Quick, very simple to make and super tasty, this Easy Peasy Chorizo Risotto is ready in under 30 minutes and only uses one pan. The perfect meal for busy weeknights!
Not ‘authentic’… but utterly delicious!
OK, I’ll be the first to admit this risotto is not ‘authentic’ – risotto comes from Italy and chorizo comes from Spain. But that doesn’t stop this risotto from being utterly delicious… as well as quick and very easy to make. It only uses 1 pan and takes less than 30 minutes to make. As a bonus, it also comes in at under 500 calories! The perfect meal for those busy days when you don’t have a lot of time or energy, but still want to eat well!
An easy peasy way to make risotto…
Risotto has a reputation for being tricky and time consuming… the good news is, this Easy Peasy Chorizo Risotto is neither of those things!
The main reason for this is that I do not do that thing you are ‘supposed’ to do to make a good risotto – carefully adding the stock one ladleful at a time every few minutes. I just chuck all the stock in right at the beginning, once I’ve fried off the onions, garlic, chorizo and rice.
And do you know what? It tastes just the same as the labour-intensive one ladleful at a time version. I’ve tried it both ways on multiple occasions and you just can’t tell the difference!
All you need to do is remember to give this risotto a good stir from time to time – it’s the stirring that gives risotto it’s classic creaminess.
Then, when the rice is almost cooked, add in some parsley and frozen peas. Warm the peas through and you are good to go – all in under 30 minutes!
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
Tips for making a great risotto
Now, while we’ve established you really don’t have to stand at the stove lovingly ladling stock into your risotto, there are a few things you DO need to do if you want to make a really good risotto:
1. Always use risotto rice
Sounds obvious really, but you’d be amazed at the number of ‘risotto’ recipes I’ve read that tell you to use regular rice or ‘pudding’ rice. I’m not really sure why – it’s not like risotto rice is prohibitively expensive or hard to come by these days, but anyway… if you want to make a really good risotto, you need to use risotto rice. I prefer arborio, personally, but you can use carnaroli if you prefer.
2. Never rinse risotto rice before cooking
Definitely don’t rinse risotto rice before cooking. The whole point about risotto is it is rich and creamy… and that creaminess comes from the starch on the surface of the rice grains. If you rinse the rice, you lose the starch and your risotto will not be creamy.
3. Stir your risotto – but not too much
If you want your risotto to have that lovely classic creamy texture, you need to regularly stir your risotto. This will also stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan. HOWEVER, one of the biggest risotto mistakes is stirring your risotto too much… if you stir your risotto too much you will end up with a big mushy mess, not the classic silky and creamy texture risotto is supposed to have. I recommend giving your risotto a good stir every couple of minutes to get the best texture.
4. Don’t overcook your risotto
Another big risotto making no-no is overcooking it. While the overall texture of a risotto is creamy, you want the actual rice to still retain a little bit of ‘bite’ (AKA ‘al dente’). It shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes from the time you add the stock to achieve the correct consistency. Again, if you overcook your risotto, you will end up with a big mushy mess!
What to serve with chorizo risotto
This easy peasy risotto is an entire meal in its own right and doesn’t really require any accompaniments, but if you want to add a side dish, I recommend serving this with a simple side salad and/or garlic bread.
What to drink with chorizo risotto?
Two ways to go here. One is an oak-aged Spanish red – something like a Rioja Reserva, which pairs beautifully with chorizo. Or why not venture further afield to lesser known Spanish wine regions, like Navarra or Ribera del Duero, which offer Rioja-style wines without having to pay extra for just the ‘Rioja’ name!
The other option is to go for a gutsy Sauvignon Blanc from somewhere like New Zealand, Chile or South Africa. Don’t go for one of the more delicate styles of Sauvignon Blanc, as the chorizo will overwhelm it.
Can you reheat risotto?
Risotto really is at its best when it is freshly made… However, if you do end up with some left over, simply store it in a plastic lidded container in the fridge, where it will keep for 24 hours.
To reheat, place the risotto in a pan and add a big splash of water and stir to combine. Heat the risotto for about 5 minutes over a low-medium heat until the risotto is piping hot all the way through, stirring occasionally. If the risotto is too thick, add a splash or two more water, to loosen it up.
When reheating rice, always make sure you adhere to food safety guidelines for rice.
Can you freeze risotto?
Yes, you can freeze risotto. Again, it won’t be quite as good as freshly made risotto, but it will still taste delicious. Make sure you cool the rice quickly and get it into the freezer, in a plastic lidded box, within 1 hour of when you finished cooking it. It will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Defrost the risotto overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
Again, make sure you always adhere to food safety guidelines for rice.
If you like this recipe…
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Easy Peasy Chorizo Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 200 g chorizo diced
- 2 garlic cloves grated or crushed
- 300 g risotto rice (I use arborio)
- 1 litre chicken stock from a cube is fine (I use 1 Kallo organic chicken stock cube)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 100 g frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
- Grated Parmesan to serve (optional)
- Green salad to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Fry the chopped onions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large wide saucepan (lid on) over a gentle heat for 3 minutes until the onions are softened but not brown. Stir occasionally.
- Next, add the chorizo and garlic. Fry for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the risotto rice and cook for 1 more minute, stirring regularly.
- Add all of the stock to the rice, and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir thoroughly to combine.
- Bring the risotto to a gentle bubble, then turn the heat right down, but leave the lid off. Cook the risotto until almost all of the stock has been absorbed (roughly 18 minutes). Do remember to give the risotto a good stir from time to time, while it is cooking.
- Stir in the parsley and frozen peas and cook for 2 more minutes. By this time the rice should be ‘al dente’ – that is, it should be mostly cooked, but with a little bit of bite.
- Serve sprinkled with grated parmesan and a side salad, if you wish.
Notes
- If you wish to add wine to your risotto add 150ml white wine into the pan straight after you have added in the rice. Cook the rice in the wine for 1 minute and then add the stock (but reduce the quantity of stock down to 850ml.)
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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Deb says
That was faultless Eb! Thanks for posting/sharing.
All I changed up was adding some chestnut mushrooms too as I find Chorizo and mushies pair very well.
Otherwise, followed your instructions to the letter and it was soooo good👍
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay – that’s so great to hear! Love the idea of adding mushrooms 😀 Thank you for this lovely review!
Julie says
First time I’ve cooked a risotto and wow what a brilliant meal this turned out to be. I’ve always shied always from risotto because the recipes made it look very time consuming. Enter easypeasyfoodie.com – not so difficult and tasted every bit as good as a restaurant expensive meal.
Can’t wait to try more recipes.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay – that’s so great to hear! Thank you for this lovely review 😀
Veronica says
Really easy and delicious! Iv made a lot of risotto in my time this was great! I used spicy chorizo and fried some until crispy to top the risotto.
Eb Gargano says
Aw – yay, that’s so great to hear! Thank you for this lovely review 😀
Thai says
This was so good! Super easy to make, I was pleasantly surprised! I used some Chardonnay (about 1/2-3/4 c) as chicken broth and ended up using a little bit more broth than expected. I also used some sun dried tomatoes (which may have impacted the liquid content) and it was so yummy! Will definitely make again.
Eb Gargano says
Aw – yay, I am delighted to hear that! Thank you for this lovely review and especially the 5* rating 😀