A delicious and creamy oven-baked bacon and tomato risotto. It is easy, uses everyday ingredients from your pantry, and is gluten-free too!
There is nothing better than a delicious, silky, creamy risotto. It is amazing how a plate of comforting risotto can make the day so much better.
There is one way to improve on this dish and that is not to spend ages stirring and stirring.
Yes, when I have the time, I enjoy putting in the effort and stir that risotto to creaminess... but when I am busy but still want the comfort of silky risotto, I bake it in the oven.
There are 4 little tips to making this oven-baked risotto so that the rice is soft and cooked through and it is full-of-flavour and..... oh! so easy! 😃 ...
Tip number 1
Fry off the bacon, onion, and garlic in a saucepan with a teaspoon of oil and a teaspoon of butter to really give that smokey and delicious flavour throughout the risotto.
Tip number 2
Make sure you bake the risotto in a casserole dish that has a tight-fitting lid.
This way all the moisture will stay and the rice will absorb the stock to allow the rice to fully cook through.
When putting the dish in the oven, don't worry that it looks like there is too much liquid...it needs this amount to cook.
Tip number 3
Yes.... definitely add in the ½ cup of parmesan cheese and stir through, once it has baked in the oven... adds to that creamy, flavourful deliciousness!
Tip number 4
While the risotto is baking in the oven, we also bake some fresh, ripe tomatoes on a lined baking tray.
When cooked, serve the tomatoes on top of the risotto and then when you take a spoonful of the risotto and tomato, the tomatoes will burst open with warm, sweetness and add that 'little something extra' to the risotto!
How to make Oven-Baked Bacon and Tomato Risotto! (Gluten Free)
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC or 350ºF (moderate oven)
- In a saucepan, add in the olive oil, butter and heat.
- Add in the onion, garlic and chopped bacon/ham and cook on medium heat, until the onion is soft and the bacon has started to brown.
- Add in the arborio rice and stir everything together until the rice is coated and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until the rice starts to look shiny.
- Add in the stock, the tomatoes and the thyme and then a good grind of freshly ground black pepper.
- Stir well and pour into a casserole dish with a lid and place it into the oven for 20 minutes. (If you are baking some fresh tomatoes, wash them and place them on a tray to bake while the risotto is baking)
- After the 20 minutes, take out from the oven and stir and then return back for another 10-15mins mins. The time will depend on the rice and the liquid being absorbed.
- Remove from the oven and stir in ½ cup of parmesan cheese.
- Serve topped with some more fresh thyme, grated parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper.
- 1 teaspoon of butter
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 1 onion - finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
- 200g of double-smoked ham or bacon, diced
- 300g Arborio Rice (Risotto rice)
- 1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock (GF)
- 1 x 400g tin of diced tomato
- A tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves
- ½ cup of parmesan cheese to stir through
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Optional - fresh tomatoes to be baked in the oven and serve on top of the risotto
- When serving sprinkle on top some:
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC or 350ºF (moderate oven)
- In a saucepan, add in the olive oil, butter and heat.
- Add in the onion, garlic and chopped bacon/ham and cook on medium heat, until the onion is soft and the bacon has started to brown.
- Add in the rice and stir everything together until the rice is coated and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until the rice starts to look shiny.
- Add in the stock, the tomatoes and the thyme and the ground black pepper.
- Stir well and pour into a casserole dish with a lid and place it into the oven for 20 minutes. (If you are baking some fresh tomatoes, wash them and place them on a tray to bake while the risotto is baking)
- After the 20 minutes, take out from the oven and stir and then return back for another 10 mins. The time will depend on the rice and the liquid being absorbed.
- Remove from the oven and stir in ½ cup of parmesan cheese.
- Serve topped with some more fresh thyme and grated parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
😃
You can pin this Oven-Baked Bacon and Tomato Risotto (GF) recipe to your Pinterest page, to remind you when you are in the mood for a delicious, silky risotto baked in the oven!
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