Gourmet, frozen risotto

As a part of my trend to try to make good food accessible to normal people by incorporating convenience foods, I figured I'd have to do a meal that uses frozen food. For those naysayers out there, there is nothing wrong with frozen food. Freezing is a great way to store staple foods, maintaining more of the nutritional value that preserving via canning or drying.

When making recipes, like soups, beans, or even risotto, make double the amount and freeze the leftovers. I like to put mine in two cup plastic containers. They stack well in the freezer and are convenient for portioning. For this recipe, I used the frozen risotto as the base and added a few things to the mix to liven up the flavor.

Ingredients:

• 
  2 C frozen risotto (freeze the risotto before adding cheese or other mix ins)
  
• 
  2 T olive oil
  
• 
  2 C mushrooms, sliced (I used porcini mushrooms because they're amazing, but use your favorite)
  
• 
  2 cloves garlic, sliced
  
• 
  2 T butter
  
• 
  1/4 C Parmesan cheese, grated
  
• 
  Salt and pepper, to taste
  

Instructions:

Step One

As a side dish, start searing some vegetables. I did some carrots and snow peas. Fresh vegetables taste better than frozen for searing, but in a pinch, use frozen.

Step Two

Defrost the risotto in the microwave. Saute the mushrooms in olive oil and a few dashes of salt over medium heat, stirring frequently. After about 8 minutes, or when the mushrooms are starting to brown on both sides, add in the garlic and butter and saute for a few more minutes.

Step Three

Mix together the reheated risotto and the mushrooms, adding in the cheese. Serve with the vegetables on the side. For fun, add a poached egg on top. If you're more traditional, serve with a slice of chicken.

Effort: Easy
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 servings