Cheesy Leek Risotto
This Cheesy Leek Risotto tastes too indulgent to be low in calories. With sautéd leeks, onion and lots of cheesy deliciousness, it’s sure to be an instant hit with the whole family. The best part? There’s hardly any need to stir!
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories438
- Carbs66g
- Protein18g
- Fat10g
- Saturates5.5g
- Sugars3.6g
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
If you love the reward of a rich, creamy risotto, but you don’t love doing all the stirring, this Cheesy Leek Risotto is for you! We’ve kept the stirring to a minimum, so you’ll always have all the energy you need to make it – even after a long day at work!
Indulgently creamy and gloriously cheesy, you won’t believe this one’s only 438 calories per bowlful. Using a short list of super simple ingredients, we’ve made sure it’s full of yummy goodness you can rustle up in half an hour. What a dream!
If everyone around the table loves cheese as much as we do, they’re going to be obsessed with this dish. We’ve combined melty, reduced-fat cheddar with spreadable cheese, and balanced it out with nutritious, savoury leek and onion. Combine all that with fluffy risotto rice and you’ve got comfort by the spoonful!
What diets is this Cheesy Leek Risotto suitable for?
This Cheesy Leek Risotto recipe is suitable for vegetarian diets.
It can be made gluten free as long as you swap out the following ingredients for gluten-free versions;
- Vegetable stock cubes
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Cheesy Leek Risotto?
As with any risotto recipe, you will need some Arborio rice. This particular type of rice helps the risotto get its traditional creamy texture.
It is readily available in most supermarkets and can be found in the grains aisle.
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A good quality, large frying pan is ideal for making risottos and other Italian dishes.
Arborio rice helps the risotto get its traditional creamy texture.
How many calories are in this Cheesy Leek Risotto?
There are 438 calories per portion in this Cheesy Leek Risotto, which means it falls into our Weekly Indulgence category.
To cut down the amount of calories even more, you can simply halve the portion size and serve with a healthy accompaniment!
This Cheesy Leek Risotto is perfect if you’re following a calorie-controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Spray a large saucepan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium to low heat.
Step 2
Sauté the leeks and onions for 10 minutes, until soft but not browned.
Step 3
Stir in the rice and then add the white wine vinegar. Stir until this has been absorbed.
Step 4
Add the stock cubes to the water then add the stock to the pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes. You don’t have to stir constantly, just check and give a quick stir every 5 minutes to make sure the rice doesn’t stick to the pan.
Step 5
After 15 minutes most of the liquid should have been absorbed, but there should be a little remaining. If it has dried out, add a splash of water.
Step 6
Now, begin to stir rapidly for 4-5 minutes, until the remaining liquid has been absorbed and the risotto has a creamy consistency.
Step 7
Add the spreadable cheese and grated Cheddar and stir until melted.
Step 8
Season to taste with some salt and black pepper and serve!
What could I serve with this Cheesy Leek Risotto?
For a special occasion, why not serve it as the main course as part of an Italian themed feast alongside these dishes:
How do you know when Cheesy Leek Risotto is cooked?
You should cook this Cheesy Leek Risotto until the rice has softened and all of the stock liquid has been absorbed. This will take around 30 minutes.
To keep your family safe, the advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes.
How long can you keep Cheesy Leek Risotto in the fridge?
Rice can be a source of serious food poisoning as it can contain heat-resistant spores that may turn into bacteria if it’s not stored properly.
You should always take extra care when cooling and reheating dishes that contain rice:
- Make sure it’s cooled and refrigerated as soon as possible after cooking.
- Use chilled rice within a day.
- Always reheat until piping hot, and never more than once.
Can I freeze Cheesy Leek Risotto?
As when keeping rice in the fridge, make sure to do the following if you plan to freeze it:
- Cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour) then freeze it immediately.
- You can split larger portions up into smaller batches to cool quicker.
- Freeze as soon as the rice is cold.
- When you reheat any rice, always check it is steaming hot all the way through.
- Don’t reheat cooked rice more than once.
How do I reheat Cheesy Leek Risotto?
This Cheesy Leek Risotto is best enjoyed fresh. It can be frozen and reheated, but it might go a bit stodgy.
From chilled: Place in a microwave proof container with loosely fitting lid and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes then stir. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes until piping hot.
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Cheesy Leek Risotto
With sautéd leeks, onion and lots of cheesy deliciousness, this slimming-friendly Cheesy Leek Risotto is a dreamy midweek dinner.
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Prep Time
10 MINS
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Cook Time
30 MINS
- KCals 438
- Carbs 66G
Instructions
- Spray a large saucepan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium to low heat.
- Sauté the leeks and onions for 10 minutes, until soft but not browned.
- Stir in the rice and then add the white wine vinegar. Stir until this has been absorbed.
- Add the stock cubes to the water then add the stock to the pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes. You don't have to stir constantly, just check and give a quick stir every 5 minutes to make sure the rice doesn't stick to the pan.
- After 15 minutes most of the liquid should have been absorbed, but there should be a little remaining. If it has dried out, add a splash of water.
- Now, begin to stir rapidly for 4-5 minutes, until the remaining liquid has been absorbed and the risotto has a creamy consistency.
- Add the spreadable cheese and grated Cheddar and stir until melted.
- Season to taste with some salt and black pepper and serve!
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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We agreed with Slimming World to remove their trademarked terms from our website
Recipe notes
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14 comments
See what others have to say
LornaFriday 31st May 2024
Just to say when altering servings the amount of stock doesn’t change,
HollyMonday 17th June 2024
Hey Lorna, thanks for your message this has now been amended
Hazel DThursday 24th August 2023
One of our favourites. Added a little smoked bacon to the dish. Yum!
SharonMonday 16th October 2023
Hi Hazel, that sounds delicious! We’re so pleased our Cheesy Leek Risotto is one of your favourite recipes!
Natasha Kate StopforthMonday 26th September 2022
Hello, could I use low fat cream cheese for the spreadable cream cheese? Thank you!
SharonMonday 17th October 2022
Hi Natasha, low-fat cream cheese has a milder cheesy flavour than spreadable cheese so the finished dish wouldn’t taste as cheesy.You could add a little more Cheddar to compensate. Enjoy the recipe!
Zelda EmmettThursday 4th August 2022
When. Rice has been added do I have it covered with lid or free of lid. ??
HollyFriday 5th August 2022
Hi Zelda, no need for a lid on this risotto. Once you’ve added the stock bring it to the boil then reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes stirring every so often. Hope that helps!
Gill PayneTuesday 2nd August 2022
Hi which spreadable cheese would be best for this recipe, primula or cheese triangles?
Tia
SharonWednesday 3rd August 2022
Hi Gill, we used Primula Light cheese spread in this recipe.Any other brand of similar cheese spread would also work well.Enjoy the recipe!
Gill PayneThursday 18th August 2022
It was delicious thoroughly enjoyed by the whole family
SharonMonday 22nd August 2022
Hi Gill, we’re so pleased to hear your family enjoyed Cheesy Leek Risotto. Thanks for letting us know!
Pauline PallantMonday 1st August 2022
Can I use basmati rice instead?
SharonTuesday 2nd August 2022
Hi Pauline, basmati rice is a long grain rice and isn’t starchy enough to make a creamy risotto. You will need to use arborio rice which is a short grain starchy rice and will give the risotto a creamy texture.Hope you enjoy the recipe!
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