I went and took a fancy Italian dish and trashed it up. Or Americanized it. Whichever phrase you prefer. But seriously though, who doesn’t love bacon, cheddar and corn? And creamy rice. Duh. This Sweet Corn, Bacon and Cheddar Risotto is a new favorite.
I made this Saturday night for an impromptu date night at home after we got the kids to bed. We love to cook up a big, non-kid friendly dinner together at home every once and awhile since it’s so hard to get out on our own.
We usually turn on some music, grill steaks the kids wouldn’t eat and make something fancy to go with it. Joel requested risotto this time so I looked around the fridge and pantry to see what we had and this is what I came up with.
This hits on all those delicious taste buds and leaves you full and happy. The corn is sweet, the cheddar is sharp, the bacon is salty and smoky. Pretty much perfection in a pan. And it’s a fun and different way to use up that sweet corn before it’s gone for the season.
This is obviously amazing with fresh corn cut from the cob, but you can also substitute with frozen corn (thawed first) when fresh isn’t available.
If you want to serve it to the kids and are worried about the wine, just sub in additional chicken broth. This made a huge batch so the kids had it leftover for lunch with us the next day and they totally loved it too. “Like a fancy mac-n-cheese” said Noah.
Because as you all should know by now, carbs and cheese are our favorites around here.
Sweet Corn, Bacon and Cheddar Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 32 oz. low sodium chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 cup sweet corn, cut from the cob
- 6 oz. sharp white cheddar, shredded
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- Combine water and broth in a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat.
- Melt butter in a large nonstick saucepan over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion and saute for about 3 minutes, or until softened and translucent. Add rice; cook 2 minutes, uncovered, stirring constantly. Stir in wine and cook 30 seconds or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the risotto.
- Add broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth mixture is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total) until broth is gone or rice is cooked through. About 10 minutes in, stir in the corn. Once the rice is done, remove from heat and stir in cheddar.
August 17, 2015 at 10:04 am
This looks like the ultimate *fancy* comfort food! I wish I had a plate of this right now!