The risotto with spinach and ricotta is a classic first course from home cooking. Perfect for a family lunch or dinner. Also good to help children eat their vegetables. It’s a creamy and delicate dish: the rice is cooked with spinach and then finished near the end with ricotta for a velvety and light result. It’s a healthy, simple, quick dish, perfect for the whole family. If you like risottos you can also try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients to prepare risotto with spinach and ricotta
- 7 oz frozen spinach
- 1 1/3 cups rice
- Half white onion
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup white wine
- to taste black pepper
- to taste nutmeg
- 1 bouillon cube
- as needed water
- 2 tbsp Grana Padano PDO
- 1/2 cup ricotta
Tools
- Pot
- Small saucepan
- Wooden spoon
- Knife
- Cutting board
Steps to make risotto with spinach and ricotta
To prepare risotto with spinach and ricotta, first put a small saucepan on the heat with water and a bouillon cube. I used a store-bought cube, but if you prefer you can make homemade broth. Dice half a white onion into small cubes and set aside. Take the spinach — I used frozen — and cook it in a pot with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for about 5 minutes over low heat. When soft, remove from heat and chop finely with a knife. In the same pot, add some extra virgin olive oil and the onion and sauté for a couple of minutes, then add the rice and toast it for a couple of minutes.
Now pour in the white wine over high heat and let it evaporate. Add a few ladles of broth and continue to stir with a wooden spoon; from boiling the rice should cook for about 15 minutes. Let it cook for about 5 minutes, then add half of the spinach. Before adding it to the pot, squeeze it well with your hands to remove excess water. Keep the other half aside; you will blend it to create the final cream. Continue adding broth as you see the previous amount absorbed. Meanwhile, in the blender pitcher put the spinach you kept aside, add a splash of broth and the ricotta and blend well until it becomes a cream.
At the end of the rice cooking, turn off the heat. With the heat off, add the cream made from ricotta and spinach and stir well with a wooden spoon, then add freshly ground black pepper and some nutmeg. To finish, add 2 tablespoons of Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano.
Serve your risotto hot. Tasty and flavorful!
Storage and tips
You can store the rice in the refrigerator for up to 1 day, although it’s preferable to eat it immediately.
If you prefer, you can use grated Parmesan or Pecorino instead of Grana.
I didn’t add butter for finishing because the risotto was already creamy thanks to the ricotta and the Grana.
