Italian Wedding Risotto
Luxurious meatball risotto based on classic Italian wedding soup ~ don't miss this one!
Servings: 6 -8 servings
Equipment
- Instant Pot Pressure Cooker I use this one.
Ingredients
meatballs
- 8 ounces ground beef (I used ground sirloin)
- 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage meat (if you can't find loose sausage meat you can remove the meat from casings.)
- 1 large egg, lightly whisked
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs. I used panko.
- 1/2 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
risotto
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, cut in small dice
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut in small dice
- 1 rib celery, cut in small dice
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
- 2-3 handfuls escarole, kale, or baby spinach, cut in thin ribbons
Instructions
to make the meatballs
- Lightly oil a baking sheet.
- Put all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer (you can also do this by hand.) I like to break up the meat as I add it, to give the machiner a head start.
- Blend the meatball mixture gently until everything is thoroughly mixed, but don't over mix or mix on a high speed. You don't want to toughen the meat.
- Roll the meatball mixture into 1" sized balls and place on your lightly oiled baking sheet. You will have about 30 meatballs. Set your oven rack to the second from highest level, and broil the meatballs for about 5-6 minutes, until they are golden brown and cooked through (165F in the center.) I give them a stir or a shake once or twice so they cook evenly. Cover with foil and set aside. You can also keep them warm in the turned-off oven.
for the risotto
- Plug the machine in and press SAUTE. Press the SAUTE button until the screen reads NORMAL. This is the medium level of heat.
- Add olive oil, butter, and salt, then your aromatic veggies (onion, celery, and carrots.) Sauté them for a few minutes, stirring almost constantly.
- Add the arborio rice and sauté for a minute or so longer, stirring constantly.
- Press CANCEL, and stir in your chicken broth.
- Close and lock the lid. Set the vent to SEALING.
- Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 6 minutes.
- When the machine beeps that it is done cooking ~ don’t do anything for an additional 5 minutes.
- Then turn the vent to VENTING. When the pressure has released, open the lid.
- Give the risotto a stir, then stir in the cheese and the chopped greens. Add a bit of additional stock, if desired, and taste to adjust the seasonings.
- Serve asap topped with the meatballs and more cheese!
Notes
To make the risotto on the stovetop follow the recipe through step 3 in a Dutch oven or large skillet. Add ladles of hot broth slowly to the rice, stirring between each addition to allow the moisture to be absorbed by the rice. The process will take about 30 minutes for the rice to absorb enough broth to become tender. You will need about double the amount of broth for stove top risotto.
Nutrition
Calories: 599 kcal · Carbohydrates: 51 g · Protein: 25 g · Fat: 32 g · Saturated Fat: 13 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 13 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 110 mg · Sodium: 1496 mg · Potassium: 452 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 2 g · Vitamin A: 4256 IU · Vitamin C: 23 mg · Calcium: 308 mg · Iron: 5 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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