Kale Risotto {with Brown Rice}

My creamy and hearty brown rice kale risotto with cheddar is a delish vegetarian entree to enjoy any night of the week. It is surprisingly hands-off to achieve a creamy risotto texture with this method. Plus there’s in plenty of extra veggies for added nutrition!

Why We Love This Recipe For Healthy Vegetarian Kale Risotto

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 that’s incredibly creamy. The key? Cheddar and just a touch of butter.

It’s great on its own as a one-pot meal or served in smaller portions with a bowl of Italian Tomato Soup or roasted tomatoes with cheddar.

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Key Ingredients For This Recipe

• Broth: Use low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• Extra-virgin olive oil: You can also use avocado oil or ghee
• Veggies: Onion, carrots, celery, and Lacinato or curly kale
• Seasonings: Fresh thyme, salt and pepper
• Short grain brown rice: Short grain rice is the best when making risotto
• Dry white wine: Any cooking wine or white wine you have at home will work
• Butter: Use either salted or unsalted butter
• Cheese: Sharp cheddar and grated Parmesan for garnishing

Step-by-Step Instructions To Make Healthy Kale Risotto

Step 1: Heat broth

Bring broth to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan.

Step 2: Cook veggies

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 just 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.

Step 3: Add rice

Stir in rice and cook, stirring, until the rice starts to turn opaque in spots, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 4: Add broth & cook rice

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.

Step 5: Add kale & cheese

Bring the remaining 1 cup of broth to a simmer. Remove the lid from the rice, increase heat to medium and stir in the remaining 1 cup of 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.

FAQs and Expert Tips

At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie

Kale Risotto {with Brown Rice}

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Katie Webster
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 cups 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

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

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 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
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup short grain brown rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 6 cups shredded Lacinato or curly kale
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
• Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

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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.

Notes

Make-Ahead Instructions: You can make this brown rice risotto with kale 3 days ahead of time if needed (although best made the day of or the day before). Make sure to store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

 

 

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Stove Top
• Cuisine: Italian

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