Looking for that perfect date night meal? Try this leek risotto with goat cheese! This comforting and delicious vegetarian risotto comes together in about 30 minutes with minimal ingredients. No need to go out for dinner…enjoy a restaurant favourite in your own kitchen!
Hey friends!
Sharing one of my absolute fave things to make – risotto!
I love the whole process of making risotto.
How ya gotta stick with it.
How creamy dreamy it gets.
And how delicious it tastes.
Traditionally, risotto is made with parmesan cheese (like this mushroom risotto).
Today though? I’m sharing this creamy risotto with goat cheese!
Ingredients for Leek Risotto
- Arborio rice
- Vegetable broth
- Wine (use something you enjoy drinking)
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Leek
- Garlic
- Salt, pepper and herbes de provence
- Goat cheese
What Type of Rice Should I Use? Do I Need To Rinse?
Arborio rice is a popular choice for risotto. It’s a short grain rice and it’s readily available.
You can find it in your supermarket usually where you would find rice or pasta (it usually comes in vacuum sealed packages).
Arborio rice is super starchy, which is why risotto is so creamy dreamy delish!
And don’t rinse it! Normally when one would prepare rice, you’d give it a little rinse under cold water to remove that excess starch. Don’t do that here!
How to Make Risotto
Full details on how to make this leek risotto are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics –
- Firstly, add broth to a saucepan and place on low to keep warm.
- Meanwhile, add butter and oil to a pan. Once butter is melted, add sliced leek, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until the leek is tender and remove for later.
- Add a little more oil to the pan and stir in rice and ‘toast’.
- Add wine and stir. Cook until absorbed.
- Pour in broth, about a ladle or so at a time.
- Stir after each addition of broth. Simmer/cook, stirring occasionally and add more broth as it’s almost evaporated. Continue this process.
- When rice is almost done (at about the 15 minute mark of cooking the rice), add leek mixture back to the pan, along with remaining salt, pepper and herbes de provence. Continue cooking rice a little longer until it’s rich, creamy and rice is ‘al dente’.
- Once you’ve reached your desired consistency, off heat stir in butter…
- And goat cheese. Mix well to incorporate.
- Enjoy this delicious leek risotto immediately!
Tip: We are not actually browning the rice here, just warming for a couple of minutes.
Tip: You want a medium simmer (not to low and not roaring). Stir occasionally.
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Add Some Flavour!
Garnish is always a good idea with whatever you are making. It not only adds visual interest, but can add another element of texture, colour and flavour.
Upon serving, this leek risotto is lovely with any of these flavour boosters –
- Sprinkling of lemon zest
- Freshly chopped parsley
- Finely minced chives
- Thinly sliced green onion or
- Toasted pine nuts
How Do I Know When Risotto is Done?
Though this is a pretty easy recipe, it is a labour of love.
You don’t put risotto on and leave it. You stay with it.
And, if you’re like me, you sip wine whilst doing so 😉
The key here is to add the broth in increments. Slowly add broth, stir and simmer until it’s almost absorbed before adding more.
What you are doing here is encouraging the starches to release from the arborio rice. We aren’t boiling rice here.
Once the rice is added, the whole process can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes and you may not use every last drop of broth.
Use visual & taste cues when making risotto.
So, what should ya look for?
The rice should be plump, but still have a slight bite. You definitely don’t want the rice to be mushy, but you don’t want it raw either. Think like when you are making pasta…ya know, an ‘al dente’ consistency.
The consistency is creamy…and will be even more so once the final dab of butter and goat cheese is added.
Ok, tell me you don’t want to dive into that pan right now—>
Can I Reheat?
Risotto is the most lush when enjoyed fresh.
Having said that, leftovers are still delish!! I like to place leftovers in a pan on medium heat with a splash of broth and gently heat through.
Another little dab of butter is always a good idea, if you ask me!
More Recipe Tips
Prep everything before starting! Everything moves along quickly once you start so have everything ready to go.
I used a herb/chive goat cheese to really amp up the flavour, but you could totally use regular if that’s what you have on hand or prefer.
Unsalted vegetable broth was used, but you can opt for plain ol’ water. You will be missing out on delicious flavour though! Having said that, if you don’t have 4 to 5 cups of veggie broth on hand, you can dilute the broth with a little water.
Speaking of broth, I used an ‘unsalted’ variety. If you use a regular or even a ‘low sodium’ variety, you may want to adjust your seasoning accordingly.
Don’t skip keeping the broth warm. Why? If you add cold broth to hot rice, you’ll immediately bring the temperature down and slow down the whole cooking process.
Herbes de provence was used (basically, a mixture of herbs, which could include basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme and sometimes others). You could use another herb, if you prefer, or a combo of what you have on hand. Sage and thyme work lovely with leek.
Don’t serve your perfectly cooked risotto in cold bowls. Warm ’em up a little! This is a great tip to warm bowls from Fine Cooking.
Speaking of serving, enjoy immediately!! Risotto can loose its lushness if it sits around. Don’t fret if it does! Add a little more warm broth to loosen.
Other Recipes for Two You May Enjoy
- Creamy Blue Cheese & Mushroom Pasta – Savoury mushrooms, rich blue cheese and on the table in about 20 minutes, this is such a delicious meal.
- Honey Dijon Salmon – This scrumptious low carb meal of salmon and veggies is made on a sheet pan for easy clean up.
- Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta – This one has smoked salmon, leeks and lemon in a lush, creamy sauce. Super easy to make and so yummy!
Hope you love this simple risotto recipe as much as we do!
And, if you happen to eat this one straight outta the pan, I ain’t gonna judge 😉
Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon,
Dawn
Make this leek risotto with goat cheese? That’s awesome! Love it if you left a comment and rating below. Many thanks!
