Riceless Risotto, No Stove Required

Remember that steel cut oat risotto I made a few months ago when our strawberries were taking over?

Well, I played around with the recipe a bit, changed up the type of oats, and figured out you can make the same dish in the microwave! That’s right – no oven, no stove, no waiting around for dinner.

You’re literally less than 10 minutes away from a tasty (and healthy!) dinner. Or breakfast. I won’t judge.

oat_risotto2

To be able to make it in the microwave instead of the stove top (like the original recipe), the biggest change is using regular quick oats (or old fashioned oats) instead of steel cut.

If you still want to use the steel cut oats, make sure to use quick cooking steel cut oats, watch it while they cook, and add additional time to make sure they get cooked through.

This mix of low fat cream cheese, peas, and rosemary is still one of my favorite combos, but you could add any veggies that you have and pick your own seasonings. Add some protein, and you’ve got a healthy dinner in no time.

oat_risotto

Riceless Risotto with Peas and Rosemary

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup quick cooking or old fashioned oats
  • 2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1 and 1/2 cups frozen peas
  • 2 Tbsp low fat cream cheese
  • 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

  1. In a large microwave bowl, mix the oats and broth together.
  2. Heat the oats and broth in the microwave for 2 minutes, then remove it and stir.
  3. Mix the peas and low fat cream cheese into the oats. Put the bowl back in the microwave and cook for another 2 minutes, watching the oats to make sure they don’t cook over the bowl.
  4. Once the oats are as thick as you’d like (you can cook for a little longer to get the texture you want), remove the bowl and stir in the rosemary, salt, and pepper before serving.

30 comments

  1. How interesting! This looks delicious!

  2. What a cool idea! I’ve never thought of trying a “riceless” risotto–and the exhausted office worker in me totally loves that this is microwave (aka weeknight) friendly. ;)

  3. My mom is allergic to rice, so I need to make this for her!

  4. Amazing!! Love this recipe :D

  5. Wow I never thought of riceless! Brilliant move, Brandi!

  6. Omigosh I absolutely love risotto but rarely have it because it’s usually so rich! This is such a great solution and I love that it’s made with healthy oats! And the fact you can make it in the microwave? I will obviously be making it ASAP!

  7. I have recently fallen in love with Risotto and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Risotto with Peas! But I hate the time that it takes to make it. This will be a great addition to our menu.

  8. I usually make risotto with the untraditional barley, but I’ve never heard of using oatmeal! A very interesting idea indeed.

  9. As someone who seriously hates rice, I seriously love this recipe!!

  10. I need to try this. I have, on multiple occasions, killed risotto. Like dead.

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  12. Really great idea, Brandi! I’m sure I can make it with vegan cream cheese. By the way, is ingredient #3 “peas”? :)

  13. without rice or a stove? crazy talk ;) crazy enough to make me want to try it!!

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  15. Made for dinner tonight. I despise peas. I did put them in since my hubby likes them. I will make this again but without the peas. If you are a “visual” eater, like me, this is not a pretty dish. :-)

  16. I heard about your blog and this recipe on the Dr. Oz show yesterday and cannot wait to try it! I’m pretty much where you were nine years ago. In fact, I don’t even know how to make a grilled cheese sandwich. (Stoves scare me, so I much prefer the microwave). I just graduated college and still live with my parents who are excellent stovetop cooks, but when I set out on my own, I’m excited to know there are people like you out there who have thought up creative healthy microwave dinners, so I won’t have to live on frozen dinners.

    • Thank you so much for stopping by, Allison! It’s nice to know that I wasn’t the only person who really didn’t know how to make a grilled cheese :)

  17. I seen you on Dr.Oz yesterday and yes Im spruuuung over these recipes I will definately be adding them into my families meals ~ thanx

  18. I would have posted this a week and a half ago, but between a buggie boo that nailed me and the Northern edge of Sandy “brushing” us, bringing along winds clocked at 113 Kilometers Per Hour at our little airport at the height of it all that took out our Internet antenna on our roof and…

    It’s been quite the week and a half. Considering what everyone on the East Coast is dealing w/, we know we have nothing to complain about, but as we’re on the Manitoulin Island on Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, we get quite the storms and winds come this time of year. I have *never* heard it howl the way it did the other night though and I still have no idea how on earth we never lost a tree. We did lose power late Monday night and got it back mid Tuesday afternoon, but even there we’re just so lucky and blessed that’s all that happened around here considering what’s happening elsewhere in the Storm area.

    Anyway, I’d printed this recipe off over at Dr. Oz after your episode and took it upstairs to show it to Mom and she said it did sound interesting, so I put it where we keep any printed off recipes for another day and time. A couple of weeks ago, they came home after one of Dad’s Dialysis days and no idea what to have for Supper. That’s when the lightbulb went off and I said to Mom that we had all the stuff to make this, other than fresh Rosemary and we had to use dried, and she decided since it was quick and easy to make, we’d give it a shot.

    It’s now got five stars above it in her binder of recipes. :D We both agree it would have better flavour w/the fresh Rosemary, but the dried wasn’t too bad. It certainly was a Supper Saver when we needed something quick and easy to pull together.

    Thanks and we can’t wait to try it again w/the Fresh Rosemary. :D

    • Well, I’m so glad you guys didn’t get hit hard by Sandy AND am very happy that you liked the recipe! Thanks so much for stopping by and letting me know :)

  19. This is awesome! I’m a working Mom with lots of food allergies, and this recipe makes a great, eat, and safe dinner! Had some grilled chicken and used the same spices as in the chicken, with broccoli instead of peas. Yum!

  20. OH MY, this is delicious! Thank you for creating and posting! I like how you say “You’re literally less than 10 minutes away from a tasty (and healthy!) dinner. Or breakfast. I won’t judge.”
    Because this is so good I would eat it for breakfast!!

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