WW Recipe of the Day: Creamy Slow Cooker Broccoli Risotto
I've always been intimidated by risotto. I'm not sure exactly why.
Maybe because it sounds exotic?
Or because it requires constant stirring when you cook it on the stovetop?
Slow Cooker Broccoli Risotto
A couple years ago, I had great success making this easy shrimp risotto in the oven.
So, it seemed like time to give risotto in the crock pot a shot.
I looked at several recipes, comparing and contrasting them, before tossing together this slow cooker broccoli risotto.
It was amazing to me how much variation there was with the rice to liquid ratios and cooking times in the few recipes I read.
Which only confirms that cooking is far from an exact science. There are just too many variables.
Cooking Notes
Arborio rice is an Italian short grain rice with a high starch content used to make risotto. If you're in a pinch and can't find Arborio, medium- or short-grain rice should work fine in your slow cooker broccoli risotto.
Easy, creamy and satisfying, we all liked this slow cooker broccoli risotto a lot.
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Broccoli Risotto?
According to my calculations, each 1-cup serving has 364 calories and:
10 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
10 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
10 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
9 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
If you've made this Crock Pot Broccoli Risotto, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Slow Cooker Broccoli Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 6 cups of broth, chicken or vegetable
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups broccoli florets chopped small
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Ideal Slow Cooker Size: 4-Quart.
- Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions until they have softened. (This is an important step, otherwise they may not be done by the time the risotto is finished. If it's easier you could place the onion and oil in a small microwave (affiliate link) safe dish and microwave (affiliate link) for about 2 minutes until softened.)
- Scrape the onion into the slow cooker.
- Toss the rice into the slow cooker and stir to coat it with the oil.
- Stir in the broth, wine, salt and broccoli. (If you prefer your broccoli a bit chewy, add it in during the last 15 to 20 minutes of cooking time.)
- Cover and cook on HIGH for about 2 hours, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender but chewy. Check after about 1-¾ hours to see how it's doing. Remove the crock from the slow cooker as soon as it's done to prevent your risotto from overcooking.
- Just before serving, stir in the cheese.
Equipment
Recipe Notes
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
If you like this slow cooker broccoli risotto recipe you might also like:
Today's food for thought…
"You've got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It's called perseverance."
~ Lee Iacocca
And weight loss tip…
Replace your 12 inch plate with a 10 inch plate. The bigger the plate, the more you put on it, and the more you end up eating. A two inch difference in plate diameter — from 12" to 10" plates — would result in 22% fewer calories being served. Enough to make a difference without feeling deprived! If a typical dinner has 800 calories, a smaller plate would lead to a weight loss of around 18 pounds per year for an average size adult!
~ Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
This strategy has been magical for me. I now eat most every meal at home from a salad plate. And I'm satisfied 99% of the time.
Especially when I wait a few minutes before deciding whether I want more or not.
It takes the brain about 20 minutes to get the signal from the stomach that it's fed and satisfied!!
Search for More WW Friendly Slow Cooker Recipes
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Martha McKinnon
Thanks, Sandra!
Joseph Mastrantoni
This recipe worked well, but I have a few suggestions for anyone who is looking to make it.
1.) For our crock pot we found it necessary to stir every so often and that the suggested time of two hours was insufficient to absorb all the broth. I would say it was closer to three hours.
2.) I also made a triple sized batch in a ten quart crock pot and that would have taken much longer for the broth to absorb. I am unsure on the actual time as I took it out of the crock pot due to my own time crunch and finished the cooking process in stove top pan.
We were making enough for 30 college students though and everyone seemed to love it.