This pancetta risotto recipe is equal parts salty and sweet, made with a mixture of tomatoes and pork belly meat.
Perfect for a dinner or a warming lunchtime meal, the risotto couldn’t be easier to make in just one pan.
As shared by Ben Ebbrell, chef and co-founder at Sorted Food, the tray-baked dish has been branded the “ultimate cheat” for quick mid-week cooking.
Ben described his risotto recipe as: “A hearty dish with juicy pancetta and sweet cherry tomatoes cooked together with rice! Finished with a dollop of creme fraiche and cheese.”
The quantities below make plenty for two people but it’s easy to duplicate them to feed a whole family.
One tray pancetta and roast tomato risotto
Preheat the oven to 210C and boil a kettle filled with water ready to boil the arborio rice.
Halve 200g of the cherry tomatoes and tip into a medium-sized roasting tray along with 140g of pancetta into a medium roasting tray.
Spread everything out into one even layer and roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the ingredients turn slightly golden.
Next, add 200g of rice to the tray and give everything a good mix. Pour 800ml of hot water from the kettle into the tray and give everything another stir, scraping up any stuck bits of pancetta and tomato from the bottom of the tray as you go.
Season everything with a generous pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper, then slide the tray back into the oven.
Cook for a further 20 to 22 minutes, making sure to stir everything at five-minute intervals until the rice has absorbed nearly all of the liquid and the grains are soft and plump.
Remove the tray from the oven when the rice is fully cooked and dollop in 150g of crème fraîche and finely grate in 40g of the cheese.
Fold everything together and season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary, then divide the risotto between serving bowls and grate over the remaining 10g of cheese.
