Want healthy meals your kids will love?

Rainbow Risotto

33 Comments

Sometimes your main dish doesn’t have to occupy your crock pot. This Rainbow Risotto is the perfect crockpot side dish!

We love rainbow food! The more colors you get in your diet, the more variety of vitamins and minerals you will get.  We used:

  • Red Peppers
  • Orange Peppers
  • Yellow Peppers
  • Green Peppers
  • and purple cabbage to complete our rainbow.

Crockpot Rainbow Risotto. Super cheesy side dish with a rainbow of veggies!

Bell peppers are becoming more and more a staple in our diet.  I rarely come home from the grocery store anymore without them.  They are a great snack. They are perfect to send in a school lunch.  They are delicious for dinner. They can be served raw or cooked.  You can spread laughing cow cheese on them for a crunchy treat (we do that all the time!).  Plus, the variety of colors they come in mean they have a variety of phytochemicals and antioxidants.

According to my favorite food resource:

I combined 1 cup of rice, with all the veggies in a slow cooker, and added broth.

Crockpot Rainbow Risotto. Colorful veggies make this crockpot rainbow risotto mouth-watering!

I put some chicken in the oven, and set the oven timer to cook it for 1 hour.  We set the slow cooker on high and left for the movies.

When we got home, we added cheese, butter, and milk, and gave it a quick stir.  The chicken was ready. I had some leftover fruit salad from making it for a meal plan.  And the rice was perfect.  I blanched some broccoli and cauliflower to complete our balanced myplate meal.

Crockpot Rainbow Risotto. The whole family loves this crockpot rainbow risotto!

And did my family like it? No actually, they LOVED IT!! I’m not just saying that. But how can you not love cheesy rice?  It was warm, cheesy, chewy, and full of vegetables! We’ll definitely be making this one more often… maybe even weekly for awhile until we get sick of it.

If you try this recipe, we’d love to know how it turns out for you!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
5 from 3 votes

Crockpot Rainbow Risotto

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 453kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup long-grain rice
  • 1 medium bell pepper, red
  • 1 medium bell pepper, orange
  • 1 medium bell pepper, yellow
  • 1 medium bell pepper, green
  • 1/2 cup chopped cabbage, red
  • 1 3/4 cup chicken broth, low-sodium

Add

Instructions

  • Finely chop all the bell peppers and purple cabbage.
  • Combine the rice with the vegetables in a slow cooker, and pour 1 3/4 cup chicken broth over it. Set it on high for 2 1/2 hours, or low for about 4 hours. Make sure the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
  • Unplug the slow cooker, and add milk, butter, and Monterrey cheese.
  • Stir to combine and let sit for 5 minutes. Season with salt if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 453kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 309mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g
Keyword : bell peppers, cabbage, crockpot, gluten-free, rainbow risotto, rice

www.superhealthykids.com

Natalie Monson

I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

Learn More about Natalie

Leave a Comment:
Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




33 Comments

This looks like something fun the kids would enjoy helping in the kitchen with. All the vibrant colors would make it fun and they would feel good and proud of their dish when it is done. Can’t wait to try, thanks for sharing

I really try to get more colors in my meal because of the nutrition value a colorful meal provides but sometimes i struggle. This is a great idea that I can’t wait to try out. Thanks for sharing it!

I’m with you about not wanting to come home and prepare a meal after being out at a movie or any kind of fun outing. It’s always the last thing any of us want to do. What a great idea to prepare a slow cooker with a meal prior for leaving for the days activities!

Maggie- I actually haven’t tried making Risotto with brown rice. Have you tried real risotto with brown? If real risotto works, this should too. Let me know if you make it!

Wow that was odd. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked
submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that
over again. Regardless, just wanted to say wonderful
blog!

I just tried it tonight. Came out great! I had to cook it for an extra hour on high and put 2 cups of broth instead of 1 3/4 cup. Thanks for the recipe!

Sounds yummy! Just remember to buy organic bell peppers I you can. They are on the dirty dozen list which means they have higher concentrations of pesticides than some other fruits and veggies.

Just chopped all my veggies and making for dinner tomorrow along with chicken cutlets, steamed veggies, and fresh mango. The kids will love the colors! I plan to cook with brown rice, so I will heed the advice for 2 cups broth and 5 hours on low. Thanks for sharing!

What size crockpot did you use? Mine is fairly large and this recipe as is doesn’t seem like enough to fill it up to the recommended 2/3 full for best cooking results. I can double it if needed, just was curious what size you were using though.

I’ve Never Heard Of This Dish But It Sounds Yummy! Can I Add Chopped Raw Chicken To The Crockpot Instead Of Cooking Seperately In The Oven?

risotto is usually made with arborio rice. so i dont know if I would call this a “risotto” did anyone try using the arborio?

I did not try it with arborio, but was wondering about using carnaroli, also traditionally used for risotto. In the Veneto region of Italy they use Vialone Nano, which I do not care for in risotto. Nano is said to produce slightly creamier risotto than carnaroli and give you the “wave” at the end of cooking. How much water might we use for arborio or carnaroli? Also, the amount of cheese is way over Italian style, which would be 1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan plus more for serving.

How much does this recipe make and what is the serving size? I am making this tonight but want to be sure I am making enough! 🙂

We made this with our dinner tonight and it was fantastic. Every family member loved it, especially my daughter who loved the idea of a rainbow in her food! Without a doubt we will make it again! Thank you!