Gluten Free Ham & Mascarpone Crock Pot Risotto

This #easy dinner is perfect for a busy weeknight. Made with #ham and creamy #mascarpone and cooked effortlessly in the crock pot for a flavorful dish!

Yield 4 servings

Ham & Mascarpone Crock Pot Risotto

This is one of those dinners that is comforting and quick. In the middle of a nightmare week, it's exactly that type of thing that I crave: flavorful and filling comfort food. I love making risotto in the crock pot, you get the great creamy texture without the labor of love of standing with a ladle, slowly stirring in stock.

Don't get me wrong--I love making risotto that way, too, but sometimes, the to-do list is too long to justify standing in one position for 20 minutes just for a plate of rice. That's where crock pot risotto comes in. While the risotto cooks to perfection, you can get on with your stuff and still feed your family a wholesome meal. You'll practically be Superwoman for pulling this one off.

For this dish, I used a hunk of smoked ham or gammon that was just occupying space in my freezer with no real purpose. The risotto rice is your standard arborio but it's from a gourmet producer who added black olives and sun dried tomatoes to the packet. Of course, you could use normal arborio rice and it will turn out just as nice. To make this risotto creamier, I've stirred in a good helping of mascarpone and topped with shredded cheese, too. Like I said, this is proper comfort food.

Check out all these other yummy pork recipes:

I'm happy to announce that I'm one of the co-hosts for Food of the World, a monthly party and cooking challenge where we create dishes inspired by a different country each month. This month the focus is Italy, so I chose this indulgent risotto. If you have any great Italian recipes on your blog, I'd like to invite you to share them with us at the linky below! All are welcome!

Ingredients:

For the risotto
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 pints pork or vegetable stock
3 oz white wine
200g mascarpone
300g ham or gammon
300g arborio rice
salt
pepper
parsley
shredded cheese

Instructions:

Ham & Mascarpone Crock Pot Risotto

1. Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring until the onion is soft, about three to five minutes.
2. Add the rice and allow to toast for about a minute.
3. Pour in the wine and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about another three to five minutes.
4. Transfer the contents of the pan into the crock pot.
5. Stir in the stock and chunks of ham.
6. Cover and cook on high until the rice is tender, about 45 minutes.
7. Stir in the mascarpone, salt and pepper and a bit more butter, if needed.
8. Sprinkle with parsley and shredded cheese and serve.