The Ingredient That Makes Risotto A More Hearty Meal

Risotto is a classic and flavorful dish. Whether you're making wild mushroom risotto with red wine or a butternut squash and sage version, there's no limit on the variety of flavors you can combine. If you're making a basic risotto recipe, though, you may be looking for ways to upgrade so it's a complete and heartier meal. One of our favorite ways to do this is to add an ingredient you probably already have in your pantry: beans. 

Including beans is an easy way to add more texture and flavor to your dish thanks to their ability to soak up the flavors of your broth. All you have to do is drain and rinse your favorite canned variety before stirring them into your risotto during the last 10 minutes of cooking. If you want to make the dish even creamier and slightly thicker, you can consider taking about ¼ cup of the whole beans and mashing them before adding them in. It's a simple trick you may notice in many bean recipes that helps thicken the final result. 

When choosing which beans to add to your risotto, you can use whichever variety you love, including red beans, white beans, and even chickpeas. You may want to think about how the different varieties of beans can affect your dish, though. For example, pinto beans have an earthy flavor that would work well added to a risotto that includes root vegetables, like sweet potato or carrots. Cannelli beans, on the other hand, are mild in flavor so they can be added to any risotto without affecting the taste of the dish. If you want to add even more texture, chickpeas — aka garbanzo beans — have a slightly meatier texture than their cousins, so they're perfect if you're looking for more of a bite. 

Keep in mind that we're referring to canned beans here, as dry beans take much longer — and much more effort — to cook until soft. You can use them, of course, just know that you'll need to put aside a few hours to get them ready to go.

If you're looking to add even more protein to bulk up your dish, you can consider including some toppers to really round everything off and make a filling meal. Depending on your preferences, you can include seafood — like shrimp, scallops, or lobster — roasted chicken thighs, or even crumbled-up sausage. When adding these ingredients, don't worry about cooking them in the same pan as the risotto. This is because risotto is notoriously finicky to get right, and trying to cook your proteins with the rice can cause it to overcook. Instead, make your proteins on the side and top your masterpiece once it's off the heat.

While traditionally made with simmering chicken stock, feel free to swap that out for vegetable or beef stock if you feel like it'll go better with your protein. While risotto does take some finesse and technique to get right, it's an easy base to play around with once you get the hang of it.