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This instant pot risotto will put dinner on the table in record time. Like I’ve talked about in my Instant Pot Pancetta, Leek, and Mushroom risotto, the stirring can really be a pain. Both in the wrist, and because I’m generally impatient. Well the instant pot takes away all that pain, really I could just write this entire post praising my instant pot / pressure cooker. I mean ESPECIALLY for risotto, or tough cuts of meat, like my Instant Pot Short Rib Ragu. Any time I want to cut down the time a recipe takes, I think maybe I should just use the pressure cooker.
This spinach and artichoke instant pot risotto was an immediate favorite among the test testers (my parents.) In fact I had made two cups of the risotto rice thinking that I would be able to eat the leftovers for lunch at work. Well…there were NO leftovers. We demolished the entire pot of risotto, even my dad went back for seconds. When I went into the kitchen to clean up, my mom was finishing it off right from the instant pot. It was really that good.
Instant Pot Risotto – The BEST Weeknight Dinner
After working the entire day in the office, with my mask on, avoiding everyone I possibly can trying to stay safe during this crazy pandemic, I’m absolutely exhausted at the end of the day. But we all still need to eat, and I’ve been trying to cook more during the week for my parents. Not only to test out new recipes, but to give my mom a break some nights. So I typically plan to cook 3 – 4 times during the week. And sometimes I think I bite off more than I can chew, and we’re eating dinner at 9PM. Then I have to drag my butt back into the kitchen to clean (thankfully my mom does help a lot with that.) And by the time I’m upstairs in bed (aka the Happy Stirring office) I’m way too tired to do anything else.
That’s why this instant pot risotto is going to be a stable in the house when I’m extra tired, or just not feeling cooking that night. (Trust me, it even happens to food bloggers, more often than you might think!) And while money is tight, I can’t just be ordering food every time I’m too tired to cook dinner. So I’ll keep these ingredients on hand, because seriously it’s so easy! I even surprised my parents the first time I made this by how quickly we were ready to eat. It’s a perfect quick last minute meal, and because the instant pot is doing all the work for you, it’s basically effortless!
Spinach and Artichoke = Love
Everyone loves a good spinach and artichoke dip. And every Thanksgiving my mom makes this amazing spinach and artichoke casserole as a side dish, and yes I’ve already asked her for the recipe so I can share it! So when I was trying to come up with some dinner ideas a few weeks back, browsing Instagram, and Pinterest, the idea to turn this classic combination into a risotto hit me, and I knew I wanted to try it right away. And I didn’t even try this one on the stove-top first. I went right to the Instant pot. It’s not often something comes out perfectly the first time you test it. But thankfully this one was a winner.
Make sure to give me a follow over on Instagram. I shared a lot of behind the scenes stories recently during my marathon weekend of cooking. And trust me there will be plenty more stories, and PLENTY more marathon cooking weekends!
Marathon Cooking Weekend
I wrote a little more about this in my last post – Easy One Pot Spicy Pumpkin Soup. Typically I will cook 2 things over the weekend specifically for the blog. Whether it be a first or second test, or a weekend of amazing recipes and photo shoots. This past weekend I did FOUR. So I could make sure time to see my friends, and be social for once. So Philip and I cooked literally all weekend, and had four separate photos shoots. Which felt crazy and chaotic, but amazing that I planned everything I wanted to do, and did it all. I mean sure I was absolutely wiped on on Sunday night, but it felt AMAZING.
After posting the spicy pumpkin soup for National Pumpkin day, I promised in that post that this amazing instant pot risotto would be the next recipe I have up. And here I am keeping that promise! I’m sure I will have so many more marathon cooking weekends, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I mean, not only do I feel totally fulfilled and proud of my accomplishments. I also GET TO EAT ALL THE WONDERFUL FOOD I MADE. Isn’t that really the best part?!
Make sure to subscribe to the Happy Stirring emails so you can get a reminder every time a new recipe comes out! Trust me you won’t want to miss any! I am so excited for what’s to come!
Easy Instant Post Spinach and Artichoke Risotto
Equipment
- Instant pot
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 big leeks chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 can quartered artichokes hearts cut in half
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup Asiago cheese shredded
- 3 handfuls spinach
Instructions
- Set instant pot to brown, and add butter. After butter has melted, at leeks, garlic, artichoke hearts, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until leeks are soft and garlic is fragrant, 5 – 7 minutes.
- Stir in dry risotto, and toast for 1 minute. Add vegetable stock, and stir to combine.
- Switch instant pot to pressure cook, and close lid. Cook on high pressure for 7 minutes. Use instant release after the instant pot is done.
- Add in heavy cream and spinach, stir to wilt spinach. Add parmesan, and asiago and stir to combine and melt cheese. Serve with additional parmesan on top.
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