8 Creamy Risotto Recipes That Are Actually Healthy

? Lucy Schaeffe

Though it’s typically packed with cheese and butter, there are ways to make healthy risotto without sacrificing its signature creaminess. Here, eight shockingly good-for-you risotto recipes.

1. Quinoa Risotto with Lemon and Roasted Tomatoes
F&W Best New Chef 2011 Ricardo Zarate puts a clever Peruvian spin on risotto, using quinoa in place of rice and adding lots of bright flavor with fresh lemon and lemon zest.

2. Grilled Eggplant Risotto
For this supersimple risotto, chef Jonathan Justus grills eggplant until smoky and charred, then blends the creamy flesh into the cooked rice.

3. Corn and Pea Risotto
Eaten together, corn and peas are a fine source of protein.

4. Greek-Style Vegetable Risotto
This is a play on a Greek dish called spanakorizo, which chef Michael Psilakis updates with zucchini, arugula and peas.

5. Shrimp and Goat Cheese Risotto
Goat cheese makes this risotto deliciously creamy and tangy without adding a ton of fat.

6. Milanese Risotto
Quick and easy, this vibrant risotto is flavored and colored with a pinch of saffron threads.

7. Cheesy Farro-and-Tomato Risotto
Rajat Parr came up with this vibrant risotto when trying to feed a bunch of hungry friends in his San Francisco apartment from a pantry that happened to contain tomatoes and farro.

8. Chimayó-Chile Risotto with Shiitake Mushrooms
This vegetarian risotto is infused with moderately hot Chimayó chile powder. Shiitakes not only add an earthy flavor, they also provide zinc and several B vitamins.

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