Written by Alessa Clarke
For the exclusive use of culinaryadventure.blog

Risotto is one of those dishes that you’ll never go wrong with. The crowd-favorite comfort food is not only easy to eat, but it’s also incredibly versatile, allowing you to experiment with different variations. You have the option to cook it with bacon and cheddar, chicken and butternut, or mushroom and kale. But if you’re looking for something a little bit different, you may want to try lemon risotto with garlic marinara.

People seem to be under the impression that risotto is hard to make, but the reality is exactly the opposite. Why? Because of one simple tool: the rice cooker.

Here’s how you can nail the lemon risotto with garlic marinara using your trusty rice cooker at home.

Ingredients:
5 cups of vegetable liquid stock
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 red onion, halved and finely sliced
2 cups of arborio rice
1 cup of white wine
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Marinara mix, like our very own Mom’s Garlic Marinara
1 lemon, rind finely grated
Ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped parsley

How to cook:

Sautee the aromatics.

First things first, The Spruce Eats notes that you should sauté the aromatics in olive oil or butter. If you don’t want to opt for the usual pots and pans, you can do it using a rice cooker. The good news is today’s rice cookers are very much capable of preparing a variety of dishes, thanks to their smart features. Review site WeKnowRice details how modern rice cookers have the capacity to know what you’re cooking and adjust the cooking settings accordingly. For the risotto, you can set it to “Quick Cook” or “Regular,” let the pot heat up, add the butter or olive oil, throw in the aromatics, and sauté until softened and translucent. Add the wine and stir continuously until it’s absorbed.

Add rice and stock.

Now, add rice to the pot, and stir to coat the grains of rice completely with the ingredients. It’s best to use a wooden or silicone spatula while you do this, as rice is a delicate ingredient. Plus, Delishably points out that silicone tools are heat resistant. Add the stock, and instead of waiting until the liquid gets absorbed, you can pour the broth all at once since you’re using a rice cooker. Then, let the machine do the work. Turn on the porridge setting of your cooker if it has it, or switch the “regular” setting on if it’s an on-off cooker. Either way, the timer should be set to 20 minutes.

Work on the marinara.

While you’re waiting for the risotto to cook, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, and then throw in the marinara mix and lemon zest and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove it from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley, and finally, serve warm risotto topped with seafood.

If you want a different recipe involving garlic marinara, check out this Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe.