Baked Mac-and-Cheese, but Make It Rice

Yes, it's possible to turn risotto into a make-ahead casserole.

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Editorial Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
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Published October 31, 2024
Overhead view of baked saffron risotto with mozzarella and crispy topping.

Serious Eats / Daniel Gritzer

Why It Works

  • Short-grain Asian rice (such as sushi rice) produces risotto with tender rice grains that hold their shape, retain a pleasantly chewy texture and don't become mushy.
  • This recipe provides instruction using either a pressure cooker (for fastest cooking time) or on the stovetop.
  • A bechamel sauce made with both chicken-stock and milk guarantees risotto that's molten, not dry, inside.
  • Gelatin-rich chicken stock helps the rice filling set when chilled, but melts again when heated.

Risotto is not exactly a make-ahead food. Yes, you can par-cook the rice, or speed up the process with a pressure cooker, but ultimately it's a dish that needs to be finished right before serving. But when I was working on my arancini (rice balls) recipe, it occurred to me that there might just be a way to use the same lessons I'd learned from the arancini and apply them to a make-ahead risotto recipe.

The challenge with arancini is making sure they come out moist and juicy. Most recipes have you start by cooking a risotto, then chilling it and forming it into balls, and finally deep frying them. The problem is that risotto, once cooked and cooled, does not become moist again when reheated unless additional liquid is stirred in to loosen it up.

My solution with the arancini was to take a trick from croquette recipes by folding a bechamel-like mixture into the cooked rice: bechamel, when reheated, liquifies more than risotto alone will. It worked beautifully, creating arancini with crisp deep-fried exteriors and flavorful rice centers that flow when you bite into them.

As I was frying my test batches of rice balls, I realized that what I had actually created was a make-ahead risotto: one that melts and softens when reheated. And since forming and deep-frying rice balls is admittedly a little bit of a pain in the butt, I wondered why, if pressed for time, I couldn't just load the rice filling into a baking dish and then finish it in the oven, all in one shot.

The panko-parmesan topped risotto, ready for baking.

Serious Eats / Daniel Gritzer

To test it out, I folded some diced mozzarella into the chilled rice mixture, then spooned it into a baking dish and topped it with a simple crispy topping of panko bread crumbs mixed with parmesan cheese and some melted butter.

Because I had found that sushi rice worked best for the arancini, I also used it here (risotto rice had a tendency to blow out a little). But you could also make this work with risotto rice like carnaroli or vialone nano.

The results were delicious. Just like a baked pasta, it's a little thicker than its à la minute counterpart, and is deeply satisfying in that rib-sticking winter foods kind of way. In essence, this is the risotto equivalent of a baked mac and cheese.

A spoonful of baked risotto is held up to the camera.

Serious Eats / Daniel Gritzer

The beauty is that you can make the whole thing well in advance, keep it refrigerated, and then pop it in the oven until heated through and browned on top. My recipe here uses the same Milanese-style saffron flavor as my arancini, but there's no reason you couldn't make this basic idea work with any risotto flavor.

I'll still make deep-fried rice balls from time to time, but I have a feeling this make-and-bake method may get a lot more play at my place, especially when I'm entertaining.

November 2014

Recipe Details

Baked Mac-and-Cheese, But Make It Rice

Prep 5 mins
Cook 60 mins
Total 65 mins
Serves 4 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

  • 1 packet (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin (only if using store-bought chicken broth or homemade broth that remains watery when chilled; see note)

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)

  • 1 cup short-grain Asian rice (see note)

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

  • 1 pinch saffron

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon chilled unsalted butter plus 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, divided

  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons milk

  • 1 large egg, beaten

  • 1/2 pound low-moisture mozzarella, diced

  • 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

  1. If using store-bought chicken broth or homemade broth that remains watery when chilled, place stock in a large liquid measuring cup and sprinkle gelatin over the top. Set aside.

  2. If Making Rice in a Pressure Cooker: Heat oil in Pressure cooker over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice is evenly coated in oil and toasted but not browned, 3 minutes (rice grains should start to look like tiny ice cubes: translucent around the edges and cloudy in the center). Add wine and cook, stirring, until raw alcohol smell has cooked off and wine is almost fully evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 1/2 cups broth and the saffron, scrape any grains of rice or pieces of onion from side of pressure cooker so that they are fully submerged; season with salt. Close pressure cooker and bring up to low pressure (10 psi on most units). Cook at low pressure for 6 minutes, then depressurize cooker either by running it under cold water if it is not electric, or using the steam-release valve if it is electric. Return to heat and stir rice until it forms the texture of a thick porridge. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool slightly.

  3. If Making Rice on Stovetop: Heat oil in large saucier pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice is evenly coated in oil and toasted but not browned, 3 minutes (rice grains should start to look like tiny ice cubes: translucent around the edges and cloudy in the center). Add wine and cook, stirring, until raw alcohol smell has cooked off and wine is almost fully evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup stock and saffron, scrape any grains of rice or pieces of onion from side of pressure cooker so that they are fully submerged; season with salt. When liquid has mostly evaporated, stir in 1/2 more cup stock and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has mostly evaporated. Stir in water 1/4 cup at a time until rice is just tender and has formed the texture of a thick porridge. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool slightly.

  4. Meanwhile, in a small saucier or saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon chilled butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Stir in flour to form a paste, lower heat to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, until raw-flour smell is gone but flour has not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in milk and remaining 1/2 cup stock until smooth. Bring to a simmer, and continue to cook, stirring, until bechamel sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool slightly, then whisk in egg.

  5. Scrape rice into large mixing bowl along with bechamel sauce and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Fold in mozzarella cheese. Scrape risotto mixture into baking dish, cover with plastic and refrigerate until ready to re-heat.

  6. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, toss panko with remaining 4 tablespoons melted butter and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

  7. About 1 hour before ready to serve, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Remove plastic from rice and spread bread crumbs in an even layer on top. Bake until bread crumbs are golden and rice is thoroughly heated through, about 30 minutes. Serve right away.

    The finished baked risotto, ready to serve.

    Serious Eats / Daniel Gritzer

Special Equipment

Dutch oven, large saucier pan, or pressure cooker; baking dish

Notes

If your homemade chicken stock remains watery even when chilled, or if you are using store-bought chicken broth, be sure to add the unflavored gelatin for best results; if your homemade stock is gelatin-rich and solidifies when chilled, you do not need to add additional gelatin.

Short-grain Asian rice, such as sushi rice, produced the best results in our tests; however, you can use risotto rice such as arborio or carnaroli and still get good results.

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
619Calories
39gFat
42gCarbs
23gProtein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories619
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 39g50%
Saturated Fat 19g94%
Cholesterol 137mg46%
Sodium 1152mg50%
Total Carbohydrate 42g15%
Dietary Fiber 2g8%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 23g
Vitamin C 3mg14%
Calcium 401mg31%
Iron 2mg13%
Potassium 362mg8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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