I’m going to talk about this yummy vegetarian Brown Rice Kale Risotto with Cheddar in a second (it’s naturally gluten-free, and has awesome nutrition stats: Cal: 290, Fiber: 3 g, Protein: 12 g.)

Brown Rice Kale Risotto with Cheddar on Healthy Seasonal Recipes by Katie Webster

Why This Recipe Works

This easy cheesy and creamy Kale Risotto is made with Brown Rice which gives it a nutritional edge with a bonus of fiber and protein. It makes a great vegetarian main course.

It is great on its own as a one pot meal, or serve smaller portions with a bowl of Italian Tomato Soup or roasted tomatoes with cheddar.

I have been trying to figure out how to make this recipe work for weeks, and it really was not easy. It’s gone through a lot of iterations. It started out being the poster child for earnest vegetarian hippy food of yore. I wasn’t going to sell anyone on brown rice, kale or a meatless main with the way this tasted. It gradually has gotten better and better. The last test thankfully worked great and the family gave it the thumbs up that it’s ready to share with you guys.

The key? Cheddar and just a touch of butter.

When I swapped out the Parmesan and used a cheddar instead, it became much more creamy. More like white rice risotto, less like hippy food. And I added in 2 tablespoons of butter to finish it. Yeah. It had to happen. It really is a delicious result and made all the difference. And don’t worry I didn’t go crazy with either the cheddar and butter. Just enough to turn brown rice and kale from earnest hippy blah to creamy delicious comfort food.

Check out the nutrition stats: Cal: 290, Fiber: 3 g, Protein: 12 g.

Ingredients For This Recipe

  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, finely chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cup short grain brown rice
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 6 cups shredded Lacinato or curly kale
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
  • Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

How To Make Healthy Kale Risotto

  1. Bring broth to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan.
  2. Heat oil in a sauté pan or large straight sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and jut starting to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, thyme, pepper and salt and cook, stirring often until the celery is bright green, about 4 minutes.
  3. Stir in rice and cook, stirring, until the rice starts to turn opaque in spots, 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Add wine, and cook, stirring often until the wine is almost completely evaporated, about 90 seconds. Ladle 3 cups of the broth into the rice, and stir to combine. Cover the remaining 1 cup broth and keep warm. Bring the rice mixture to a simmer. Cover, adjust heat to keep the liquid at a steady simmer and cook until the rice has absorbed most of the broth, about 35 minutes.
  5. Bring the remaining 1 cup broth to a simmer. Remove lid from rice, increase heat to medium and stir in the remaining 1 cup broth and kale. Continue cooking, stirring often until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is creamy and tender, 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until melted. Add cheddar and stir until melted. Serve hot with Parmesan on top if desired.
Brown Rice Kale Risotto with Cheddar on Healthy Seasonal Recipes by Katie Webster

More Kale And Risotto Recipes To Try

Thanks so much for reading. If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my free weekly email newsletter where I share weeknight meal plans delivered right to your inbox. Or follow me on Instagram. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It is very appreciated. Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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Brown Rice Kale Risotto with Cheddar on Healthy Seasonal Recipes by Katie Webster

Healthy Kale Risotto Recipe

  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8 cups 1x
  • Category: Main Course
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegetarian

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews
Print Recipe

Description

Brown Rice Kale Risotto with Cheddar is a healthy gluten-free and vegetarian main course.

Scale

Ingredients

  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 carrots, finely chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cup short grain brown rice
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 6 cups shredded Lacinato or curly kale
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
  • Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions

  1. Bring broth to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan.
  2. Heat oil in a sauté pan or large straight sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and jut starting to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, thyme, pepper and salt and cook, stirring often until the celery is bright green, about 4 minutes.
  3. Stir in rice and cook, stirring, until the rice starts to turn opaque in spots, 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Add wine, and cook, stirring often until the wine is almost completely evaporated, about 90 seconds. Ladle 3 cups of the broth into the rice, and stir to combine. Cover the remaining 1 cup broth and keep warm. Bring the rice mixture to a simmer. Cover, adjust heat to keep the liquid at a steady simmer and cook until the rice has absorbed most of the broth, about 35 minutes.
  5. Bring the remaining 1 cup broth to a simmer. Remove lid from rice, increase heat to medium and stir in the remaining 1 cup broth and kale. Continue cooking, stirring often until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is creamy and tender, 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until melted. Add cheddar and stir until melted. Serve hot with Parmesan on top if desired.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 1/3 cup
  • Calories: 290
  • Sugar: 2.5
  • Sodium: 407
  • Fat: 16 g
  • Saturated Fat: 3.5
  • Carbohydrates: 23
  • Fiber: 3
  • Protein: 12