Risotto with oats? Yes! I’d be skeptical if I were you, but let me tell you—I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I love this twist on risotto. Traditional risotto is time consuming, rich and delicious, but doesn’t have much to offer in the nutrition department. I’ve learned how to make a baked version with brown rice and lots of vegetables, but it still takes a little too much time to qualify as an easy weeknight meal.
Enter steel-cut oat risotto! Also known as, another way to use those steel-cut oats in your pantry, for something other than steel-cut oatmeal. Like arborio rice, steel-cut oats get nice and creamy when cooked. Unlike brown arborio rice, steel-cut oats require about 25 minutes on the stove, with minimal fuss. Steel-cut oats are 100% whole grain and are a good source of fiber, so this risotto will stick with you.
This flexible risotto recipe is the perfect solution for your extra fall produce. I used a combination of kale and butternut squash here, but you could easily replace the kale with chard, spinach or collard greens. Try sweet potato or carrots in place of the butternut squash!
For another flexible recipe with oats, don’t miss my kale, apple and goat cheese salad with granola “croutons.” As always, please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments.
Watch How to Make Steel-Cut Oat Risotto
*Wine note: Choose a dry, unoaked white wine, such as sauvignon blanc. If you don’t want to include alcohol in your risotto, simply omit it (no substitutions required). Parmesan note: Vegetarian Parmesans do exist—look for the animal rennet-free varieties. There’s plenty of flavor in here without the Parmesan, if you’d rather leave it out.
