Shrimp and Vegetable Risotto

One of my mom and I’s favorite meals to make is risotto with shrimp and vegetables.  We usually throw in whatever vegetables we have in the house.  This week, my mom started the risotto, then when I got home from work, we walked to the local farmer’s market.  We picked up some tomatoes, cremini mushrooms, and zucchini. The first day we made the risotto, my mom was too hungry to wait for the mushrooms and zucchini to cook, so we didn’t add it until day two.  Both dishes were delicious, but day two was much more colorful! Also, for those who think risotto is hard to make, it’s really not!

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

About 24 shrimp, pealed, deveined and shelled

1 small onion, diced

1 cup risotto, uncooked

3 cups chicken broth

2 medium tomatoes, diced

10 cremini mushrooms, chopped

1 medium zucchini, diced

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

– Coat large skillet with extra virgin olive oil and toss onions into skillet.  Saute until softened. (Make sure to use LARGE skillet)

– Put risotto into skillet.  Add one cup of chicken brother and stir.  Keep stirring until almost absorbed, then add another cup of chicken broth.  Repeat again with the third cup.  Keep stirring until the rice is puffed up, soft, and chicken broth is FULLY absorbed.

– Toss chopped tomatoes in with the risotto.

– Chop shrimp up into 3 pieces per shrimp (or keep whole, however you like to eat your shrimp).

– Remove large skillet from heat and place medium skillet on heat. (Or if you’re good at multitasking, you can complete these next steps while the risotto is cooking.  Either way, you still need an additional skillet otherwise the large skillet will be too overcrowded for the shrimp and veggies to cook properly).  Coat the medium skillet with extra virgin olive oil.

– Toss the shrimp into the medium skillet, and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until the shrimp is pink.

– Toss in the mushrooms and zucchini.  Saute until softened.

– Toss the ingredients from the medium skillet into the risotto in the large skillet.

– ENJOY!

 

This dish is so versatile because you can add in whatever you have on hand.  If you add garlic, add it in with the onions in the beginning.  For all other vegetables or add ins, do that after the risotto cooks.

Posted by youngandfreshlife in Main Dish Tags: cooking, Entree, farmer's market, food, recipe, risotto, shrimp, vegetables