Now Trending: Pepperoni Risotto Recipe

I’m telling you now, this Pepperoni Risotto Recipe is truly lick-the-bowl worthy. Be ready to take a bow after serving this Pepperoni Risotto recipe! #PepitUP #CollectiveBias

I consider myself to be quite a foodie. I love to cook. I love to make new recipes. I love to jump in on food-trends. To that end, I buy quinoa in bulk, tried (but failed) to fall in love with kale, and have always felt that salted caramel was a combo sent from the gods. I’m here to tell you that I think I know what’s gonna be the next new thing: Pepperoni.

Everyone loves Pepperoni. It’s true. Even when I dallied around with vegetarianism back in the college days, I could throw back some Pepperoni pizza. But pepperoni can get so pigeon-holed. It’s awesome on the pizza, but can be just as tantalizing in recipes beyond the crust.

I had fun with the Pepperoni Pizza Fondue recipe that I whipped up a few months ago, and am here to tell you that I have a new pepperoni recipe that y’all have to try: Pepperoni Pizza Risotto.

Gather round your ingredients – Arborio rice, grape tomatoes, cream, parmesan, (fresh) basil, veggie stock, and most importantly… Hormel Pepperoni!  I like to use the mini ones, but full size is a-ok!

First, you’ll wanna make your pepperoni chips.  Toss your pepperoni onto a non-stick baking sheet and place in the oven at 425 minutes for 10 minutes, or until crispy.

Once done, let let them drain on a paper towel.

The next part takes a little bit of love, but is well worth it.  You’ll saute your onion and garlic ’til soft, then add the risotto and wine.  Once the wine cooks off, you’ll add one cup of stock at at time, stirring constantly, until each cup is absorbed.  It’s key to do this at a low simmer (like medium LOW), and to stir pretty much the whole time for 20 minutes.

Once the rice is tender and most of the stock is absorbed, you’ll add in your cream and give it a stir.

And now, we’ll also add in our roasted cherry tomatoes, chopped basil and parmesan.

Stir gently, the toss with your crispy pepperoni chips for a Pepperoni Pizza flavored risotto that the whole family will love!

I’m telling you now, this Pepperoni Risotto Recipe is truly lick-the-bowl worthy. #nomnomnom #instafood #pepperoni #secondsplease #betterthantakeout #pepitup #ad #ontheblog #flipagram made with @flipagram. See full video at flipagram.com/katie.b.harding

A video posted by Katie Harding (@mom_faves) on Mar 18, 2015 at 12:41pm PDT

 

Pepperoni Risotto

Print

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 cups low-sodium veggie broth
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup of heavy cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• 1 package of Hormel Mini Pepperoni
• 1 bunch of fresh basil, chopped
• 1 package of grape tomatoes
• olive oil

Instructions

1. Place pepperoni on one non-stick baking sheet and grape tomatoes into a non-stick baking dish. Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and toss with salt and pepper. Place both trays in the oven at 425 degrees. Remove the pepperoni after ten minutes, or until crispy. Allow the tomatoes to cook until some begin to burst, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set both aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer and keep warm over low heat.
3. In a separate medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until it is well coated with the butter and starts to turn translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and simmer gently until all the liquid is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Ladle 1/2 cup of the warm broth into the rice mixture and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the broth is absorbed. Repeat, adding 1/2 cup of broth at a time, until the rice is cooked through but still firm, 20 to 25 minutes total.
5. Add the remaining butter and the salt, pepper, cream basil, roasted tomatoes and 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Stir gently to incorporate. Adjust seasoning with more salt to taste. Serve immediately, topping with Pepperoni Chips and additional Parmesan.