Oven Baked Risotto Carbonara

FACT - My kids favourite pasta is Pasta Carbonara or Penne Boscaiola - both creamy bacon pasta dishes.

FACT - I love Risotto, especially Pumpkin and Blue Cheese Risotto or a nice Creamy Mushroom Risotto, but I have no patience standing at the stove stirring for 20 or so minutes until it's 'al dente'.

Therefore it was a no brainer when I came across this recipe for a baked risotto - especially a Risotto Carbonara!! The excitement level went up a notch in the House of Murray when this was discovered and cooked for the first time. Even now when it's put on the Weekly Menu Planner you can tell that the kids are looking forward to dinner.

The beauty of this recipe is that it's all ready for putting in the oven within literally a few minutes and then you just let the oven work it's magic. A few more steps during the cooking process and voila your risotto is done.

Risotto is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. Originating in northern Italy the rice is cooked with broth, made from meat or vegetables, and stirred until it reaches a creamy consistency. Other ingredients to make the base of a great risotto contain butter, onion, white wine, and Parmesan cheese. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy.

Many people find risotto a hard dish to master - I'll be the first to put my hand up and say that my stove top risotto is normally a disaster! On Masterchef Australia they refer to risotto as the dreaded “Death Dish” striking so much fear into the hearts of every contestant with so many failing in their attempts to master the dish. My fear of this dish was removed upon finding this recipe using oven cooking as the technique instead of slaving over the stove top armed with a wooden spoon.

Thick, creamy and displaying the exact flavours of any Carbonara sauce - this dish will no doubt be a winner in your house also.

Oven Baked Risotto Carbonara

(recipe adapted from Delia Online)

Serves: 4

💚 12 sp per serve

💙 10 sp per serve

💜 10 sp per serve

250 grams (1 cup) arborio rice (or other risotto rice)

cooking spray

125 grams chopped shortcut bacon, any fat trimmed

25 grams reduced fat butter

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

725 ml hot chicken or vegetable stock

freshly milled black pepper

75 grams finely grated Parmesan, plus some extra for sprinkling

1 large egg

2 large egg yolks

1 heaped tablespoon crème fraîche

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degree Celcius. Place the casserole dish in the oven to pre-warm while you are preparing the recipe.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, coat with cooking spray and fry the bacon for 4-5 minutes, until it's crisp and golden, then remove it to a plate.

Add the butter to the same pan and melt over medium heat.

To the melted butter add the onion, turn the heat down to gentle and let the onion soften in the butter for about 5 minutes.

Then return the bacon to the frying pan and, after that, stir in the rice and move it around until all the grains get a good coating of the buttery juices.

Now add the hot stock to the rice, along with some freshly milled black pepper.

Let it all come up to a gentle simmer, then transfer the whole lot to the warmed dish, stir it once and then bake, without covering, on the center shelf of the oven and set a timer for 20 minutes.

When the time is up, gently stir in the Parmesan, folding and turning the rice grains over, then set the timer for a further 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg, egg yolks and crème fraîche together, then remove the risotto from the oven and gently stir in this mixture, making sure it is well mixed.

Leave the risotto for about 2 minutes, by which time the eggs and crème fraîche will have thickened - but no longer, as it will get too thick.