotto was delicious enough without it. If you are looking to have a protein incorporated into this meal, then I recommend sauteing some chicken breasts until cooked through, chopping the chicken into bite sized pieces, and stirring it into the risotto at the very end.

Summer Vegetable Risotto:

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

4 cups low sodium vegetable broth

1/3 cup white wine

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup cremini mushrooms, chopped

1/2 large summer squash, chopped

1 orange bell pepper, chopped

10 asparagus spears, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

salt 

pepper

1. In a large saucepan add the vegetable broth and keep warm over low heat.
2. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.
3. Add the garlic and onion to the pan and saute until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Next, add the arborio rice and cook until toasted, about 4 minutes. Pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan and cook until the liquid has dissolved. 
5. Add about 1/3 cup of warm vegetable broth to the rice at a time and stir constantly until the liquid has dissolved. Keep stirring in 1/3 cup of vegetable broth at a time until all of the vegetable broth is gone (this takes about 20-25 minutes). *You have to stir the risotto constantly or else the rice will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
6. While the risotto is cooking, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook the chopped vegetables until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
7. When the risotto is done, stir in the oregano, thyme, parmesan and vegetables. Season the entire dish with salt and pepper, top with some extra grated cheese and parsley and serve.