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Creamy Lemon Herb Baked Risotto

This creamy risotto is packed with flavor, and serves as the perfect hearty side dish for whatever meat dish you are preparing for dinner. I especially love this recipe because there is no continual stirring required--Simply assemble the components, cover with a light fitting lid or aluminum foil, and place it in the oven to bake.
After baking, different forms of lemon and fresh herbs are folded into the rice, and the mixture is covered again and allowed to steam for an additional ten minutes. The end result comes out great, despite the more hands-off cooking method.
While the rice is cooking in the oven, you can focus on making whatever else you were craving for dinner.
When I saw risotto made in culinary school, the rice would be partially cooked with the constant-stirring method in advance of service, and then re-heated and cooked for an additional ten minutes to order, with some added freshly-cooked garnishes at the end. The approach seemed to work really well, and the end product was really tasty.

Ingredients

  • Creamy Lemon Herb Baked Risotto
  • ½ yellow onion, small dice
  • 1 ½ cup Arborio (risotto) rice
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
  • 2 Tbsp salted butter
  • ½ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
  • ½ cup freshly-grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tbsp salted butter
  • Zest of ½ lemon
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 Tbsp preserved lemon rind, finely minced
  • 3 Tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • ½ Tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350F.
  • Heat up your chicken stock on the stove until it reaches a simmer.
  • Add the diced onion, Arborio rice, minced garlic, salted butter, and a generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper.
  • Bring the mixture to a simmer on the stove, and transfer the contents to a casserole dish.
  • Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil or a tightly-fitting lid, and bake in the oven at 350F for roughly 35 minutes.
  • Remove the casserole dish from the oven, and remove the lid.
  • Add the grated parmesan cheese, along with the remaining 2 Tbsp of salted butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, preserved lemon rind, and fresh herbs.
  • Stir to combine all of the ingredients, and taste the dish.
  • Add more Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, if desired.
  • Place the lid back on the rice, and allow it to continue to steam for an additional ten minutes before serving.

Notes

Arborio rice grains have a higher starch content relative to many other varieties of rice, making them ideal for a creamy rice dish such as risotto. Unlike some other ways we have discussed cooking rice, this particular cooking method does not involve rinsing the rice grains under cold water before cooking, as we want that starch content to be included in our final risotto dish.
This dish will taste great when reheated for leftovers the next day for lunch. It goes well when served alongside fish, chicken, pork, beef, or lamb.