Carrot & Sage Risotto

Yesterday I shared with you a simple and elegant recipe for chicken breasts seasoned (and decorated) with fresh sage leaves. Today, I wanted to share a delicious side dish that pairs perfectly with that chicken: carrot & sage risotto.

I have had so much fun experimenting with variations on my basic recipe, but this risotto is really different and wonderful. It has nice sweetness from the carrots and that deep flavor of fresh sage. These flavors work together really nicely to lighten up the risotto, which can often be a very rich dish. It's also super versatile, so this risotto makes a great side dish for virtually any protein, for some grilled vegetables, or on its own with just a little grated Parmesan.

It was fun to let the carrots shine here. They don't often get to be the star of the show, right? Usually you're throwing them into a soup or a sauce with celery and onions or adding them to a vegetable stir fry for a bit of color or to a slow cooker because they are one of the only veggies that can withstand several hours of slow cooking. In this risotto though, the carrots are the stars.


Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
• 1/2 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 10 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced and divided
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium fat free chicken broth
• 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a large saute pan heat 2 Tbs. olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and 1/2 of the sage and saute until tender (make sure they don't brown!), about 3 minutes. Add the Arborio rice and stir to coat with the onion mixture. Add the wine and simmer, stirring until it has almost completely evaporated, approximately 3 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth and stir constantly until the broth has almost completely absorbed, for 2-3 minutes. Continue stirring the rice and repeat the process of adding 1/2 cup broth at a time. Allow each 1/2 cup of broth to absorb before adding the next. Continue stirring to cook until the rice is chewy and firm.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the remaining oil, reserved sage, grated Parmesan, and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.