Recipes

Elegant and Healthy Risotto Recipe | No Heavy Ingredients!

Cook Time

15 min

Total Time

45 min

Servings

6-8

Elegant and Healthy Risotto Recipe | No Heavy Ingredients!

Rediscover risotto the healthy way with this Risotto with Radicchio recipe! 🌿 Instead of relying on heavy cream or cheese, we use classic Italian techniques to create a creamy, luxurious texture—letting the natural flavors of Arborio rice, radicchio, and pancetta shine.


Packed with nutrients from fresh vegetables and enhanced with a touch of pancetta and olive oil, this dish is a testament to mindful cooking that doesn’t sacrifice flavor.


Whether you’re looking for a comforting weeknight dinner or an elegant dish to impress guests, this risotto is the perfect choice.

Elegant and Healthy Risotto Recipe | No Heavy Ingredients!

Rediscover risotto the healthy way with this Risotto with Radicchio recipe! 🌿 Instead of relying on heavy cream or cheese, we use classic Italian techniques to create a creamy, luxurious texture—letting the natural flavors of Arborio rice, radicchio, and pancetta shine.


Packed with nutrients from fresh vegetables and enhanced with a touch of pancetta and olive oil, this dish is a testament to mindful cooking that doesn’t sacrifice flavor.


Whether you’re looking for a comforting weeknight dinner or an elegant dish to impress guests, this risotto is the perfect choice.

A black and white drawing of a plate and fork on a white background.
Servings

6-8

A black and white icon of a bell on a white background.
Total Time

45 min

Ingredients:

7-8 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup olive oil

3 oz pancetta, finely chopped

1/2 cup yellow onion finely chopped

2 large carrots diced

2 large celery diced

4-5 garlic cloves chopped

1 large red onion sliced 

1/4 tsp sugar

2 heads radicchio, thinly sliced crosswise, plus 12 small whole radicchio leaves for serving

3 cups Arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine, at room temperature

2 tbls unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper 



Directions:

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the stock to a gentle simmer and maintain over low heat.

In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, and yellow onion and sauté until tender. Remove from pan and set aside. 

To the same pan add the red onion and sugar sauté. When it just starts to caramelize (about 4-5 minute) add the radicchio and pancetta. Continue to sauté until the mix is nice and caramelized another 4-5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside (keep warm).


Add the rice to the same pan and stir until each grain is well coated with oil and translucent with a white dot in the center, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and stir until it is completely absorbed.

Add the simmering stock a ladleful at a time, stirring consistently after each addition. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed (but the rice is never dry on top) before adding the next ladleful. Reserve 1/4 cup stock to add at the end.

When the rice is tender to the bite but slightly firm in the center and looks creamy, after about 20 minutes, add the carrot mix. Cook stirring consistently for another 2 minutes to get the carrots warmed again.


Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and reserved 1/4 cup stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place 2  radicchio leaves on each plate. Spoon the risotto into the leaves. Make a well in the center and spoon in the radicchio mixture. Serve at once.

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