All Hail Kale

I love risotto but it can be a real ordeal to make. This looked like an easy recipe for it and super healthy. We rarely eat a strictly vegetarian meal but I'm always looking for ways to add more veggies to our diet.

Butternut Squash Baked Risotto (from EveryDay Food magazine)

2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, diced small
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 C Arborio rice
coarse salt and pepper
1/2 C dry white wine
1 medium butternut squash (2 lbs.), peeled and diced medium (4 C)
4 C vegetable broth
1 bunch black (Tuscan) or curly kale, tough stems removed, cut cross ways into 1/2-inch strips
grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Preheat oven to 400. In a medium Dutch oven or heavy oven-proof pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil over medium high. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until opaque, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add wine and cook until completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add squash and broth; bring to a boil. Stir in kale. Cover, transfer to oven and bake until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

My first recommendation is to have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to add. The first few steps go very quickly. Have the wine measured out and ready to pour. I used the Swanson's vegetable broth in the box. One box is 4 cups, which is handy. I used curly kale.

My guys liked this but picked out all the kale. I may have had better luck with spinach. I very much liked this, which is a good thing since I'll be eating all the leftovers. I would probably use slightly less kale if I made this again since the whole bunch rather overwhelmed the other ingredients.