This creamy Parmesan Risotto is filled with white wine, fresh garlic, and cheese, then topped with crispy, pan-seared Brussels Sprouts! An ultra comforting Winter dish!

It is official. Winter is here. We had a very mild November and December, but January has been cold and icky. But I live in the South, and in case you aren’t familiar how the South operates during Winter, I’ll explain. Simply put, we don’t.

Winter in the South can be interesting….

Humidity we can do. Unbearably hot weather, you’ve got it. But cold weather? Not so much. Even the threat of snow or ice sends us into a frenzy.

We have to RUSH to the grocery and buy all the bread and milk. All of it. Undoubtedly, gallons of milk and loaves of bread are going to fly off the shelves. Schools are closed, businesses shut down. We hunker down in our houses, wear seven layers and drink hot cocoa by the gallon. And that is just with the threat of snow or ice.

Simply put, I cannot fathom how people who live in other colder areas handle the winter. I can’t imagine having to go to school or work in a snow storm because I never have! We just don’t do cold.

Let this Creamy Risotto recipe warm you up!

This Crispy Brussels Sprouts and Creamy Parmesan Risotto is winter comfort food at it’s finest! However, there is something we do well down here: comfort food. We can hang in there with the best of them with comfort food!

Ingredients for Parmesan Risotto & Crispy Brussels Sprouts:

For the Brussels Sprouts:

Olive oil
Brussels Sprouts, halved
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Parmesan Risotto:

Olive oil (or butter)
Garlic, minced
Onion, chopped
Uncooked Arborio rice
White wine
Chicken stock
Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

How do I make Parmesan Risotto?

Risotto can be intimidating, but it’s worth the extra time and steps! This risotto is kept simple with rich flavors like fresh garlic, good quality chicken stock, white wine and Parmesan.

First you’ll want to sauté your garlic, onion, and rice, allowing the rice to lightly brown. This adds a great depth of flavor, and you don’t want to skip this step!

Next, you’ll add the wine and stir until the rice almost completely soaks it up. Then you’ll add hot broth (not water–we want flavor!) one cup and a time, stirring constantly. Allow each cup to completely absorb into the rice before adding the next cup.

When all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, you have a beautiful risotto–You just need to add more flavors! This is when we add the parmesan, salt, and pepper, then we top with beautifully crispy Brussels sprouts!

How do I make crispy Brussels sprouts?

We don’t want to cook the Brussels sprouts to death–We just want them nice and crispy to add more texture to our risotto. For this, we’ll use a large, deep skillet.

For this dish, I firstly pan seared halved Brussels Sprouts until they were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and lightly seasoned them with salt and pepper.

What makes Risotto different from rice?

If you aren’t familiar with Risotto, it is a wonderfully creamy Italian dish that is made with Arborio rice. This is different from other rice dishes because you sauté your rice in olive oil or butter first!

Why do you sauté rice for Risotto?

The process of sautéing allows the Arborio rice to lightly brown and brings out this delicious, almost nutty flavor. By adding this extra step, you add such a great depth of flavor. For my Risotto, you slowly add warm broth to create an ultra creamy dish.

More Comfort Food Recipes:

This creamy dish is an excellent comfort food, but you can never have too many comforting recipes! Check out some of my other recommendations:

Crispy Brussels Sprouts and Creamy Parmesan Risotto

Name: Crispy Brussels Sprouts and Creamy Parmesan Risotto
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: Comfort Food
Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon olive oil; 2 cups Brussels Sprouts, halved; Salt & Pepper to taste; 2 Tablespoons olive oil (or butter, coconut oil, etc.); 1 small onion, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice; 1 cup white wine; 4-5 cups chicken stock; 1/2 cup parmesan cheese; Salt & pepper to taste

Yield: 3 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

This creamy Parmesan Risotto is filled with white wine and fresh garlic, then topped with crispy, pan-seared Brussels Sprouts! An ultra comforting Winter dish!

Ingredients

For the Brussels Sprouts

1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 cups Brussels Sprouts, halved
Salt & Pepper to taste

For the Risotto

2 Tablespoons olive oil (or butter, coconut oil, etc.)
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1 cup white wine
4-5 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions