Spinach Risotto With Saffron

On weekends, when it’s hot out, the best lunch option could be a fresh baguette, slivers of soft Parmigiano or grana, and layers of mortadella or very thinly sliced ham. And in my case, a bold, heavy ‘red’ to wash it down. However, if that is the case – then dinner deserves something slightly heavy but easy to make like this spinach risotto with saffron recipe. Because the last thing you need after a long day is more dishes to wash or recipes that go on forever.

Spinach Risotto With Saffron

If this is your first time making risotto, do not be intimidated. All you need to do is make sure there is enough stock to simmer your rice. And have the cheese grated and ready to go, otherwise, the rest can be managed by a few simple steps.

How to Make Spinach Risotto With Saffron

Spinach: First blanch the spinach, you need it to retain its color, so only keep it in the water until it shrinks then yank it off the stove and into a cool water bath. Then squeeze out the excess water, roll the spinach into a ball, and finely chop.

Risotto: Next is the risotto, do not wash the rice, why? Because we need the starch which is on the outer shell of the rice grain to add to the creaminess.

The onions need to be very finely diced and sauteed on low heat until translucent before adding in the rice to toast for about 2 minutes (don’t let the rice/onions brown). Then pour in the ‘saffron wine’ and once it evaporates, add in a few ladlefuls of vegetable stock, salt, and a Parmigiano rind should you choose to use one.

Now all you have to do is gently stir the rice over high heat for 23 minutes, I suggest you stop adding too much water at this point. Taste the rice to make sure it is not hard and has enough salt, then add in the chopped spinach and let the rice cook for a further 2 minutes.

Creaming: If the rice has absorbed most of the stock and is overly lumpy, just add a few tablespoons of stock to it. Take the spinach risotto off the stove, remove the Parmigiano rind and stir in the butter and grated cheese. And that’s it, how easy was that?

Possible questions?

Can I use frozen spinach? Yes, just make sure the spinach is fully thawed. Leave it on the countertop until soft then squeeze out the water.

It only takes a few minutes to cook spinach. So lock in all the flavor and nutrients by tossing it into the risotto a few minutes before you take the rice off the fire.

Sticky issues? Did you forget your rice on the stove and the water ran out leading to a sticky mess? If it’s not too far gone it may be salvaged by taking it off the fire, pouring a ladleful of the hot vegetable stock, and giving it about 2-3 minutes to get to the bottom and loosen the rice.

Give the pan a little wiggle then use a spatula to perform a scraping motion (gently so as not to break/mash the rice grains) to stir the rice.

Got leftovers? Store the spinach risotto in the fridge overnight to firm up, then make some spinach arancini.

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Print Recipe

Spinach risotto with saffron

(+10 rating, 2 votes)

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Lunch/Dinner – Italian

By Angela – Serves: 3

Prep Time: 13 minutes – Cooking Time: 27 minutes – Total Time: 40 minutes

A simple and creamy risotto dish with spinach and risotto that is perfect for when you want a filling meat-free meal fit for the whole family.

Ingredients

• 500g spinach
• 85ml white wine
• 1 sachet of saffron
• 5 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small brown onion
• 200g carnaroli rice
• Parmigiano Reggiano rind
• 150g grated Parmigiano Reggiano/Parmesan
• 20g unsalted butter

Instructions

COOK THE SPINACH

1

Separate the spinach leaves from the stems, make sure the spinach leaves are clean and without any residues

2

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and blanch the leaves just until they shrink - roughly 1-2 minutes maximum. Transfer the spinach into a bowl with ice water, let cool then drain and squeeze out the excess water

3

Finely chop the spinach and set it aside

COOK THE RISOTTO

4

Stir the saffron into the wine to dissolve

5

Bring the vegetable stock to a boil and set to a simmer

6

Heat a large and deep, non-stick frying pan over low heat, pour in the olive oil, and finely chopped onions to sweat until translucent but not browned.

7

Toss in the rice to toast for about 2- minutes then pour in the saffron wine. Increase the heat to high, stir the rice wait for the wine to evaporate, then pour in a few ladlefuls of vegetable stock and add in the Parmigiano/Parmesan rind and salt to taste.

8

Stir every few minutes to ensure the rice doesn't stick to the pan. Don't add any more vegetable stock after 23 minutes of cooking (but the rice shouldn't be lumpy, it should be wet and creamy enough that it slowly slides off the back of a spoon).

COMBINE

9

Stir the chopped spinach through the risotto and leave to cook for about 2 minutes. Taste for doneness (the rice shouldn't be too soft but have a slight bite to it) and take the pan off the stove when ready. Discard the parmigiano rind.

10

Sprinkle in the grated cheese and knobs of butter. Properly stir to combine, serve and finish with a few turns of freshly ground black pepper.

11

Serve hot