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Leek Risotto with Goat Cheese (date night meal)
Ingredients
- 4.5 to 5 cups unsalted vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons butter , divided
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil , divided
- 1 large leek , cut in half and sliced thinly into half moons (about 2 cups). Rinse well and drain before using.
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon salt , divided (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper , divided
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 teaspoon herbes de provence (or thyme or sage)
- 1 tablespoon herb/chive goat cheese (or regular) ('heaping tablespoon)
Suggested Garnish Options
- parsley – roughly chopped
- green onion – sliced thinly
- chives -minced
- toasted pine nuts
- grated lemon zest
Instructions
- Place broth in a saucepan on low heat to warm through.
- Meanwhile, in a pan on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Once butter is melted, add leeks and garlic. Season with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 8 minutes or until leeks have softened. Remove from pan and lay to one side.
- Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to pan and stir in rice. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring to coat. Do not brown rice.
- Pour in wine and stir. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until wine has evaporated
- About a ladle and a half at a time (about 1/2 cups or so), add broth to rice, stirring after each addition. You don't want the heat too low, nor too high. A medium simmer is what you should be going for.Note: You want to stir every so often, about every few minutes.
- When broth has almost evaporated, continue adding more broth and stirring every so often until rice is tender and has released its starch.
- After about 15 minutes (and when rice is almost done), add leeks/garlic back to pan, along with remaining 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and herbes de provence. Stir.
- Cook rice about 5 minutes or so more (adding broth, as necessary) until rice is cooked to about 'al dente' (not too mushy and not hard) and you've reached your desired consistency. Don't cook until all broth has evaporated. You want a bit of a looser consistencyNote: You may not use all of your broth here. It generally takes about 4.5 to 5 cups until the rice is cooked and the consistency is reached.
- After about 20 to 25 minutes of cooking rice, turn off heat. Stir in remaining tbsp of butter and goat cheese. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary. Note, if you feel like you need to loosen things, add a touch more broth.
- Serve immediately in warm bowls. Garnish, if desired. Yields two generous main course servings or 4 appetizer servings.
Notes
- Prep everything before starting! Everything moves along quickly once you start so have everything ready to go.
- I used a herb/chive goat cheese to really amp up the flavour, but you could totally use regular if that’s what you have on hand or prefer.
- Unsalted vegetable broth was used, but you can opt for plain ol’ water. You will be missing out on delicious flavour though! Having said that, if you don’t have 4 to 5 cups of veggie broth on hand, you can dilute the broth with a little water.
- Speaking of broth, I used an ‘unsalted’ variety. If you use a regular or even a ‘low sodium’ variety, you may want to adjust your seasoning accordingly.
- Don’t skip keeping the broth warm. Why? If you add cold broth to hot rice, you’ll immediately bring the temperature down and slow down the whole cooking process.
- Herbes de provence was used (basically, a mixture of herbs, which could include basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme and sometimes others). You could use another herb, if you prefer, or a combo of what you have on hand. Sage and thyme work lovely with leek.
- Don’t serve your perfectly cooked risotto in cold bowls. Warm ’em up a little!
This gorgeous risotto is definitely happening for our next date night dinner! I looks so creamy and I can never get enough leeks!
Yay! Me too! Hope you enjoy, my friend 🙂
Loving these flavor combos! The tanginess of the goat cheese packs a huge punch, I’m sure!! So creamy…the perfect Valentine’s Day meal! <3
Totally! Thank you Haylie 🙂
I love risotto so much, Dawn, it’s a wonder I don’t make it more often. This looks so creamy and satisfying, and I completely love the addition of goat cheese! Beautiful dish perfect for Valentine’s Day!
I do too!! Thank you Laura 🙂
Risotto is one of my all time favorite dishes. So comforting and I love how you can make it was any flavors. The leek sounds amazing. I love the whole process, too! 🙂 ~Valentina
Same here! Thank you Valentina!
How delicious!! This is definitely perfect for a romantic date night at home!
Definitely! Thank up Heidi!
Dawn! I love to serve risotto when I’m feeling extra FAN-cy! This one with leeks is extra fancy! Definitely perfect for date night. All of that stirring and simmering takes patience, but man it is so worth it!! So clever to use goat cheese instead of parmesan too! Happy Monday pal!
Lol…right 😉 ?? Thank you Katherine!!
Perfect comfort food! I love risotto and the creamier the better. This looks so delicious and perfect for a nice dinner for two….or five! 🙂
I agree! Thank you Kathy!!
I love risotto, but I don’t think I’ve ever made one with leeks, so this one is going on my list for a meal soon. And of course, goat cheese makes everything better!
Totally! Thank you Jennifer! Hope you get a chance to try it out soon!
I’m just in the process of planning valentines meal, and I’m so happy I read this. My other half loves both risotto and leeks, so this is perfect!
Woo hoo! Thank you Matt! Hope you both enjoy :)!!
What a delicious date night meal Dawn! Tom and I both LOVE risotto. Adding this one to our menu soon. Pinned!
Yay! Thanks Mary Ann! Enjoy 🙂
This is one good looking risotto, my friend! Creamy and dreamy is where it’s at!! Pinned! xoxo
You’re so sweet! Thank you Annie! XOXO
Using goat cheese instead of Parmesan!? What a cool idea! I love risotto, and we haven’t made it in ages. In fact, we still have arborio rice in the pantry, so all I need to do is pick up some goat cheese. The texture of this must be super creamy! This really would be an excellent date night in dinner. Great idea!!
I’m swooning! I love leeks, I love risotto. I HAVE to try this soon! (And I have to try your mushroom risotto too!) Hope you’re having a great weekend, Dawn!